ILLINI versus Purdue dual Preview (now with Northwestern)

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WHAT:  ILLINI versus Purdue dual

WHEN:  Friday, February 16, at 6:00 pm (Central)

WHERE:  West Lafayette, Indiana

TV/STREAMING:  BTN+ (subscription service)

LAST 10:  ILLINI 9, Purdue 1

WHY WE HATE PURDUE

In the past, we made fun of Purdue because the manufacture of boilers was the height of engineering in the 1860s. In fact, the school's mascot makes what are, in effect, large tea kettles. And that mascot? It's the most nightmare-inducing creature a child could ever encounter. Whoever created it was sick in the head. 

A DAY IN HISTORY

January 6, 2012 is a Friday, and it is a particularly awful day for the world, as eighty-nine people have just become casualties of a suicide bomber in a police station in Damascus, Syria. The Ramnit computer worm is busy stealing 45,000 Facebook logins and passwords. On this same day, the makers of Norton antivirus software admit that hackers have stolen "a segment of its source code." Hmmm. I wonder if those two stories are linked? 

For some reason, the number one song in the land is Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO. The Devil Inside  holds the top spot at the box office, even though it will eventually get a 6% on the Tomatometer and a 22% audience score at Rotten Tomatoes. Ewww. Let's not go to the movies. Let's go to West Lafayette instead.

I can't believe I said that!

But, you see, the #7 ILLINI Wrestling team are over there in Indiana, and they are putting a whupping on the Boilers. The team is winning seven of ten matches. The winners include Daryl Thomas, Eric Terrazas, Conrad Polz, Dan Stelter, Mario Gonzalez, Jesse Delgado and B.J. Futrell. Here's that box score:

 

Illinois 24, Purdue 9

141 - Daryl Thomas (ILL) dec. Brandon Nelsen (PUR) 13-11
149 - Eric Terrazas (ILL) dec. Ivan Lopouchanski (PUR), 10-4
157 - Tommy Churchard (PUR) dec. Jackson Morse (ILL), 11-9
165 - Conrad Polz (ILL) dec. Kyle Mosier (PUR), 9-5
174 - Dan Stelter (ILL) dec. Drake Stein (PUR), 9-6
184 - Braden Atwood (PUR) dec. Tony Dallago (ILL), 4-2
197 - Mario Gonzalez (ILL) pinned Justin Dinius (PUR), 1:55
Hwt. - Roger Vukobratovich (PUR) dec. Pat Walker (ILL), 4-2 SV2
125 - Jesse Delgado (ILL) dec. Camden Eppert (PUR), 8-3
133 - B.J. Futrell (ILL) dec. Cashe Quiroga (PUR), 13-6

THE SEASONS SO FAR

The ILLINI are 3-9 so far with wins over SIUE (28-7), North Carolina (20-13) and CMU (32-3). The losses have been to Navy (23-18), Pitt (22-9), Missouri (29-6), Ohio State (36-6), Iowa (36-6), MSU (29-10), Nebraska (29-9), Minnesota (28-12) and Wisconsin (18-20). There's a substantial losing streak that is ongoing. We are looking for the team to show out the rest of the way with two wins against Purdue and then Northwestern.

Purdue is 6-9 with wins over Army (21-16), NIU (22-13), Indianapolis (44-0) (Trey Sizemore didn't wrestle in that dual and would've won), Campbell (21-17), Lindenwood (50-6) and Northwestern (29-11); losses have been to NC State (3-37), Stanford (13-24), NDSU (17-22), Rutgers (13-26), Iowa (6-36), Nebraska (14-27), Indiana (9-22), Wisconsin (15-24) and Minnesota (6-36).

