Feb. 20, 2008

Illinois-Purdue Notes

#11 ILLINOIS vs. Purdue / #1 Iowa

TV / Radio / Internet
TV - Live, Big Ten Network
Play-by-play: Tim Johnson
Expert Analyst: Jim Gibbons

Radio - Both matches this weekend will be aired live on WDWS AM-1400 and on fightingillini.com.
Play-by-play: Brian Moline
Expert Analyst: Troy Tirapelle

Web - Live video streaming of Sunday's match will be available at fightingillini.com.

Live Results
Live results of both matches will be available at fightingillini.com.

Illinois (12-3 // 4-2) PROBABLE LINEUP
125: #8 Gabe Flores (21-8), Sr., Madera, Calif.
133: #7 Jimmy Kennedy (23-4), So., Ingleside, Ill.
141: #15 Ryan Prater (19-8), Fr., Plainfield, Ill.
149: Grant Paswall (19-9), Fr., Katonah, N.Y.
157: #2 Mike Poeta (26-2), Jr., Highwood, Ill.
165: Roger Smith-Bergsrud (15-7), So., Lake Bluff, Ill.
174: #15 John Dergo (22-10), So., Morris, Ill.
184: Ben Friedl (12-10), r-Fr., Orland Park, Ill.
197: #11 Patrick Bond (21-5), So., Chesapeake, Va.
Hwt: #15 John Wise (25-11), Jr., Pittsfield, Ill.

Purdue (10-6 // 2-4) PROBABLE LINEUP
125: Akif Eren (12-16), Fr., Perrysburg, Ohio
133: Sean Schmaltz (11-10), Sr., Frankin, Ind.
141: Matt Redmond (10-18), So., Wheaton, Ill.
149: #10 Jake Patacsil (23-6), Jr., Sunrise, Fla.
157: Nick Bertucci (13-10), So., Berwyn, Ill.
165: Justin Fraga (9-10), So., Altamonte Springs, Fla.
174: #17 Nick Corpe (23-10), So., Granger, Ind.
184: A.J. Kissel (21-12), Fr., Sheboygan, Wis.
197: Logan Brown (20-11), Fr., Bradford, Ohio
HWT: Chris Kasten (14-8), So., Winamac, Ind.

Iowa (20-1 // 7-0) PROBABLE LINEUP
125: #2 Charlie Falck (25-2), Jr., Strawberry Point, Iowa
133: #3 Joe Slaton (23-2), So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa
OR Daniel Dennis (1-0), So., Ingleside, Ill.
141: #8 Dan LeClere (19-7), So., Coggon, Iowa
149: #1 Brent Metcalf (25-1), So., Davison, Mich.
157: #16 Ryan Morningstar (18-9), So., Lisbon, Iowa
165: Aaron Janssen (6-5), r-Fr., Emmetsburg, Iowa
OR Jake Kerr (6-11), r-Fr., Oskaloosa, Iowa
OR #1 Mark Perry (13-2), Sr., Stillwater, Okla.
174: #3 Jay Borschel (23-2), So., Marion, Iowa
184: #7 Phillip Keddy (20-7), So., Vernal, Utah
197: Chad Beatty (10-9), So., Wilton, Iowa
OR Rick Loera (7-9), So., Park Ridge, Ill.
HWT: #7 Matt Fields (22-5), Sr., Lowden, Iowa

• Mike Poeta (157) is ranked No. 2 in the nation in the NWCA rankings after tying his longest streak at No. 1 with a nine-week stint at the top.

• Six Illinois wrestlers (Gabe Flores - 125, Jimmy Kennedy - 133, Mike Poeta - 157, John Dergo - 174, Patrick Bond - 197, John Wise - HWT) have reached 20 wins this season, marking the first time in Mark Johnson's tenure at Illinois that six Illini reached the 20-win mark after four Big Ten duals.

• #11 Patrick Bond (197) upset No. 4 Dallas Herbst (Wisconsin), 3-2, on Feb.8, the highest-ranked opponent he has beaten in his career. Bond now has won 14 of his last 16 bouts and all four of his losses have been to foes ranked higher than him.

• #7 Jimmy Kennedy (133) has won his last nine matches, the longest streak of his career. Last week, Kennedy shut out #5 Mack Reiter (Minnesota) and earned a 12-3 major decision over Northwestern's Eric Metzler.

• The Fighting Illini have won seven of their last nine Big Ten duals and 13 of their last 17 dating back to the 2005-06 season. Illinois is 13-3-1 in that stretch, with the losses coming to #12 Northwestern on Feb. 17, #6 Michigan on Feb. 1 and #1 Minnesota last season, and the tie against #23 Wisconsin in 2006.

• Illinois holds a nine-match winning streak against Purdue, with four of those coming at Huff Hall. Mark Johnson is 12-3 against the Boilers in his career at Illinois. The Illini have won their last two dual matches against Iowa.

