CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 12 Fighting Illini Wrestling will host No. 2 Ohio State at Huff Hall Friday, February 1 at 8 p.m. CT. The dual will air live on Big Ten Network. Friday night is the annual Great Escape night at Huff Hall. Promotions include a pre-dual youth wrestling clinic led by Illini legend Isaiah Martinez with check-in starting at 6 p.m.., 2-point takedown foam finger giveaways to the first 200 fans in attendance, and a post-dual autograph session.
*Rankings from FloWrestling
Quick Hits
*No. 12 Illinois hosts No. 2 Ohio State on Friday February 1 at 8 p.m. CT at Huff Hall. The dual will be televised on BTN.
*The dual will be the annual Great Escape Night at Huff Hall, featuring a pre-dual youth wrestling clinic instructed by Illini legend and volunteer assistant coach Isaiah Martinez, 2-point takedown foam finger giveaways to the first 200 fans, and post-dual autographs.
* The Illini lead the all-time series vs. the Buckeyes, 37-34-1. Illinois dropped its last meeting with Ohio State, 28-19, in Columbus on January 15, 2017.
*There will potentially be a pair of top-five bouts Friday night at Huff Hall. At 141-pounds redshirt sophomore No. 4 Mike Carr takes on No. 2 Joey McKenna (OR Clay Ragon). In the 184-pound match, redshirt senior Emery Parker is slated to battle No. 1 Myles Martin.
*Last weekend vs. No. 3 Iowa, redshirt junior Eric Barone picked up his 15th win of the season and second against a top-five nationally-ranked opponent, defeating No. 5 Kaleb Young in a 3-1, sudden victory decision.
*The Illini are 2-5 overall and 1-4 in the Big Ten after dropping duals vs. No. 3 Iowa (31-8) and at No. 6 Nebraska (30-9) last weekend.
*FloWrestling National Rankings: 125: No. 12 Travis Piotrowski, 141: No. 4 Mike Carr, 157: No. 8 Eric Barone, 184: No. 4 Emery Parker. Redshirt junior Joey Gunther is ranked No. 17 by W.I.N. Magazine at 165-pounds, while redshirt sophomore Dylan Duncan is No. 19 at 133-pounds.
*Up next, the Illini travel to Madison, Wis. for a Sunday afternoon matchup with No. 18 Wisconsin on Sunday, February 10 at 2 p.m. CT. Fans can stream the dual on BTN2Go.
Illini Notes
Sizing Up The Buckeyes
No. 2 Ohio State heads into Friday night's matchup with four wrestlers ranked in the top-three of FloWrestling's national rankings across different weight classes, and with six projected starters ranked in the top-10. The Buckeyes are led by a trio of undefeated wrestlers, senior No. 2 Joey McKenna (14-0, 141-pounds), No. 1 Myles Martin (11-0, 184-pounds) and No. 2 Kollin Moore (11-0, 197-pounds). Ohio State is 7-1 on the season and 3-1 in the Big Ten. Last time out, Ohio State lost to No. 5 Michigan, 19-17.
Last Time Out
The Illini dropped duals last weekend vs. No. 3 Iowa (31-8 and at No. 6 Nebraska (30-9). Redshirt junior Eric Barone upset his second top-five nationally-ranked opponent of the season with a 3-1 overtime decision against No. 5 Kaleb Young of Iowa in the 157-pound matchup on Friday night. On Sunday, junior Travis Piotrowski improved his record in the Big Ten to 3-2 with a come-from-behind, 6-5 decision over No. 15 Zeke Moisey. Redshirt sophomore Mike Carr remains undefeated at 5-0 in Big Ten duals after wins last weekend over Iowa's No. 19 Max Murin (Dec., 6-3) and Nebraska's Chad Red Jr. (TB Dec., 4-3).
Six Illini Ranked Nationally
The Fighting Illini are currently No. 12 in the latest FloWrestling national rankings. Here are the Illini's best ranks across the national rankings: No. 4 Emery Parker (FloWrestling), No. 4 Mike Carr, (FloWrestling, InterMat, TrackWrestling, W.I.N. Magazine), No. 8 Eric Barone (FloWrestling) No. 11 Travis Piotrowski (FloWrestling), No. 17 Joey Gunther (W.I.N. Magazine) and No. 18 Dylan Duncan, (OpenMat).
Illini to Watch
184: Emery Parker
Redshirt senior No. 5 Emery Parker is set for another battle with No. 1 Myles Martin on Friday night. In 2016, Parker defeated Martin in a 14-9 decision in an upset at the NCAA Championships. Martin won the title at 174-pounds in 2016. The two seniors are a combined 180-37 in their storied collegiate careers. Parker is looking to bounce back after his first loss of the season to Taylor Venz of Nebraska last Sunday.
141: Mike Carr
No. 4 Mike Carr is undefeated in Big Ten duals thus far this season, a perfect 5-0 in conference with a 9-2 record overall. Carr will potentially face a tough test Friday night in the 141-pound bout with No. 2 Joey McKenna listed as one of two probable starters. If McKenna goes for the Buckeyes, it will be a rematch of last year's B1G Championships 141-pound title bout, which McKenna won in 13-0 major decision.
157: Eric Barone
Barone enters Friday night's dual with the highest national-ranking of his career, coming in at No. 8 at 157-pounds in FloWrestling's latest rankings. This week, he will take on No. 9 Ke-Shawn Hayes for the second time this season. Hayes was the first of two top-five opponents Barone knocked off this season, defeating the then-No. 5 Hayes in a 2-1 decision at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas on Nov. 30.
Up Next
Up next, the Illini travel to Madison, Wis. for a Sunday afternoon matchup with No. 18 Wisconsin on Sunday, February 10 at 2 p.m. CT. Fans can stream the dual on BTN2Go.
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Wrestling, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@illiniwrestling) and Instagram (illiniwrestling) and like Fighting Illini Wrestling on Facebook.