Because their last dual was with Minnesota, and the Gophers are a common opponent, here's that box score:

Weight	Purdue Wrestler	Minnesota Wrestler	Result
125	#1 Matt Ramos (w)	#8 Patrick McKee	W DEC 4 - 1
133	#105 Dustin Norris	#56 Jake Gliva (w)	L MD 15 - 3
141	#86 Christian White	#23 Vance Vombaur (w)	L TF5 17 - 2 6:00
149	#188 Jaden Reynolds	#51 Drew Roberts (w)	L TF5 19 - 4 5:33
157	#16 Joey Blaze	#5 Michael Blockhus (w)	L DEC 6 - 3
165	#38 Stoney Buell (w)	#33 Blaine Brenner	W DEC 10 - 9
174	#58 Brody Baumann	#36 Andrew Sparks (w)	L MD 10 - 1
184	#80 James Rowley	#7 Isaiah Salazar (w)	L TF5 15 - 0 7:00
197	#71 Ben Vanadia	#21 Garrett Joles (w)	L TF5 18 - 3 5:35
285	#164 Mitch Hutmacher	#50 Bennett Tabor (w)	L TF5 19 - 2 4:21

TEAM MATCHUP

Wrestlestat.com is predicting a 22-11 win for the ILLINI. Before the last dual, the prediction was 19-14 for the good guys. Both of the prognostications are/were predicated on a false assumption: Luke Luffman will wrestle and win for the ILLINI. 

It also depends upon a couple of close wins for the good guys at 149 and 197. On the other hand, the algorithm is giving close wins to Purdue at 141 and 165. 

INDIVIDUAL MATCHUPS

 

125.  #80 JUSTIN CARDANI (3-9) versus #1 Matt Ramos (21-3). In the turbulent 125-pound weight class, Ramos has now been ranked #1 a couple of times. He was a finalist last season after his shocking upset of Spencer Lee. Cardani is 6-16 against common opponents, while the Boilermaker is 12-5. Wrestlestat.com is calling for a major decision here. Our advice for Justin is to shoot in at :01, grab a leg and hold on for the remaining 6:59, even when the refs try to remove him from the leg to start the second and third periods. Justin has the grip strength for it. 

133.  #30 ANTHONY MADRIGAL (5-3) versus #108 Dustin Norris (5-12). Wrestlestat.com sees this as a five-point win for ILLINOIS. Tony is 7-8 versus common opponents, while Norris (a former teammate in high school of Lucas Byrd) is 4-10 against the same guys. In the dual last season, Lucas Byrd won a 13-4 major decision against the Boiler. Can Madrigal match that? We think it's close. Tony has missed matches because of injury this year, and when that happens, we get to see KOLE BROWER. 

141.  #27 DANNY PUCINO (10-7) versus #47 Greyson Clark (13-5). Note that in their last four duals it has been #84 Christian White (11-6) who has started for Purdue. The ILLINI will win, according to Wrestlestat.com, against both of them, by two points against Clark and three versus White. Earlier in the season, Pucino Pucino'd Christian White by way of major decision. Clark is a true Freshman who has wrestled in 11 duals this year, so he must've been injured. It might not be wise for him to come back from injury on a suspect gas tank against Danny Pucino. 

149.  #106 JAKE HARRIER (1-9) versus #164 Marcos Polanco (6-16). We thought this Minnesota transfer looked very tough as a Freshman shoved into the Gopher lineup because of injuries to others. He has not been himself since that NCAA qualifying year in 2021. This is a one-point win for the ILLINI via Wrestlestat.com, and a true toss up.

 

157.  #84 JOE ROBERTS (6-7) versus #16 Joey Blaze (15-7). Blaze is a top recruit and a true Freshman having a nice year. He's pinned Nebraska's Peyton Robb and has beaten another top twenty-ish wrestler. Their records against common opponents are similar, but Wrestlestat.com is predicting an 11-2 major for the Boilermaker. Blaze hasn't lost to anybody ranked below #29, so he is going to be a favorite here. 

165.  #50 CHRIS MOORE (7-10) versus #36 Stoney Buell (13-9). Here we have another toss-up matches, with Wrestlestat.com calling for a one-point Purdue win. Buell is a strong fellow, and he's coming off of a win in their last dual against Minnesota. He beat the Gopher Blaine Brenner by one, while Moore lost to the same guy by six. Yet, it was the ILLINI who took Nebraska's Antrell Taylor to sudden victory, while Stoney Buell lost to him in a 6-14 major decision. Buell is strong, but Moore should be quicker. Taylor beat the Boilermaker with quickness, an ankle grab from distance, and a spin-behind, as well as an Edmond-Ruth-like bear hug. 

