Illini preview: Mizzou tigers

[ChiefIllini1]

WHAT: Dual with the Mizzou Tigers
WHERE: Saint Louis, MO (Francis Howell High School)
WHEN: Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 7:00 pm (Central)
WHY: Because Missouri Needs to Be Taught a Lesson.

Why I Hate Missouri. If you're like me, you hate Missouri. Why? Because Missouri is the Archie Comic book, the Hardees and the RC Cola of American states. They are all cross-eyed. When one of them is standing in front of you, he'll be straining not to show it, but if you turn around suddenly, boom, cross-eyed like a mofo! Their mascot is not geographically, politically or socially relevant to their state: Missouri is more than 8,211 miles from the nearest wild tiger. You can't get farther away unless you go into space! Missourans are a smelly people. Their state motto, "The Show Me State," is vulgar and pornographic. I hate Missouri.

The Earman Situation: According to reports Jaydin Earman has transferred from Missouri to Iowa. We would not have had a Carr-Earman rematch this year anyway, as the former Tiger is taking an Olympic redshirt. Still, you have to wonder, If you are working in Iraq, say, and you asked your boss for a transfer, would your first pick be Afghanistan?

Wrestlestat.com Prediction: ILLINI arch-nemesis wrestlestat is picking Missouri to win 22-9. That prediction includes no Dylan Duncan, but has Mike Carr at 141 and Christian Kanzler at 149. It also includes a win by Jarrett Jacques over Eric Barone, even though Barone has the head-to-head win and a better record against common opponents. In defense of our arch nemesis, ILLINI fans don't know the status of Duncan and Carr either.

Mizzou's Last Time Out: This is what the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had to say about MU's last time out,

The University of Missouri wrestling team opened the season on Nov. 2 with a 29-10 loss at No. 18 Virginia Tech.

It’s the first time the Tigers, ranked No. 7 nationally, have been under .500 since 2010, when they dropped their season-opening dual against Illinois at Edwardsville High.

What will the Post-Dispatch have to say if Missouri drops two duals in a row? This was the box score from that match with Virginia Tech:

#16 Virginia Tech 29, #9 Missouri 10
149: #2 Brock Mauller (MU) dec. #23 Brent Moore (VT), 6-0
157: #17 B.C. LaPrade (VT) dec. #10 Jarrett Jacques (MU), 3-1 (SV-1)
165: #4 David McFadden (VT) major dec. Peyton Mocco (MU), 15-4
174: #8 Connor Flynn (MU) major dec. Cody Hughes (VT), 12-1
184: #9 Hunter Bolen (VT) dec. #14 Dylan Wisman (MU), 10-9
197: #20 Wyatt Koelling (MU) dec. Stanley Smeltzer (VT), 8-1
285: John Borst (VT) major dec. Rodrigo Diaz (MU), 11-3
125: Joey Prata (VT) dec. Dack Punke (MU), 2-0
133: #14 Collin Gerardi (VT) forfeit
141: #17 Mitch Moore (VT) fall Alex Butler (MU), :26

What to Look For: If Dylan Duncan and Mike Carr are in the lineup, there should be blockbuster matches up and down the scorecard. You might have noticed that there was no Grant Leeth at 141 in the VaTech dual. The fellow was absolutely massive at 149! I don't see how he does it unless he goes on the POW Diet, relies on surgery (stomach band followed by light liposuction), and bribery (slipping a $20 to the ref at weigh ins).

At 125, we could see an ILLINOIS battle between Dack Punke and Justin Cardani. They have similar records, similar records against common opposition, and although Cardani is rated higher, wrestlestat picks Punke to win a decision. At 133, wrestlestat picks Allan Hart over Travis Piotrowski. I don't see that! If you look up at the box score in the VaTech dual, the Tigers forfeited that weight. Additionally, Pio is rated higher, and Hart has never beaten a wrestler better than #33.

Leeth at 141 (if he wrestles) and Mauller at 149 would be great challenges for Duncan and Carr (if they wrestle). Jacques is favored over Barone, though I don't know why.

