CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 12 Illinois wrestling team is set for its home-opening dual against No. 6 Missouri on Thursday (Nov. 21) in the Lot 31 Stadium Club Tent, with doors opening at 5 p.m., dinner/entertainment beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the dual starting at 7 p.m. CT.
Fans can purchase tickets to the dinner theater experience here.
The Orange and Blue grapplers are coming off two dominant dual wins against Binghamton (30-10) and No. 21 Arizona State (37-6) at WrangleMania on Nov. 9. They followed that up a day later (Nov. 10) by wrestling in the Journeymen Collegiate Classic tournament, in which No. 2 at 133 pounds Lucas Byrd and No. 10 at 149 pounds Kannon Webster took home Hammer Awards for winning the top brackets in their weight classes.
For his dominant 5-0 weekend slate, Webster was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Nov. 14, becoming the first Illinois wrestler to earn the honor in program history. The Illini's 3-0 dual start marks their best start to a season since 2020-21, when they started 4-0.
Four starters retain unblemished 6-0 records through the early slate of the season, including No. 15 at 141 pounds Danny Pucino, No. 24 at 165 pounds Braeden Scoles and the aforementioned Byrd and Webster.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Missouri comes into Champaign with a 1-1 dual record, starting the season off with a 25-14 win at Northern Colorado and a 23-10 loss at No. 5 Virginia Tech. The last time the Tigers and Fighting Illini met was last season, Dec. 21, 2023, in St. Louis, where Missouri won, 29-6. Illinois still owns a 21-13 series lead over Mizzou, with the first meeting dating back to 1928. The last win for Illinois came on Nov. 14, 2019, in a 19-14 effort.
NOTES
- The Fighting Illini grapplers have started 3-0 in dual action for the first time since the 2020-21 season, when they started 4-0.
- Seven separate Illinois starters have already scored double-digit dual points for the team.
- Four starters have perfect 6-0 records to start the year: Lucas Byrd, Danny Pucino, Kannon Webster and Braeden Scoles.
- Braeden Scoles leads the team in falls with three and dual points with 17.
- Has won all six of his matches by bonus points: three pins, two tech. falls and a major decision.
- Zac Braunagel owns a 5-1 record and is second on the team in dual points with 16.
- His five wins have all come in bonus-point fashion: one pin, two tech. falls and a major decision.
- Jason Kraisser owns a 4-2 record and is third on the team in dual points with 15.
- He ranks second on the team in pins with two.
- Kannon Webster is fourth on the team in dual points with 14.
- Danny Pucino and Luke Luffman each are fifth on the team in dual points with 11.
- Both also own the team-leading mark in major decisions with two.
- Lucas Byrd is the final starter in double-digit dual points with 10.
- Team-leading five wins by decision.