174.  #9 EDMOND RUTH (16-2) versus #53 Brody Baumann (11-10). In the last few duals, Edmond hasn't been the scoring machine he's been in the past. Sure, it is Big Ten competition, but this is a guy who should become a victim of a first-period Ruth takedown. Or two.  The ILLINI is 12-1 against common opponents versus 4-7 for Baumann. The Boiler just lost by major to Andrew Sparks of Minnesota, and that should be Edmond's first goal in the match. Then, he can try to match Patrick Kennedy's tech fall of him, or Rocco Welsh's pinfall. 

184.  #60 DYLAN CONNELL (4-8) versus #76 James Rowley (8-15). Wrestlestat.com is predicting a three-point ILLINI win. Don't let the 8-15 record for Rowley fool you, his worst loss is to #70 Cael Valencia, and then a pair of wrestlers rated in the fifties. He's had some nice wins as well, including #36 Caleb Hopkins of Campbell. Dylan Connell has one win in conference this year against Iowa. Rowley beat the same guy and also has a win over #74 Jon Halverson of Northwestern. That makes this a crucial battle for Big Ten seeding purposes. 

197.  #62 ISIAH PETTIGREW (6-7) versus #82 Ben Vanadia (8-14). The algorithm spits out a three-point win for the ILLINI. This'll be a crucial match for the O&B, as Pettigrew should beat Vanadia again. They first met in the Greyhound Open back in 2022 with the 6-3 victory in the ILLINOIS column. The Boiler started last season at 184 and also had a dismal record, although it was better than his current 8-14 mark. Because of injury, Isiah is only 1-1 in conference duals. Vanadia is 2-5. 

285.  #159 PETER MARINOPOULOS (1-6) versus #151 Tristan Ruhlman (3-18). For a change, Wrestlestat.com has LUKE LUFFMAN beating his conference foe in the digital matchup. The machine goes bonkers, though, when you put in Marinopoulos' name, giving Ruhlman a tech fall. The Boiler who took the mat in their last dual with Minnesota was #163 Mitch Hutmacher. Wrestlestat.com gives Peter the one-point win. Ruhlman is 0-6 in conference duals, while Hutmacher is 0-1. Westville High School's #41 Hayden Copass is still listed on the Purdue roster, but he hasn't wrestled a match this year. 

WHAT:  ILLINI versus Northwestern dual

WHEN:  Sunday, February 18 at 2:00 PM (Central)

WHERE:  Stupid Evanston

TV/STREAMING:  BTN+

INDIVIDUAL MATCHUPS

Wrestlestat.com is predicting a 22-12 victory for the ILLINI. Of course, there will be some major changes in both lineups given recent duals and injury reports. The rankings below, unless otherwise noted, are from Wrestlestat. 

125.  #75 JUSTIN CARDANI versus #125 Massey Odiotti. We enjoyed watching the true Freshman Wildcat wrestle for Team ILLINOIS during the Summer, but he's having trouble with the unexpected starting position after the departure of Michael DeAugustino. Odiotti is 3-13 on the year against D1 wrestlers with those wins coming against the #128, #169 and #209-rated wrestlers. 

Cardani will be the favorite. This is a great chance for the ILLINI to get a win in his last B1G conference dual. 

133.  #30 ANTHONY MADRIGAL versus #199 Patrick Adams. Wrestlestat.com predicts a major decision for the ILLINI grappler. Adams was an emergency transfer from Buffalo who has had a tough time in the lineup filling in for Byrd prey Chris Cannon. He's 0-11. During his two years with Buffalo, the NW kid's best win was against the #86 wrestler at 125. If Tony can't go, and he's had injury issues this season, expect KOLE BROWER to start again.

