54 // VARSITY January 30, 2014
INSIDE
WRESTLING
Strength of schedule
makes every bout matter
All five home bouts feature ranked opponent
BY ANNA POULTER-HENDRICKSON @BADGERWRESTLING
T
he Big Ten Conference
is tough. It doesn't take
much to come to that
conclusion. With the top three
teams in the nation all hailing
from the league and 10 of 12
appearing in the Top 25, every
league matchup is big.
"When you look at the Big
Ten Conference as a whole, it is
by far the toughest conference
in the country," said UW head
coach Barry Davis. "You've got
multiple ranked guys at each
school you are wrestling. Like
at heavyweight, you look at
that, I think they have eight
guys in the top 10. So, every
weekend you are wrestling the
best guys in the country. Week
in and week out.
"As a staff, you have to make
sure your guys are ready for
that," continued Davis. "There
is no down time that way, you have to
step on the mat and be ready each and
every weekend. It prepares you for the
national championship coming up in
March."
For the Badgers, the strength of the
league has resulted in home bouts that
feature marque opponents. UW hosted
Illinois on Dec. 6 and handed the No.
6-ranked Illini a 19-18 loss. The Badgers'
home dominance continued on Jan. 10
with a 22-15 win over No. 9 Ohio State.
This Sunday, Wisconsin will turn its
attention away from the Big Ten oppo-
nent and host non-conference foe North
Dakota State. It's a scheduling decision
that continues the trend of tough oppo-
nents, as the Bison just earned a No. 21
ranking, the highest Division I ranking in
school history.
"It doesn't get any easier," said Davis.
"We've got to do a good job as a staff at
preparing our athletes. Anytime you
wrestle somebody at the college level,
they are good. Ranked or not ranked, you
have to go out prepared, use good skills
and be aggressive."
Wisconsin concludes its home stand
with a pair of league bouts, hosting No.
8 Nebraska on Feb. 21 and finishing the
season with No. 3 Iowa on Feb. 23. Big
Ten wrestling at its best.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS MARCH 8-9
● Tickets for the two-day event are
available here.
SCHEDULE (11-4, 5-1)
COMING UP
Feb. 2 #21 North Dakota 1 p.m.
Feb. 21 #8 Nebraska 7 p.m.
Feb. 23 #3 Iowa 1 p.m.
March 8-9 Big Ten Championships
Kohl Center All-Day