Wrestlestat do like them some Braunagels! They have both of them beating two quality wrestlers in Peyton Mocco and Dylan Wisman. This will be another big challenge for the ILLINI monsters. This will be a big and tough match for Joey "Guns" Gunther as well. He will face Connor Flynn, and guess which high school Flynn graduated from? That's right, the one where this dual will take place. Flynn is rated #10 on wrestlestat, while Guns is at #24. Yet, the computer picked Gunther to win.

Wyatt Koelling has a 4-0 head-to-head win over Wrobo-cop, but this could turn out closer than that. Luffman could face Austin Myers (from "Tigers in Space" fame during his match with Deuce Rachal) or a nobody or the formidable Zach Elam. Wrestlestat has Elam listed as a redshirt, but in the Post-Dispatch article, Coach Smith indicated that he might be back this season.

Conclusion: If Dylan Duncan and Mike Carr are ready, then this dual should be scintillating. In fact, their matches against Leeth and Mauller would be clear highlights. Without them, I give advantages to Pio, Barone and Luffman. Slight advantage to Danny Braunagel, and his brother could be in the spotlight match against Dylan Wisman.

#WARILLINI

[dadudaman4]

Originally Posted by ChiefIllini1

WHAT: Dual with the Mizzou Tigers
WHERE: Saint Louis, MO (Francis Howell High School)
WHEN: Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 7:00 pm (Central)
WHY: Because Missouri Needs to Be Taught a Lesson.

Why I Hate Missouri. If you're like me, you hate Missouri. Why? Because Missouri is the Archie Comic book, the Hardees and the RC Cola of American states. They are all cross-eyed. When one of them is standing in front of you, he'll be straining not to show it, but if you turn around suddenly, boom, cross-eyed like a mofo! Their mascot is not geographically, politically or socially relevant to their state: Missouri is more than 8,211 miles from the nearest wild tiger. You can't get farther away unless you go into space! Missourans are a smelly people. Their state motto, "The Show Me State," is vulgar and pornographic. I hate Missouri.

The Earman Situation: According to reports Jaydin Earman has transferred from Missouri to Iowa. We would not have had a Carr-Earman rematch this year anyway, as the former Tiger is taking an Olympic redshirt. Still, you have to wonder, If you are working in Iraq, say, and you asked your boss for a transfer, would your first pick be Afghanistan?

Wrestlestat.com Prediction: ILLINI arch-nemesis wrestlestat is picking Missouri to win 22-9. That prediction includes no Dylan Duncan, but has Mike Carr at 141 and Christian Kanzler at 149. It also includes a win by Jarrett Jacques over Eric Barone, even though Barone has the head-to-head win and a better record against common opponents. In defense of our arch nemesis, ILLINI fans don't know the status of Duncan and Carr either.

Mizzou's Last Time Out: This is what the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had to say about MU's last time out,



What will the Post-Dispatch have to say if Missouri drops two duals in a row? This was the box score from that match with Virginia Tech:



What to Look For: If Dylan Duncan and Mike Carr are in the lineup, there should be blockbuster matches up and down the scorecard. You might have noticed that there was no Grant Leeth at 141 in the VaTech dual. The fellow was absolutely massive at 149! I don't see how he does it unless he goes on the POW Diet, relies on surgery (stomach band followed by light liposuction), and bribery (slipping a $20 to the ref at weigh ins).

At 125, we could see an ILLINOIS battle between Dack Punke and Justin Cardani. They have similar records, similar records against common opposition, and although Cardani is rated higher, wrestlestat picks Punke to win a decision. At 133, wrestlestat picks Allan Hart over Travis Piotrowski. I don't see that! If you look up at the box score in the VaTech dual, the Tigers forfeited that weight. Additionally, Pio is rated higher, and Hart has never beaten a wrestler better than #33.

Leeth at 141 (if he wrestles) and Mauller at 149 would be great challenges for Duncan and Carr (if they wrestle). Jacques is favored over Barone, though I don't know why.

Wrestlestat do like them some Braunagels! They have both of them beating two quality wrestlers in Peyton Mocco and Dylan Wisman. This will be another big challenge for the ILLINI monsters. This will be a big and tough match for Joey "Guns" Gunther as well. He will face Connor Flynn, and guess which high school Flynn graduated from? That's right, the one where this dual will take place. Flynn is rated #10 on wrestlestat, while Guns is at #24. Yet, the computer picked Gunther to win.