141.  #35 DANNY PUCINO versus #156 Kolby McClain. Wrestlestat.com has ILLINOIS schoolboy Joel Vandervere starting, but he hasn't wrestled since Cliff Keen. McClain has lost eight in a row and has a 6-11 record. He should expect to get PUCINO'D by Danny.

Luis Bazan has also wrestled in duals for the Wildcats, and he's the backup at 133. Look for a Pucino tech or pinfall. 

149.  #106 JAKE HARRIER versus #45 Sam Cartella. Wrestlestat.com is predicting a 9-4 win for the Wildcat. Cartella has some nice wins on his resume, including Jake Harrier (9-4 at the Midlands), #40 Quinn Kinner (7-5), #31 Caleb Rathjen (in SV) and Dylan Gilcher (13-0).

Aiden Vandenbush has wrestled (and lost) a lot of dual matches for Northwestern this season, as Cartella appears to have been injured. But it was the latter who has wrestled most recently.  

157.  #84 JOE ROBERTS versus #29 Trevor Chumbley. Here Northwestern has the upper hand with Chumbley, who was Round of 16 last year, and who currently has a 12-8 record. Joe started out the season on fire, including an upset of CMU's Johnny Lovett, but he's run into some tough opposition and bad luck lately. 

The bad luck involves him wearing a full hand wrap that looked like a giant white crab claw in a few recent matches. Wrestlestat.com is calling for a regular decision win for the Wildcat. That seems the most likely outcome. Roberts is good on defense. (That is, unless Tegan Chumbley is forthcoming with tales of big brother Kryptonite!).

165.  #50 CHRIS MOORE versus #30 Maxx Mayfield. This was wrestled already at the Midlands with double-x Maxx winning 8-1. It is interesting that for their other two common opponents, though, Chris did marginally better against them than the Wildcat. Maybe that's why the Wrestlestat.com algorithm predicts a three-point win for Mayfield in the rematch. 

It also has to be noted that this is the fourth year for the Northwestern kid on his team, while Moore has been on his team for two months. Who's gonna have the sharper learning curve from now on? That may not come into play for this dual, but it might by the time the conference tournament rolls around. 

Most significantly, Northwestern forfeited this weight in their last dual. 

174.  #9 EDMOND RUTH versus #144 David Ferrante. We thought that Ferrante was going to pop if he wrestled 165 for one more day. It's good for him to eat food occasionally. He's been ranked as high as #21 on Wrestlestat.com during his career.

Unfortunately, that ranking has only gotten worse: From #21 to #58 to #84 to #107 earlier this season and now #144. David is 9-11 on the year, and he was 0-2 at the Midlands against the #71 and #78 wrestlers. 

184.  #60 DYLAN CONNELL versus #33 Troy Fisher. Both Fisher and Connell have similar records against common opponents. Fisher had a very good Midlands tournament, while Connell reinjured himself there. Wrestlestat.com is going with a one-point win for the Wildcat. Fisher looks strong, but Connell might be able to big brother him with height, long arms and leverage. 

197.  #62 ISIAH PETTIGREW versus #60 Evan Bates. Bates is a 100% meat-and-potatoes wrestler without many surprises. This is one of those matches where the two wrestlers could be on adjacent seeding lines, and this match could decide who is seeded higher. Bates has two conference wins, while Pettigrew has only wrestled two B1G duals, winning one of them. 

Bates is 8-9 on the season, while Isiah is 6-7 and on the bounce. Wrestlestat.com predicts a one-point win for the Wildcat, but not so fast! This is our "paper" upset of the match.  

285.  #159 PETER MARINOPOULOS versus #76 Jack Jessen. The Northwestern kid will be the favorite here. He's had all season to add good weight, while Marinopoulos was called up from 197 pounds after the injury to LUUUKE LUFFMAN. Wrestlestat.com is calling for a major decision. 

This can never happen again. IWB&F&B+ comics should be sacred, prophetic and inviolate, always safe from ridicule and schadenfreude from opposing coaches. If that means the ILLINI can never lose again to Northwestern, that's a sacrifice that we're willing to make.