In search of its first dual win against an NCAA Division I opponent this season, the Wisconsin wrestling team hosts No.14 Illinois on Sunday at the UW Field House.
Due to the postponement of two East Coast duals, Sunday will mark the first competition for the Badgers (1-4, 0-3 Big Ten) in over three weeks. Wisconsin fell to Iowa at the Kohl Center 31-3 back on Jan.8.
Meanwhile, the Illini (10-4, 1-4) fell to No.1 Penn State 30-15 on Jan.23.
Wisconsin trails in the all-time series 31-38-3. Illinois took the last meeting by a count of 20-15 a season ago.
The match will feature several intriguing individual matchups, most notably at 165 pounds where UW’s Isaac Jordan (15-0) is scheduled to tangle with Illinois’ Steven Rodrigues (18-1).
Jordan comes into the match ranked third in the nation at 165 by FloWrestling, Rodrigues is hot on his heels at the No.4 spot. Rodrigues is the highest-ranked opponent Jordan has faced this season.
The 133-pound weight class brings about another high-level showdown. No.7 Ryan Taylor (1-2) will go toe-to-toe with second-ranked Zane Richards.
Last season, the seventh-ranked Taylor topped No.3 Zane Richards by technical fall, 23-5.
Start time is set for noon. The match will be aired on BTN2Go.
[table id=27 /]For additional coverage, follow Nate Woelfel on Twitter at @Nate_Woelfel. Check back to madtownbadgers.com on Sunday for a complete recap.
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