Feb. 13, 2002
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The No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini (11-2 Overall, 4-1 Big Ten) will get to test themselves against the nation's best on Sunday afternoon when Head Coach Mark Johnson's squad travels to Minneapolis to take on the top-ranked, undefeated defending national champion Minnesota Golden Gophers (16-0, 5-0).
The Illini have bounced back well from their first Big Ten loss at Michigan by winning their last three Big Ten duals, including Friday night's convincing victory over 16th Wisconsin.
The Gophers have cruised through the season so far beating multiple Top-25 opponents. The Gophers traveled to Stillwater, Okla., to defeat Oklahoma State, 21-12. En route to winning the National Duals in Columbus, Ohio, Minnesota beat Big Ten rival Michigan, 26-6, in the semifinals. The Gophers beat Michigan again a week later in Ann Arbor, 22-10. Minnesota has also beaten Ohio State and Iowa to earn the No. 1 ranking in America.
Individually there will be a few matchups that could preview future Big Ten Championship and NCAA battles:
125: No. 16 Twan Pham vs. No. 2 Leroy Vega
Senior All-American Leroy Vega is 25-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in Big Ten competition this season. Twan Pham is 21-6 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten. He has won 10 of his last 11 matches.
149: No. 18 Ryan Berger vs. No. 2 Jared Lawrence
Jared Lawrence is 24-2 on the season and 4-1 in the Big Ten to go along with his seven falls. Ryan Berger is 19-7 on the season with a 4-1 Big Ten record. He has won six of his last seven matches.
157: No. 18 Griff Powell vs. No. 3 Luke Becker
Luke Becker has yet to lose a Big Ten match this season, going 5-0 so far. He is 25-3 on the season with nine falls. Griff Powell is 16-4 on the season with a 4-1 Big Ten record. Powell has won nine of his last 10 matches, including four major decisions and a technical fall.
Hwt: No. 3 John Lockhart vs. No. 5 Garrett Lowney
Last season these two locked horns three seperate times with Lockhart winning the biggest match between the two -- the NCAA semifinal on his way to a national championship. Lowney defeated Lockhart the other two times, including a 5-2 win in the Big Ten final. Lowney is 20-4 on the season so far with a 4-1 record in the Big Ten. Lockhart is 25-2 on the season and 5-0 in the Big Ten. He has won 10 out of his last 11 matches, and his only two losses on the year were to No. 2 Tommy Rowands of Ohio State.
Last season the then-No. 1 Gophers came into Huff Hall and defeated the then-No. 7 Illini, 22-12, on February 4, 2001. Current 157-pounder Griff Powell highlighted the Illini's wins with a 3-1 victory over then-No. 3 Luke Becker, 3-1, in overtime. Matt Lackey also got a big win over then No. 3 Brad Pike, 5-3, in the 165-pound match.
Historically Minnesota holds a slight 23-20-2 edge over Illinois since the first meeting in 1926. Coach Johnson is 0-6 against the Gophers. Illinois has not beaten Minnesota in their last 7 meetings which dates back to a 21-6 Illini win in the 1984-85 season.
Probable lineups:
125: No. 16 Twan Pham (IL) vs. No. 2 Leroy Vega (MN)
133: No. 15 Chad Hay (IL) vs. No. 1 Ryan Lewis (MN)
141: Eric Novak (IL) vs. No. 8 Chad Erikson (MN)
149: No. 18 Ryan Berger (IL) vs. No. 2 Jared Lawrence (MN)
157: No. 18 Griff Powell (IL) vs. No. 3 Luke Becker (MN)
165: No. 2 Matt Lackey (IL) vs. No. 14 John Hardy (MN)
174: Brian Glynn (IL) vs. No. 8 Jacob Volkmann (MN)
184: No. 15 Jason Potter (IL) vs. No. 3 Damion Hahn (MN)
197: Tyrone Byrd (IL) vs. No. 3 Owen Elzen (MN)
Hwt: No. 3 John Lockhart (IL) vs. No. 5 Garrett Lowney (MN)
