IU puts perfect record on the line

The IU wrestling team will not be allowed to ease into the Big Ten season. 

The No. 11 Hoosiers will open up their season on the Big Ten Network at 8 p.m. today when they travel to No. 19 Wisconsin.

The Hoosiers’ undefeated 11-0 record puts them in elite company coming into the Big Ten opener. No. 1 Iowa is the only other Division 1A team to boast an undefeated record at this point in the season. 

While the Hoosiers have had an unblemished record in dual play this season, IU coach Duane Goldman said he knows the real season starts now. 

“When we hit this time of the year, the intensity of the team really picks up,” Goldman said.

On paper, the Hoosiers are favored to take care of business at Wisconsin. With four nationally ranked wrestlers, the Hoosiers would appear favored for the match.

But at the same time, the Badgers are favored to win six of the 10 matches. Five of the Badgers’ six ranked wrestlers are competing in weight classes where the Hoosiers are not ranked.

Getting production out of the younger Hoosiers, such as sophomore Matt Powless (197 pounds) and freshman Danny Monaco (141 pounds), could be what makes the
difference.

“You have to throw the rankings out the window,” Goldman said. “We are going to have to pull some upsets in order to win.”

The lone matchup with two ranked opponents is at 165 pounds, where No. 13 Paul Young will take on Wisconsin’s No. 1-ranked Andrew Howe, whose closest call of the season actually came against Young in the Las Vegas Invitational.

Young gave Howe everything he could handle but came up short in a 3-2 defeat. The rematch is something Young has been able to put all his time and energy into in the past week.

“When you wrestle a single match like this, it gives you a chance to focus specifically on that one guy,” Young said.

Both are known for being the aggressor in their matches, recording takedowns early and often. Young refuses to have a “not-to-lose” mindset going up against Howe.

“We both wrestle with similar, aggressive styles,” Young said. “I’m just excited to wrestle him.”

With the Hoosiers’ Big Ten opener being broadcast, experience on the big stage could play into the Hoosiers’ favor.

“It’s something that you learn to adapt to,” Young said about wrestling before a large audience. “But it’s hard not to notice the large crowd and the fact that it’s televised.”

If the Hoosiers want to continue to bolster their unblemished record and start the Big Ten season with a victory, they will have to step up to the occasion.

“The Big Ten is brutal, but this is what these guys signed up to do,” Goldman said. “They have to be ready.”