Five things to know: Indiana

Friday, January 26

7 p.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

Indiana

Photo by: Pam Ruschell

January 24, 2018 | Wrestling

Badgers will be back home to welcome the Hoosiers Friday night

MADISON, Wis.- After being on the road for competition for more than a month, No. 21 Wisconsin wrestling (5-2 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) is finally back in town to begin a stretch where four of the remaining five duals will be in Madison.

The Indiana Hoosiers (6-5, 0-4) will make a stop in for a conference dual on Friday at 7 p.m. inside the UW Field House with tickets available at the doors. Flowrestling will have a live stream and constant updates will be available on the official twitter handle @Badgerwrestling.

1. PREVIOUSLY ON THE MAT: This past weekend, the Badgers were in action on the road for two conference duals in Michigan. In its first outing, UW met the No. 8 Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor and despite a couple of big individual performances from Andrew Crone and Hunter Ritter, the squad fell short 29-10. The Badgers' luck turned around against the Spartans just two days later in East Lansing, taking eight of 10 matches from Michigan State in a 28-7 victory.

2. BACK IN THE RANKS: Andrew Crone (18-7, 4-0 Big Ten) is back in the national ranks, sitting at 20th based on Intermat's rankings at 157 pounds after two victories this past weekend. His highlight win was a 3-0 decision over Michigan's fifth-ranked Alec Pantaleo that was a match that went down to the wire. He also defeated Michigan State's Jake Tucker in a 7-0 decision to cap off a 2-0 conference weekend.

3. BATTLE AT 141: The Hoosiers come in with two ranked wrestlers in the most recent rankings. One of IU's best wrestlers is Cole Weaver, who at 141 pounds is ranked 20th in the country with a 20-6, 8-3 dual record. He is projected to face Eli Stickley, who has compiled a 15-5 record thus far and has four ranked wins.

4. WAR FOR 174: The other key matchup in Friday's dual involves Ryan Christensen and Indiana's other ranked wrestler, 19th-ranked Devin Skatzka at 174 pounds. Christensen stands at 16-9 on the year with a 2-2 slate in Big Ten duals. Skatzka on the other hand is has a 17-7 record, also 2-2 in conference matches.

5. SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS: Indiana started out the season on a tear, going 6-1 in its first seven duals. But like the Badgers, it has faced some tough competition in the always-difficult Big Ten, going against the likes No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Ohio State, and No. 8 Michigan. Including their most recent loss against the Michigan State Spartans, the Hoosiers have dropped four-straight duals and will have a chip on their shoulder when they enter the UW Field House on Friday.

Wisconsin Probables

125-Johnny Jimenez (Sr./ 1-5)
133-Jens Lantz (RS-Jr./ 14-9)
141-Eli Stickley (RS-So./ 15-5)
149-Cole Martin (RS-So./ 12-7)
157-#20 Andrew Crone (RS-Sr./ 18-7)
165-#5 Evan Wick (RS-Fr./ 17-2)
174-Ryan Christensen (RS-Jr./ 16-9)
184-#9 Ricky Robertson (RS-Sr./ 19-4)
197-Hunter Ritter (RS-So./ 17-7)
285-Ben Stone (RS-So./ 5-11)

INDIANA PROBABLES

Weight // Name // Elig. // W-L (Duals) // Home Town/High School (Ranking: Flo)

125 - Elijah Oliver // Jr. // 15-6 (8-2) // Washington, Ill./Washington Community
133 - Garrett Pepple // r-So. // 11-12 (5-6) // Kendalville, Ind./East Noble
141 - #16 Cole Weaver // r-Jr. // 20-6 (8-3) // Hudson, Mich./Hudson
149 - Alejandro Raya // Fr. // 6-3 (0-0) // Yucaipa, Calif./Yucaipa
157 - Austin Holmes // r-Fr. // 9-10 (0-3) // Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern
165 - Dillon Hoey // Fr. // 8-10 (0-1) // Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel
174 - #19 Devin Skatzka // r-So. // 17-7 (6-2) // Richmond, Mich./Richmond
184 - Norman Conley // r-So. // 11-12 (5-6) // St. Louis, Mo./Chaminade College Prepatory School
197 - Jake Kleimola // r-Fr. // 0-6 (0-2) // Schererville, Ind./Lake Central
197 - Spencer Irick // r-Fr. // 2-9 (0-3) // Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern
285 - Fletcher Miller // r-Jr. // 12-7 (4-4) // Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo