Lopsided loss is motivation

Throughout this week's practice, IU's wrestlers prepared for Sunday's dual at No. 9 Ohio State. \nA 39-0 loss to fifth-ranked Illinois one week ago serves as their motivation.\nWhat will it take for No. 20 Indiana to recover from Sunday's loss and upset the Buckeyes? For head coach Duane Goldman, the answer is simple.\n"We need to go in there ready to compete at a higher level," Goldman said. "You never like to get beat, but when you do get beat, you hope to use it as a learning experience."\nThe Hoosiers will take what they learned on the road this weekend as they compete in four duals matches in two days. Saturday, the team will travel to the University of Indianapolis to face Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Carson-Newman (Tenn.) and host Greyhounds. Carson-Newman is No. 11 in NCAA Division II. Goldman said he is not looking past Saturday's competition, but fully expects to dominate all of the matches Saturday in preparation for the next day's conference matchup.\nAt 2 p.m. Sunday, Indiana (6-1, 1-1 Big Ten) meets Ohio State (11-3, 1-0 Big Ten) at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes' lineup includes six wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of their weight classes. Redshirt freshman Coyte Cooper (141 lbs.) said the team has put the Illinois loss in the past.\n"I think we are ready to bounce back," Cooper said. "If we have that spark we had earlier in the year, we have a chance to go in there (and) upset them."\nSenior Michael Dixon (heavyweight) will have a chance to upset redshirt freshman Tommy Rowlands, the No. 1 wrestler in his class. Rowlands is 27-2 this season and 1-0 in the conference. The 285-pound Rowlands was a high school national champion and a two-time Ohio state champion at Bishop Ready High School in Columbus. Dixon said he realizes the significance of this match.\n"He's a real tough kid who's been on a roll, and I'm going to do what I can to try and stop it," Dixon said. "To be an All-American or a national champ, I'm going to have to beat guys like him."\nTwo other Hoosiers will battle top-10-ranked opponents Sunday. Cooper will meet No. 6 Rober Sessley, and at 197 pounds, Hoosier Brett Becks will bid for an upset against No. 4 Nick Preston, who boasts a 21-4 record this season. \nIU might have to overcome injury setbacks this weekend, said Goldman, whose team must remain healthy to continue its success. Junior Jack Wade (174) and sophomore Greg Schaefer (125) are listed as questionable for the match against Ohio State. Junior Viktor Sveda (184), ranked fifth nationally, has suffered in training with back problems.\nThe match-up with the Buckeyes kicks off a stretch of five consecutive conference matches for IU. The next three will be in Bloomington, including a clash with No. 2 Minnesota. Sophomore Mike Munn, an alternate at 149 pounds, said the Hoosiers were not fazed by the loss at Illinois and are prepared for Ohio State and the schedule ahead.\n"We kind of go old-school here; the idea is that you go out there, and if something breaks down, you just train harder," Munn said. "If we lose, we don't get down about it. We try to bring our intensity up and focus more"