Wyatt Koelling has a 4-0 head-to-head win over Wrobo-cop, but this could turn out closer than that. Luffman could face Austin Myers (from "Tigers in Space" fame during his match with Deuce Rachal) or a nobody or the formidable Zach Elam. Wrestlestat has Elam listed as a redshirt, but in the Post-Dispatch article, Coach Smith indicated that he might be back this season.

Conclusion: If Dylan Duncan and Mike Carr are ready, then this dual should be scintillating. In fact, their matches against Leeth and Mauller would be clear highlights. Without them, I give advantages to Pio, Barone and Luffman. Slight advantage to Danny Braunagel, and his brother could be in the spotlight match against Dylan Wisman.

#WARILLINI

I'm assuming both Duncan and Carr are injured. Anyone have any insight about this? We need these guys, as their replacements are not competitive in the Big 10. I still see weakness at 157, 165 and 197, but with the rest of the intact lineup we can compete pretty well with most everyone on our schedule. Without Duncan and Carr, we will lose pretty handily to Missouri.

[ChiefIllini1]

Originally Posted by dadudaman4

I'm assuming both Duncan and Carr are injured. Anyone have any insight about this? We need these guys, as their replacements are not competitive in the Big 10. I still see weakness at 157, 165 and 197, but with the rest of the intact lineup we can compete pretty well with most everyone on our schedule. Without Duncan and Carr, we will lose pretty handily to Missouri.

No insight here. Hope the insiders send me a message. I can, however, say this: The Missouri insiders are worse off than we are. I checked the internet, and found only this as far as Missouri wrestling discussion:

I remember that kind of message board from 1990! We would talk about the reunification of Germany and Margaret Thatcher and whether Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider would ever be funny on SNL. (SPOILER ALERT: Yeah. Yeah, they were). I remember there was an actual Missouri wrestling forum last year because I checked it. Does anybody know where it went?

[ChiefIllini1]

BREAKING NEWS: According to the Mizzou website, the dual today will be televised by Trackwrestling free of charge. (The ILLINI website only mentions that there will be a livestream from Track). Hopefully, it is free! Here are the lineups from both websites:

125 Pounds – Dack Punke (2-3) or Cameron Valdiviez (4-1) vs Justin Cardani (3-3)
133 Pounds – No. 25 Allan Hart (3-1) vs No. 9 Travis Piotrowski (6-1)
141 Pounds – No. 5 Grant Leeth (0-0) or Alex Butler (2-3) vs Dylan Duncan (4-2)
149 Pounds – No. 2 Brock Mauller (5-0) vs Mousa Jodeh (2-4)
157 Pounds – No. 14 Jarrett Jacques (4-1) or Phyllip DeLoach (3-1) vs No.16 Eric Barone (4-3)
165 Pounds – Peyton Mocco (2-2) or Luke Fortuna (0-0) vs No. 23 Danny Braunagel (7-1)
174 Pounds – No. 8 Connor Flynn (5-0) vs No. 18 Joey Gunther (3-1)
184 Pounds – Canten Marriott (2-2) or Cordel Duhart (8-1) vs No. 18 Zac Braunagel (6-2)
197 Pounds – No. 20 Wyatt Koelling (1-0) vs Matt Wroblewski (3-3)
Heavyweight – Rodrigo Diaz (3-2) vs Luke Luffman (6-0)

As you can see, there might be a lot of "ORs" wrestling for Missouri. Most significantly, Dylan Duncan is back in the lineup (Yeah!), Michael Carr is not (Ouch!). Elam would have been a great challenge for Luffman, Austin Myers would have been a good challenge; I have no idea about Rodrigo Diaz. I checked Diaz' record and other information, and this will be his fourth year in the Tiger lineup. He has an overall 22-24 record in opens. This season, he did beat the #31 heavy from Campbell.

Message for Jodeh: Throw him! Nothing to lose, my friend.

