Michigan State University
Illinois
No. 25/30 Spartans Prepare for B1G Weekend Slate
1/31/2024 5:15:00 PM | Wrestling
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The newly ranked No. 25/30 Michigan State wrestling team hits the road for a B1G weekend slate as it takes on No. 26-ranked Illinois on Friday, Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. ET before traveling to No. 28-ranked Indiana on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 12 p.m. Friday's dual will stream on B1G+, while Sunday's match will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network. For the Spartans, this is their first dual outside the state of Michigan since facing Clarion on Dec. 16.
Following their upset over No. 17-ranked Wisconsin on Jan. 26, the Green and White are nationally ranked for the first time this season at No. 30 on InterMat and No. 25 in the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
DUAL NOTES
WORDS FROM ROGER CHANDLER
"Last week was great and our guys competed hard. However, we now have to move forward, continue to improve individually and focus on Illinois & Indiana. Both duals will be great challenges as we will need to continue to raise our levels competively."
A LIVE REUNION
Sunday's match against Indiana will be the first televised dual on the Big Ten Network for Michigan State this season. The last time MSU earned a Big Ten Network victory came against the Hoosiers on January 17, 2022, in a 17-15 showdown that was decided by the final bout. Heavyweight Brad Wilton defeated Jacob Bullock, 2-1.
It's a homecoming for Chandler who returns to his alma mater. He was a three-time All-American at IU from 1994-97 and accumulated a 134-25 record. A 1997 Big Ten champion, Chandler was inducted into the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008. As a head coach he is a perfect 5-0 against his former institution.
B1G: BEST IN THE COUNTRY
Since opening the Big Ten dual season Michigan State has competed against four-straight nationally ranked opponents (No. 13 Michigan, No. 14 Rutgers, No. 1 Penn State and No. 17 Wisconsin). That streak will continue for the Spartans as both Illinois (No. 26) and Indiana (No. 28) enter the week ranked by InterMat.
In this week's InterMat rankings the Big Ten was well represented with 11 of the 14 teams ranked in the Top 30. The B1G had the most teams in the rankings followed by the Big 12 with seven teams present. No other conference had more than four.
LAST TIME OUT
The Spartans welcomed No. 17-ranked Wisconsin to Jenison Field House on Jan. 26. On a night led by three bonus point victories, MSU took five matches to upset the Badgers, 22-15. For the Spartans, it was its first victory over a Top 20 opponent since the 2021-22 season when they defeated then No. 14-ranked Rutgers, 20-14. In a Top 25 showdown at 184 pounds, No. 21-ranked graduate Layne Malczewski defeated No. 16-ranked Shane Liegel 8-2. The redshirt freshmen duo of 197-pounder Kael Wisler and heavyweight Josh Terrill continued adding to their breakout seasons as each earned important bonus points for Michigan State. Wisler cruised to a 9-1 major decision and Terrill nabbed a second period fall.
KNOW THE FOE: ILLINOIS
At the helm for Illinois is third-year head coach Mike Poeta. The Illini enter the week ranked No. 26 with a 3-5 overall record and an 0-2 mark in Big Ten play, dropping to two Top 10 teams last week in No. 6 Ohio State (36-6) and No. 2 Iowa (36-6). The Green and White have the upper hand in the all-time series, 40-22-4, but recently Illinois has taken the last seven meetings dating back to 2012. Six Illini wrestlers are nationally ranked in their respective weight classes on InterMat, Tony Madrigal (No. 33 | 133), Danny Pucino (No. 27 | 141), Kannon Webster (No. 8 | 149), Chris Moore (No. 30 | 165), Edmond Ruth (No. 9 | 174) and Dylan Connell (No. 28 | 184).
KNOW THE FOE: INDIANA
Indiana is under the leadership of sixth-year head coach Angel Escobedo. The Hoosiers enter the week ranked No. 28 with a 5-2 overall record and are 2-2 in Big Ten dual action. They're coming off back-to-back wins against No. 21 Maryland (21-15) and Purdue (22-9). The Spartans have taken eight of the last 10 meetings, including last year's 20-16 triumph in East Lansing. Michigan State leads the all-time series 52-26-3. On an individual basis, five Indiana wrestlers are nationally ranked in their respective weight classes according to InterMat, Dan Fongaro (No. 24 | 141), Graham Rooks (No. 15 | 149), Brayton Lee (No. 18 | 157), Tyler Lillard (No. 23 | 165) and DJ Washington (No. 12 | 174).
