The Wisconsin Badgers are back in action with a home stand. Friday night at 9pm on the Big Ten Network they will be taking on the Purdue Boilermakers. Then on Sunday at 12pm they will host the Michigan State Spartans on BIG+. Last time we saw the Badgers they were on the road against a tough Nebraska team. Tonight, they return home for their final home Big Ten conference duals.
Up first is Purdue, who is currently 8-4 overall but just 1-3 in conference. Their lone conference win comes over Northwestern 31-13. Tonight the Badgers will look to take it to Purdue and pick up their first conference win of the season! Wisconsin has been lead this year by the two smallest guys on the team; Nicolar Rivera at 125 and Zan Fugitt at 133 pounds. Rivera and Fugitt are both currently ranked 19th in the country. Fugitt is coming off a big upset win over Nebraska where he looked very sharp and killed Van Dee with his reattacks.
Rivera also had a nice performance for the Badgers, picking up a victory. Rivera who is usually the engine starter for the Badgers will have a tall task tonight as he will see #1 Matt Ramos. Rivera has been game all season long including a win over a top 10 opponent and another that slipped away in the final 6 seconds. Don’t let Rivera’s rank discourage you, I think he will be very much up for the task tonight. Like Rivera, Ramos lets it fly at all times. Both wrestlers have a wide open offense and can put up points in a hurry. I will be designating this the match of the night. All signs point to being a very exciting match, regardless of outcome.
The other weight to look at for the Badgers is at 174 pounds with Luke Condon. Condon is just a freshman, but has been in and out of the rankings this year for the Badgers and that best describes his season as well. The redshirt freshman has shown some promise at different points of the season but has also taken some lumps. The glimpse however makes you feel confident that Condon has the tools and just needs to sure up some defense and positioning rather than have to find offense. I would say that that is a much better spot to be than the reverse. However, disregard all that as tonight he takes on another freshman, #25 Brody Baumann for Purdue. An opportunity for a big win here for both Condon and Wisconsin.
As a team the Badgers will need every win they can get. Rivera who is often a bright spot in duals for the Badgers has #1 in the country so as possible as it is that he could win, it is not fair to count on it. Beyond that Fugitt maybe the only other Badger that would be favored tonight for a win against Purudes starters. A handful of matches however will/should be close and we call those toss ups! Wisconsin needs to rally in their home gym and win those swing matches if they want to get the job done!
The final note about this Big Ten dual tonight is at 141 pounds we will see a Wisconsin native! Gresyon Clark was a 4x State Champion for the powerhouse program Kaukauna. As a freshman last year he qualified for the NCAA national tournament and he returns this year currently ranked 33rd. Clark has wrestled many times in the field house with Kaukauna’s dynasty, but he has never entered as a college athlete until tonight. Could be an exciting experience and if you know anything about Clark, when the lights shine he often gets up big for his matches. Watch out for him to somehow find a cradle early on in his match.
The second dual this weekend will be Wisconsin vs Michigan State The Spartans are currently 4-5 on the season and 0-4 in the Big Ten. Last year the Spartans defeated the Badgers 22-15 at their home gym. This year Wisconsin will look to return the favor and flip the script.
This weekend the Badgers can get momentum rolling early if they start at 125 pounds. The Badgers will be heavy favorites in the first 3 matches of the afternoon on Sunday and that can really get a snowball rolling down hill fast. I am expecting this to be a close dual either way, but momentum swings can be a gigantic difference maker.
At 125 and 133 Rivera and Fugitt will both be heavy favorites. Also being the only 2 nationally ranked wrestlers on the team, the Badgers will need them in a big way. Bonus points here from both wrestlers will be key. Both can put up lots of points, but RIvera is also a pinner. One of the reasons he is so fun to watch is because of his unusual style and knows how to put up points, but also because he can put people to their back and end matches. I’m not expecting him to do this, but if he does on Sunday afternoon it will be massive!
The entire dual could all come down to heavyweight where the Badgers have Gannon Rosenfeld who is no stranger to this situation. Rosenfeld [played hero several times for the Badgers last season winning the final match to have a walk off victory for Bucky. You always want to see a win secured sooner, but if it comes down to the end then having an athletic heavyweight with a solid blast double isn’t the worst thing in the world.
As a fan, be prepared for a few of those momentum swings and if things are going the Badgers way at a moment, stay engaged knowing that this dual will have some peaks and valleys in it. Friday and Sunday’s duals for Wisconsin should both be exciting so make sure to tune in at 9pm Friday evening and then again Sunday at 12pm.
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