[calotofwrestling]

Originally Posted by ChiefIllini1

BREAKING NEWS: According to the Mizzou website, the dual today will be televised by Trackwrestling free of charge. (The ILLINI website only mentions that there will be a livestream from Track). Hopefully, it is free! Here are the lineups from both websites:

125 Pounds – Dack Punke (2-3) or Cameron Valdiviez (4-1) vs Justin Cardani (3-3)
133 Pounds – No. 25 Allan Hart (3-1) vs No. 9 Travis Piotrowski (6-1)
141 Pounds – No. 5 Grant Leeth (0-0) or Alex Butler (2-3) vs Dylan Duncan (4-2)
149 Pounds – No. 2 Brock Mauller (5-0) vs Mousa Jodeh (2-4)
157 Pounds – No. 14 Jarrett Jacques (4-1) or Phyllip DeLoach (3-1) vs No.16 Eric Barone (4-3)
165 Pounds – Peyton Mocco (2-2) or Luke Fortuna (0-0) vs No. 23 Danny Braunagel (7-1)
174 Pounds – No. 8 Connor Flynn (5-0) vs No. 18 Joey Gunther (3-1)
184 Pounds – Canten Marriott (2-2) or Cordel Duhart (8-1) vs No. 18 Zac Braunagel (6-2)
197 Pounds – No. 20 Wyatt Koelling (1-0) vs Matt Wroblewski (3-3)
Heavyweight – Rodrigo Diaz (3-2) vs Luke Luffman (6-0)

As you can see, there might be a lot of "ORs" wrestling for Missouri. Most significantly, Dylan Duncan is back in the lineup (Yeah!), Michael Carr is not (Ouch!). Elam would have been a great challenge for Luffman, Austin Myers would have been a good challenge; I have no idea about Rodrigo Diaz. I checked Diaz' record and other information, and this will be his fourth year in the Tiger lineup. He has an overall 22-24 record in opens. This season, he did beat the #31 heavy from Campbell.

Message for Jodeh: Throw him! Nothing to lose, my friend.

It's free.Expect backups at 141,157 and 184 for Mizzu.

[CONDOR]

That entire Illini line-up is all Illinois H.S. wrestlers. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. You heard a lot on here about recruiting homegrown guys, keeping them in State. There are a lot more on the way. Time will tell if this becomes a "be careful what you wish for" situation or if the coaching staff can build a culture that makes them relevant on the last weekend of the season. If those back-ups for Mizzou wrestle that will make 3 Illinois guys in there line-up.

[calotofwrestling]

Originally Posted by CONDOR

That entire Illini line-up is all Illinois H.S. wrestlers. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. You heard a lot on here about recruiting homegrown guys, keeping them in State. There are a lot more on the way. Time will tell if this becomes a "be careful what you wish for" situation or if the coaching staff can build a culture that makes them relevant on the last weekend of the season. If those back-ups for Mizzou wrestle that will make 3 Illinois guys in there line-up.

I think Punke,Butler and DeLoach go.Could also see Fortuna but I think Mocco goes

[GrossNoises]

I think this is a match up between 2 schools heading in slightly different directions. Illinois seems to be on a bit of a rise and you are seeing that with local kids staying put. Luffman is a huge pick up and will do well right away. Compare him to big Punke who is at Missouri and I just do not see him having the same success as Luffman moving forward. I think Missouri poached the wrong Illinois kids. Missouri is a solid program, but are they hitting a bit of a decline?

Also, with Missouri losing Eierman and looking rather bad in the dual versus Virginia Tech makes this an interesting dual match up. Although it would not surprise me to see both teams punt this match up by throwing a bunch of back ups out there. After all it is free.

[exwrestler155]

Originally Posted by CONDOR

That entire Illini line-up is all Illinois H.S. wrestlers. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. You heard a lot on here about recruiting homegrown guys, keeping them in State. There are a lot more on the way. Time will tell if this becomes a "be careful what you wish for" situation or if the coaching staff can build a culture that makes them relevant on the last weekend of the season. If those back-ups for Mizzou wrestle that will make 3 Illinois guys in there line-up.

It's more about recruiting the right guys from IL. Still think the Illini need a major shake up in coaching.

[jay31]

Gunther could really make a statement by beating Flynn in his own HS gym. If the other top-15 ranked Missouri guys dont go then this could be a lopsided Illini win, otherwise should be close.