Badgers Visit RAC Friday For `Blackout Match'
Jan 20 | Wrestling
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - No. 12 Rutgers wrestling is back at the RAC Friday for a Big Ten match against Wisconsin at 7 p.m. ET. The Scarlet Knights are unbeaten at home in 2015-16. Fans can watch the dual live online via BTN Plus.
| Wisconsin Badgers (1-4, 0-3 Big Ten) | |
| Date | Friday, Jan. 22 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| Location | Piscataway, N.J. | Rutgers Athletic Center |
| Live Stream | BTN Plus |
| Radio | WRSU 88.7 FM |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Wisconsin |
| Match Notes | Rutgers | Wisconsin |
| Tickets | Buy Here |
Marketing/Promotions
Friday's dual vs. Wisconsin will be the program's first "Blackout Match." Fans are encouraged to wear black to the match, where the first 500 fans to arrive will receive black rally towels. The Scarlet Knights will don their black singlets.
In addition to the rally towels, Rutgers wrestling trading card sets of the junior class will be distributed to the first 500 to arrive at the arena.
To purchase tickets to the match, click here. Parking is $10 per vehicle.
Knight Notes
- RU looks to rebound against the Badgers after a 17-16 loss at Minnesota Sunday. Starters Richie Lewis (157) and Hayden Hrymack (197) did not wrestle.
- RU is ranked No. 8 by FloWrestling, No. 12 by Intermat and No. 14 by WIN Magazine this week.
- Five Scarlet Knights are ranked this week by Intermat. Anthony Ashnault, ranked sixth at 141 pounds, owns the best record on RU at 18-2 overall and 12-1 in dual competition.
- RU seeks its seventh consecutive home win dating back to last season and third consecutive RAC victory. A win would also surpass RU's Big Ten win total from last season.
- Heavyweight Billy Smith enters Friday's dual nine wins away from 100 for his career. He topped No. 7 Michael Kroells last time out for his highest-ranked win of the season.
- Knight Notables: Ashnault, Smith are tied for the overall lead in major decisions (7) ... Ashnault, Perrotti are tied for the RU dual lead in wins (12) and points (48) ... Perrotti leads in dual pins (3), decisions (7) ... McCabe, Giraldo, Perrotti, and Smith have winning streaks of at least two matches ... Ashnault, Lewis, Perrotti, Gravina, Smith are unbeaten at home this season ... RU seeks its first win against Wisconsin in dual competition.
Rutgers Projected Competitors
| Wt. | Name | Yr. | Hometown/ High School | 2015-16 Overall Record (Dual) |
| 125 | R-Jr. | Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot | 11-7 (8-5) | |
| 133 | No. 18 Anthony Giraldo | R-Fr. | Guttenberg, N.J./ North Bergen | 13-7 (9-5) |
| 141 | No. 6 Anthony Ashnault | R-So. | South Plainfield, N.J./ South Plainfield | 18-2 (12-1) |
| 149 | R-So. | Harrisburg, Pa./ Central Dauphin | 11-8 (8-56 | |
| 157 | No. 15 Richie Lewis | Jr. | Toms River, N.J./ Toms River East | 15-3 (9-1) |
| OR | R-Fr. | Mullica Hill, N.J./ Clearview | 8-7 (2-2) | |
| 165 | No. 9 Anthony Perrotti | R-Sr. | Roseland, N.J./ West Essex | 14-2 (12-1) |
| 174 | R-Jr. | Hammonton, N.J./ Hammonton | 11-8 (6-6) | |
| OR | R-Jr. | Westfield, N.J./ St. Peter's Prep | 7-5 (2-1) | |
