Postseason begins in Wisconsin

A grueling Big Ten regular season has come to a close for the Hoosiers. The IU wrestling program had a tough time in the conference season this year, earning only one dual meet victory against a Big Ten team, but the Hoosiers will now have a chance for redemption.\nAfter finishing ninth in the conference regular season, the IU wrestling team will travel to Madison, Wisc., for the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. The Hoosiers will have their work cut out for themselves at the conference tournament. \nThe Big Ten, traditionally considered one of the toughest conferences in college wrestling, has lived up to its reputation this season.\n"The Big Ten is always tough no matter who you are wrestling," senior Greg Schaefer said in January. A simple glance at the national rankings shows how true Schaefer's comments are.\nThree Big Ten teams hold rankings in the top five, and nine of eleven Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25 including: No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Minnesota, No. 5 Illinois, No. 6 Michigan State, No. 7 Michigan, No. 8 Ohio State, No. 14 Penn State, No. 17 Purdue and No. 22 Wisconsin.\nThe nine ranked teams are easily more than any other conference, the closest being the Big 12, which has five. The Big Ten is so highly regarded that the Wisconsin Badgers, who are hosting the tournament this year, hold the No. 22 ranking despite winning only once in conference competition.\nIU goes into competition this weekend after a two-week break. The Hoosiers lost their last two meets of the season to No. 2 Iowa and No. 3 Minnesota. But, despite the loss, some Hoosier wrestlers said they think that having faced Iowa and Minnesota so close to the start of the postseason can give the Hoosiers an advantage this weekend.\n"Facing two of the best teams in the country I think will help us. It will be good to wrestle two of the tougher teams before Big Ten Championships," 141-pound junior Coyte Cooper said.\nCooper finished the regular season with the No. 10 ranking in the nation and is the only Hoosier that holds a No. 1 seed in his weight class this weekend. Cooper, 184-pound junior Ty Matthews, who holds the third seed, and 197-pound sophomore Pat DeGain, who holds the fifth seed, are the only Hoosiers with a top five seed. The only other Hoosiers with a top eight seed are freshman Brady Richardson (sixth at 174) and Schaefer (sixth at 133).\nIf the Hoosiers can manage a strong showing at this weekend's tournament, they will manage to earn what they have been working toward since practice began in the fall, a trip to Kansas City, Mo., for the NCAA Finals.\n"My goal this season is to be in the NCAA Finals," DeGain said earlier in the season. "You have to set your goals high, or else you'll never reach them"