• For the second-straight year, Mark Johnson has two true-freshman in his starting lineup with #15 Ryan Prater wrestling at 141 and Grant Paswall at 149. It marks just the second time in Johnson's career that he has had two rookies in the same lineup after Jimmy Kennedy (133) and John Dergo (184) wrestled as true-freshman in 2006-07.

Illini Finishes Dual Season at Home
Winners of four of their last five dual matches, the Fighting Illini aim to finish the season undefeated at Huff Hall with a pair of duals this weekend. Purdue comes to town on Friday for a 5 p.m. start that will be aired live on the Big Ten Network, Illinois' second appearance on the network. No. 1 Iowa then visits historic Huff Hall Sunday at 1 p.m. for the final dual of the regular season for both squads.

Weekend Matchups to Watch
Each dual is always tough from start-to-finish, but there are usually a few toss-up matches that decide the outcome. Here's a look at a few of those pairings that could turn the tide of this weekend's matches:

Purdue at #10 Illinois
149: #10 Jake Patacsil (PUR) vs. Grant Paswall (ILL)
Paswall has quickly discovered that 149 is one of the Big Ten's toughest weight classes, going 1-5 in conference action with his lone victory a 12-7 decision over Indiana's Kurt Kinser. The Illini rookie looks to notch his second win over a ranked opponent this season when he faces Patacsil - who jumped four spots in the rankings this week - after defeating No. 20 Kyle Larson at the Las Vegas Invitational. Last weekend, Patacsil dominated Northwestern's fifth-ranked Ryan Lang, earning an 18-6 major decision on Friday before dropping a 6-1 bout to No. 5 Bubba Jenkins (PSU).

174: #15 John Dergo (ILL) vs. #17 Nick Corpe (PUR)
The match featuring the two closest-ranked opponents this weekend, the 174-pound bout on Friday should be quite the battle. Dergo is coming off a pair of tough losses last weekend to the Nos. 11 and 12 wrestlers in the country, but had won six of seven bouts prior to that and is 3-3 in the Big Ten. Corpe also dropped two matches last weekend, losing to the Nos. 12 and 16 grapplers in the nation. He defeated Minnesota's 11th-ranked Gabe Dretsch but lost to Penn State's No. 16 Dave Erwin, while Dergo had opposite results with those two foes. Dergo earned a 10-1 major decision against Corpe at Midlands this season, the pair's only meeting.

#1 Iowa at #10 Illinois
133: #3 Joe Slaton (IOWA) vs. #7 Jimmy Kennedy (ILL)
Kennedy has won nine straight bouts dating back to Jan. 20 and is 6-0 in the Big Ten entering this weekend. Slaton is 28-2 on the season and has won 11 straight, including a 7-0 Big Ten mark. The Hawkeye got the better of Kennedy earlier this season at Midlands with a 6-0 decision in the semifinals of the tournament, but Kennedy knocked off Slaton by a 3-1 score in the third-place bout of the UNI Open in 2006.

141: #7 Dan LeClere (IOWA) vs. #15 Ryan Prater (ILL)
In a season that almost seems stereotypical for a freshman, Prater has shown flashes of brilliance with wins over No. 7 Kyle Ruschell (WIS) and No. 13 Ryan Williams (ODU), but got pinned by Penn State's Garrett Scott and lost in the overtime tiebreak round to No. 17 Keith Sulzer (Northwestern). Since becoming the full-time starter at 141, Prater hasn't won more than four consecutive matches. LeClere has been the anti-Prater this season, losing to Williams and Ruschell (major decision), while defeating Scott and Minnesota's third-ranked Manuel Rivera.

HWT: #7 Matt Fields (IOWA) vs. #15 John Wise (ILL)
Fields comes into the match with a 25-6 mark, compared to Wise's 25-11 record, but the two have similar records against Big Ten heavyweights. Both wrestlers dropped close bouts to Northwestern's top-ranked Dustin Fox and both lost to Wisconsin's Kyle Massey. Fields lost to Ohio State's J.D. Bergman during the dual season and Wise dropped a match to the Buckeye at the Las Vegas Invitational. Both defeated Penn State's John Laboranti, Michigan's Chad Bleske and Minnesota's Ben Berhow, as well as nonconference foes Jon May (Nebraska), Mark Ellis (Missouri) and Roy Dragon (Old Dominion). Fields holds a 2-1 lead in the series as Wise defeated the Hawkeye, 2-1, in the seventh-place match at Midlands this year, but Fields earned a 9-5 decision last year and a 12-3 major decision at the 2005 UNI Open.

Purdue Series History
Illinois leads the all-time series with Purdue by a 46-26-1 margin, including a 26-10-1 advantage in Champaign. Mark Johnson holds an impressive 12-3 record against the Boilermakers, including nine straight victories.

Iowa Series History
Iowa leads the teams' all-time series, 42-27-1, but the Hawkeyes only hold an 18-15 advantage in Champaign. Mark Johnson is 3-5 against Iowa, where he was an assistant coach for 10 years. Illinois has won its last two duals against the Hawkeyes, taking a 24-13 victory at Iowa in 2006 and winning, 25-7, at Huff Hall in 2005.

*Complete notes available in attached PDF.