| 184 | R-So. | Allendale, N.J./ Northern Highlands | 13-6 (9-3) | |
| 197 | Hayden Hrymack | Sr. | Point Pleasant, N.J./ CBA | 11-7 (8-5) |
| 285 | No. 13 Billy Smith | R-Sr. | Wantage, N.J./ High Point | 17-5 (11-3) |
Wisconsin Projected Competitors
| Wt. | Name | Yr. | Hometown | 2015-16 Overall Record (Dual) |
| 125 | Johnny Jimenez | Fr. | St. Charles, Ill. | 9-10 (1-4) |
| 133 | No. 7 Ryan Taylor | Jr. | Fayette County, Ohio | 1-2 (1-2) |
| OR | Jens Lantz | Fr | Ellsworth, Wis. | 4-3 (1-0) |
| 141 | Luke Rowh | Fr | Hastings, Minn. | 7-11 (1-3) |
| OR | Gabriel Grahek | Fr. | Milwaukee, Wis. | 3-5 (0-1) |
| 149 | Andrew Crone | So. | Delafield, Wis. | 8-7 (1-2) |
| 157 | TJ Ruschell | Jr. | Crittenden, Ky. | 7-10 (1-4) |
| 165 | No. 3 Isaac Jordan | Jr. | Urbana, Ohio | 15-0 (4-0) |
| 174 | Ricky Robertson | So. | Tinley Park, Ill. | 10-7 (2-3) |
| 184 | Ryan Christensen | Fr. | Woodinville, Wash. | 12-12 (1-3) |
| 197 | Eric Peissig | So. | Menomonie, Wis. | 3-10 (1-4) |
| OR | Nic Veling | Jr. | Brookfield, Wis. | 6-5 (0-0) |
| HWT | Brock Horwath | Sr. | Stillwater, Minn. | 11-9 (2-3) |
Scouting Wisconsin
- Wisconsin is 1-4 in dual competition entering Friday's dual. Though below .500, all four UW losses have come against opponents ranked in the top-20 of the most recent USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll, including No. 1 Penn State and No. 2 Iowa. The Badgers seek their first Big Ten win of the year against Rutgers.
- Wisconsin placed 17th at the 2015 NCAA Championships in St. Louis and has three NCAA qualifiers and two-All-Americans back from that squad. Isaac Jordan has secured All-America honors in each of the last two seasons, while Ryan Taylor reached the national podium last March. Rickey Robertson qualified for the 2015 NCAA Championships.
- Taylor is ranked No. 7 at 133 pounds and Jordan is ranked No. 3 at 165 pounds in the latest Intermat rankings.
Series vs. Wisconsin
- Rutgers is 0-2 all-time against Wisconsin. The No. 21 Scarlet Knights had momentum for much of last year's match at UW Field House, but three-straight Wisconsin wins to close the dual tied things at 18-18 and gave the No. 18 Badgers a 19-18 win by criterion 3.15.3. Scoring wins for RU in the dual were Hayden Hrymack over No. 9 Timmy McCall (W-D, 6-5) at 197, Sean McCabe over Johnny Jimenez (W-D, 2-1) at 125, Anthony Ashnault over Jesse Thielke (W-MD, 11-2) at 141, Ken Theobold over Rylan Lubeck (W-MD, 8-0) at 149, and Anthony Perrotti over Jarod Donor (W-MD, 12-4) at 157.
Ranked Matchups
- There are two Intermat ranked matchups set for Sunday's match: No. 18 Anthony Giraldo (RU) vs. No. 7 Ryan Taylor (UW) at 133 pounds and No. 9 Anthony Perrotti (RU) vs. No. 3 Isaac Jordan (UW) at 165 pounds. Phillip Bakuckas (RU), ranked No. 20 by FloWrestling, will face Rickey Robertson (UW), who is No. 20 according to WIN Magazine.
Rutgers Rematch
- The last time Anthony Perrotti and Isaac Jordan met, they were fighting for seventh place at the 2014 NCAA Championships. Jordan prevailed, 2-0, in the match. Jordan escaped in the second period and rode Perrotti out in the third period to secure riding time and the close win.
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Players Mentioned
