Five things to know: Maryland vs. Wisconsin

Badgers open conference season at home

Wrestling December 06, 2017

Five things to know: Maryland vs. Wisconsin

Badgers open conference season at home

MADISON, Wis.- After competing in one of collegiate wrestling's most difficult tournaments this past weekend, No. 19 Wisconsin wrestling returns home for its first home dual action of the year against Big Ten opponent Maryland Terrapins.

The Badgers first home action is also their lone scheduled TV appearance of the 2017-18 season, with the dual broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and BTN2Go. In addition, live updates will be provided on the official Twitter @Badgerwrestling.

Tickets are available for purchase in advance and can be purchased here. Gates at the UW Field House open at 4:30 p.m. for the high school dual preceding the Wisconsin vs. Maryland dual , which gets underway at 8 p.m. (CT).

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW: MARYLAND

1. FIVE FRESH FACES: The Badgers are in the process of going through an identity transition after three senior starters departed after last season. There are now five new wrestlers (Ethan Rotondo, Jens Lantz, Zander Wick, Evan Wick, Ben Stone) regularly in the starting lineup.

2. FOUR IN THE RANKS: UW currently has four wrestlers in Intermat's most recent rankings, with Zander Wick at No. 16 at 149 pounds, Evan Wick cracked the top 10 at seventh in the 165-pound weight class, Ricky Robertson is eighth at 184 pounds and Hunter Ritter is 19th at 197 pounds.

3. THIRD DUAL OF THE SEASON: Entering Thursday, the Badgers are 2-0 in dual action, taking both victories in a tri-dual against No. 25 Pittsburgh and Cal St. Bakersfield 26-6 and 22-18 respectively. The Terrapins are entering 3-1 on the young season, with wins over Campbell, George Mason and Stanford.

4. TWO CALIFORNIA KIDS: Twins Zander and Evan Wick are in their first official season in a Cardinal and White singlet, and are out-reaching the outside opinions of how they would fare in their rookie varsity campaign. Zander is currently nationally ranked at 149 pounds, with a 12-4 record and a Roadrunner Open title to his name. Evan has turned heads, already having four ranked wins, two of which were against top-10 opponents and more than 40 takedowns in his 15 matches with a 12-3 record.

5. ONE LAST GO-AROUND: For seniors Andrew Crone and Ricky Robertson, the conference dual-action marks the beginning of the road to the NCAA Championships in March. For Crone, he is looking for his second qualification, while Robertson is looking to become a four-time qualifier for the national tournament.

ALL-TIME vs. MARYLAND

The Badgers are 2-1-1 against the Terrapins, with the last meeting coming during the 2015-16 season, where Wisconsin prevailed in the XFINITY Center in College Park, 25-12.
UW has won the last two duals against Maryland, with the Badgers taking the victory the last time the Terps made the journey to Madison in the 2014-15 campaign by a 28-12 result.
197-pound Wisconsin starter Hunter Ritter hails from Perryville, Maryland, which is less than 75 miles from College Park.
Before the Terrapins joined the Big Ten and firsted the Badgers in 2014-15, the two teams had only faced one another twice: once in 1993-94 that resulted in a tie, and in 2009-10 where the then ACC Maryland Terrapins defeated Wisconsin 21-18.
Three current Badger starters and five overall competed the last time the two teams met, with Ricky Robertson, Andrew Crone, and Ryan Christensen all taking victories.

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Players Mentioned

Ryan Christensen: 5' 11"; Redshirt Junior

Andrew Crone: 5' 9"; Redshirt Senior

Jens Lantz: 5' 6"; Redshirt Junior

Hunter Ritter: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore

Ricky Robertson: 5' 11"; Redshirt Senior

Ben Stone: HWT; 6' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore

Evan Wick: 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman

Zander Wick: 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman

Ethan Rotondo: 5' 6"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ryan Christensen
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Junior

Andrew Crone
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Senior

Jens Lantz
: 5' 6"; Redshirt Junior

Hunter Ritter
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Sophomore

Ricky Robertson
: 5' 11"; Redshirt Senior

Ben Stone
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore
: HWT

Evan Wick
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Freshman

Zander Wick
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman

Ethan Rotondo
: 5' 6"; Freshman

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