No. 3 Wrestling opens Big Ten action at home Sunday
January 14, 2011 | Wrestling
Jan. 14, 2011
MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 3 Wisconsin wrestling team opens Big Ten Conference action against No. 15 Illinois at 1 p.m. at the UW Field House on Sunday.
The Cardinal and White possess an 8-1 record overall and will square off against the Illini (2-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) in just its second home dual of the 2010-11 season.
| Dual #10 | #3 Wisconsin vs. #15 Illinois | |
| Date | Sunday, Jan. 16 | 1 p.m. |
| Location | Madison, Wis. | Field House |
| Match Info | Tickets | Promotions |
| Social Media | @BadgerWrestle  | Facebook  |
| Coverage | Live Video  | Gameday Blog |
The No. 15 Illinois wrestling team boasts four ranked wrestlers compared to Wisconsin’s five, not including No. 2 redshirt senior Trevor Brandvold or No. 19 Ben Jordan. Brandvold and Jordan are not scheduled to compete this weekend.
The last time the two Big Ten conferences powerhouses met, the then-No. 13 Wisconsin wrestling team lost to No. 21 Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., in a close, 19-18, decision that came down to the final bout.
The Badgers are 29-37-3 all-time against the Illini, but have not defeated the Orange and Blue since 1991-1992.
Follow all of the action live
• Fans can follow all of the action live on UWBadgers.com via the free web stream or the Gameday Blog.
Promotions
• Bucky Book Day - Arrive early to get your Bucky Books before they run out! Filled with money saving offers, these books are valued at $35 each.
• Wisconsin Wrestling Ticket Stub Offer - Fans that bring their Wisconsin Men's Basketball vs. Illinois game ticket stub will receive admission to today's dual for only $1!
• Alumni Night - Wisconsin Wrestling welcomes back all former UW wrestlers to the UW Field House.
Probable matchups
• 125 lbs. – Tom Kelliher (UW) v. Logan Arlis (UI)
• 133 lbs. - #3 Tyler Graff (UW) v. #7 B.J. Futrell (UI)
• 141 lbs. – Danny Arnel (UW) v. #3 Jimmy Kennedy or John Deneen (UI)
• 149 lbs. - #7 Cole Schmitt (UW) v. #12 Eric Terrazas (UI)
• 157 lbs. – Shawn Perry (UW) v. Jackson Morse (UI)
• 165 lbs. - #2 Andrew Howe (UW) v. Conrad Polz (UI)
• 174 lbs. – Kalvin York (UW) v. #12 Jordan Blanton or Ben Friedl (UI)
• 184 lbs. - #4 Travis Rutt (UW) v. Tony Dallago (UI)
• 197 lbs – Derrick Borlie (UW) v. Mario Gonzalez (UI)
• 285 lbs. - #18 Eric Bugenhagen (UW) v. Pat Walker (UI)
Bout-by-bout analysis
•At 125 lbs., redshirt sophomore Tom Kelliher takes on Logan Arlis. Kelliher has a 2-3 record on the season, and Arlis is 8-10 overall.
• The 133 lbs. matchup features two ranked wrestlers, No. 3 redshirt sophomore Tyler Graff and No. 7 B.J. Futrell. Graff has just one loss this year in 19 bouts (17-1 overall at 133 lbs. and 1-0 overall at 141 lbs.), and Futrell maintains a 16-3 record this season. Graff has won the previous two bouts between the wrestlers. Most recently the Badger posted a 13-6 decision over Futrell to earn his second-straight Midlands Championships title at 133 lbs. on Dec. 30, 2010.
• Redshirt freshman Danny Arnel looks for his second victory of the season as he takes on No. 3 Jimmy Kennedy or John Deneen at 141 lbs. Arnel’s last win came at the Cliff Keen Invite in early December, while Kennedy hast just one loss in 11 matches. Deenen is 0-1 on the season.
• Earning his highest ranking of the season at No. 7 at 149 lbs., redshirt sophomore Cole Schmitt takes on fellow ranked wrestler No. 12 Eric Terrazas. Schmitt has lost just two of his last 17 matches and enters the bout coming off an undefeated run at the NWCA National Duals last weekend. Schmitt’s efforts in Cedar Falls, Iowa, helped him earn Big Ten Conference Wrestler of the Week accolades on Jan. 11. Terrazas holds a 15-4 record, but lost his last match in a dual against Western Virginia.
• Representing Wisconsin at 157 lbs. is redshirt freshman Shawn Perry, who recently earned victories at 165 lbs. and 157 lbs. at the NWCA National Duals. Perry will face unranked Jackson Morse, who boasts a 16-5 overall record this season.
• At 165 lbs., No. 2 junior Andrew Howe wrestles Conrad Polz for the fourth time in his collegiate career and second time this season. Howe (17-1 at 165 lbs., 1-0 at 174 lbs.) won all three previous matchups over Polz, who sits at 5-6 this season.
• Redshirt freshman Kalvin York moves up two weight classes to 174 lbs. where he will take on No. 12 Jordan Blanton. York is 0-1 in dual meets this season at 174 lbs., while Blanton holds a 6-3 overall record.
• No. 5 Travis Rutt enters competition looking to add to his perfect 9-0 dual record against Illinois’ Tony Dallago at 184 lbs. Rutt has just one loss on the season and Dallago has an 11-8 overall record.
• Redshirt freshman Derrick Borlie will continue to wrestle at 197 lbs. in place of injured Brandvold. Borlie is set to take on the Fighting Illini’s Mario Gonzalez. Borlie is coming off a 4-0 performance at the NWCA National Duals, while Gonzalez boasts 10 wins and just two losses this year.
• At heavyweight, No. 18 redshirt senior Eric Bugenhagen will face Pat Walker. Bugenhagen has a 13-7 record this season, while Walker maintains a 7-6 record. In the two occurrences these wrestlers faced each other last season, Bugenhagen was victorious.
• In addition, several other wrestlers will be competing in the Dan Gable Open in Oshkosh, Wis., on Sunday.
Last time out: NWCA National Duals
• The Badgers are fresh off a third place finish at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, last weekend. The Cardinal and White defeated South Dakota State and No. 22 American in the first two rounds, but dropped the semifinal dual to No. 12 Virginia Tech on Sunday. Wisconsin sealed the third place trophy with a 19-17 victory over No. 5 Minnesota its final dual of the weekend.
• Wisconsin has five undefeated wrestlers at the Duals, including redshirt sophomore No. 3 Tyler Graff (133 lbs.), redshirt sophomore No. 10 Cole Schmitt (149 lbs.), junior No. 2 Andrew Howe (165 lbs.), junior No. 5 Travis Rutt (184 lbs.) and redshirt freshman Derrick Borlie (197 lbs.).
Badger Bits
Schmitt named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week Jan. 11
• Buoying the Cardinal and White last weekend was Schmitt, who captured a 4-3 decision over American’s No. 8 Ganbayar Sanjaa and defeated No. 9 Brian Stephens (Virginia Tech), 6-5.
• In addition, Schmitt opened the tournament by pinning South Dakota State’s James Hamilton at 5:31 to help Wisconsin defeat the Jackrabbits, 42-3. To wrap up the weekend, he shut out Minnesota’s Daniel Zilverberg, 7-0, to extend his overall record to 15-4 (excluding open tournaments).
• Schmitt’s efforts in Cedar Falls helped him earn the Badgers’ second Big Ten Conference Wrestler of the Week accolade of the season. The award marks the redshirt sophomore’s first league award of his career. In addition, he is now ranked No. 7 at 149 lbs.
Three Badgers, three losses
• The trio of Tyler Graff, Travis Rutt and Andrew Howe are all 18-1 on the season (excluding open tournaments) and all boast a 9-0 dual record after sweeping their competition at the NWCA National Duals. However, Howe and Graff wrestled up one weight class against South Dakota State Jan. 8, so at their respective weight classes, they are each 17-1 overall and 8-0 in dual action.
• Graff and Rutt’s only losses of the season came at the 2010 Cliff Keen Invite in Las Vegas Dec. 4. Rutt fell to then-No. 4 Steve Bosak of the No. 1 Cornell wrestling program in the title match of the invitational. Graff’s only defeat was in the 133-pound title bout to then No.2-ranked Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State.
• Howe dropped his first match since March 21, 2009 in what was debatably one of the most anticipated bouts of the 2010 Midlands Championships on Dec. 30. Howe fell to then No. 2-ranked Nebraska’s Jordan Burroughs, the defending 2009 NCAA Champion at 157 lbs. Heading into the match, Howe was riding a 51-0 winning-streak, but his impressive run came to an end when he fell to Burroughs, 10-7.
Stepping up to the mat
• Tyler Graff (133 lbs.) Andrew Howe (165 lbs.), Shawn Perry (157 lbs.) and Kalvin York (157 lbs.) all stepped up to the mat for their team at the NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals from Jan. 8-9 by wrestling up one weight class in at least one match.
• One wrestler who really stood out to fans over the weekend was Perry, who wrestled in three different bouts including 157 lbs., 165 lbs. and 174 lbs.
Three badgers, 27 dual victories
• Tyler Graff (133 lbs.), Andrew Howe (165 lbs.) and Travis Rutt (184 lbs.) are all 9-0 on the dual season. Most recently the trio significantly extended their dual records by sweeping their opponents with four-straight victories at the NWCA National Duals Jan. 8-9.
33.3 percent over ranked opponents
• 33.3 percent of the Badgers nine dual victories have been over ranked opponents. The Badgers defeated then No. 15-ranked Virginia Tech in the ACC Challenge in Chapel Hill, N.C. Nov. 21 and most recently defeated then-No. 22 American and then-No. 5 Minnesota in the NWCA National Duals Jan. 8-9.
The Badgers are set to face six more ranked opponents including Minnesota again at the end of January.
Next time out
• Wisconsin returns to the mat to face No. 16 Nebraska Jan. 21 at the UW Field House at 7 p.m. (CT). The dual will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
