When IU takes on No. 11 Nebraska on Sunday, it will be the the team’s last chance to exceed their conference win total from last year.
So far, the number still sits at one.
“We can’t take any more setbacks as a team,” IU head coach Angel Escobedo said after the loss Sunday to Minnesota. “We have to stay mentally ready for this last battle in conference. As the season goes on, you get stuck in a rut. So I’m just trying to keep these guys positive.”
IU will continue its four-match homestand this weekend as it takes on a Nebraska lineup that features nine ranked wrestlers.
Among the ranked wrestlers for Nebraska, four sit in the top 10, with senior Isaiah White topping the list at No. 5 in the 165-pound weight class.
White placed sixth last year at the NCAA Championships, earning All-American status. Before he came to Nebraska, he was a Division II National Champion at Notre Dame College in Euclid, Ohio. It was the same school IU senior Fernando Silva attended before transferring to Bloomington.
No. 6 Chad Red Jr. anchors the Cornhuskers at 141 pounds. The Nebraska junior was an All-American in his first two seasons and finished second at the Big Ten Championships last year.
As a team, the Cornhuskers started the season with a perfect 5-0 record, sweeping their nonconference slate. But they encountered some trouble once the Big Ten season began, dropping their first three bouts, albeit all to top-25 programs.
But Nebraska has turned its results around after those early conference troubles. The Cornhuskers took down Michigan State and more recently No. 3 Ohio State in a 19-14 nail-biter. The victory against Ohio State could be a turning point for Nebraska, which looks to continue its winning streak against IU.
IU redshirt freshman Graham Rooks and true freshman Cayden Rooks will both compete against top-25 opponents Sunday.
Cayden will take on No. 14 Ridge Lovett at 133 pounds and Graham will face No. 14 Collin Purinton at 149 pounds. Cayden picked up his 19th win of the season Sunday in the dual match against Minnesota.
IU junior Jake Covaciu missed the last two matches after suffering a head injury in the Jan. 26 win against Maryland. Escobedo said Covaciu has doctor’s appointments scheduled, but there is no timetable for his return.
The season has not gone exactly how the Hoosiers planned after injuries cut down the roster. From the beginning of the season to now, four of IU’s original starters have been sidelined.Sunday will be the last opportunity to knock off a conference foe before the Big Ten Championships on March 7-8.
“If we could get our full lineup back, that's the ifs, we would be a really good team,” Escobedo said. “It’s hard when we have guys that are filling the void of injured guys. Going up against ranked guys doesn’t make it any easier. ”
Last season, the Hoosiers ended with a conference mark of 1-8, which is where they will finish if Sunday results in another loss. Last year, IU picked up signature wins against No. 12 University of North Carolina and No. 25 Stanford University. So far this year, despite having some individual success, no such team wins have come.
“It’s still a good opportunity to end on a win and get a good seed at Big Tens,” Escobedo said about the match Sunday. “We want to upset more guys at Big Tens, and I think that's what we’re going to build off of.”
