Five things to know: No. 4 Wisconsin hosts No. 3 Ohio State

Friday, January 17

Madison, WI

8 p.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

Ohio State

Tickets

Five things to know: No. 4 Wisconsin hosts No. 3 Ohio State

January 15, 2020 | Wrestling

Badgers gearing up for another B1G test at home

MADISON, Wis. – The fourth-ranked Wisconsin wrestling team (8-2, 1-2 B1G) welcomes in another top-ranked opponent this weekend after taking down No. 4 Nebraska last weekend at the UW Field House. The Badgers showdown against No. 3 Ohio State (5-1, 1-0) is on Friday at 8 p.m. and will air live on Big Ten Network. Fans can follow along live on social media (@BadgerWrestling) and catch the recap on UWBadgers.com after the action concludes.

1. Moran's Moment – Tristan Moran, Wisconsin's 141-pounder, has been proving people wrong all season and continued to do just that last weekend. Moran went in to Mitch McKee's house at Minnesota and took a 7-6 decision from the No. 2 wrestler in the country and then returned home for the 9-4 decision over No. 6 Chad Red. His two upsets led to him being the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week.

2. Eric FALL-net – In his two appearances at the UW Field House, Eric Barnett is feeling right at home. The true freshman has pinned each of his opponents in front of the home crowd. On Dec. 19, Barnett pinned Kent State's Tomas Gutierrez in 1:40. Last Sunday, Barnett pulled Nebraska's Alex Thomsen to the ground and ended the match in 5:45.

3. Marquee Matchups – The Badgers and Buckeyes stack up well against each other, with four of the 10 bouts being ranked. At 133, No. 1 Seth Gross will face No. 20 Jordan Decatur. No. 4 Tristan Moran will get another chance at an upset against No. 1 Luke Pletcher. Wisconsin's No. 13 Cole Martin will likely face off against No. 6 Sammy Sasso. At 165, No. 4 Evan Wick is looking to take on No. 13 Ethan Smith.

4. Short term memory – Following their 20-14 loss against No. 4 Minnesota, Badger head coach Chris Bono said that the team needed to have a short-term memory to get ready for No. 5 Nebraska. Even though they had a short turn around, Wisconsin came out swinging against the Cornhuskers, winning the first four matches with all but one resulting in bonus points. The Badgers ended up taking the dual from the Nebraska, 25-18.

5. Best of the best - Three of the nation's best wrestlers will be competing at the UW Field House on Friday. Ohio State is bringing No. 1 Luke Pletcher at 141-pounds and No. 1 Kollin Moore at 197-pounds. Wisconsin will go to battle with No. 1 Seth Gross, former NCAA Champion, at 133-pounds. There are ranked wrestlers at every weight class except two - 125 and 157 pounds.