For its upcoming match, No. 13 Illinois (8-3, 3-3) hosts No. 27 Purdue (8-3, 1-2) in its penultimate dual of the season. The new year has been underwhelming after what looked like an intimidating run going into winter break, but the homecoming match could turn the tide.
The Illini have gone 2-3 so far in 2025. They have only won one out of four duals against top-15 teams this season. Two of their three losses have come on the road, and head coach Mike Poeta is searching for a home win to rejuvenate his team.
Purdue’s 125-pound maestro
Purdue 125-pound redshirt senior Matt Ramos is currently ranked No. 1. He is undefeated in duals this season and will be Purdue’s key weapon against Illinois. The Illini have been the weakest in the 125-pound weight category. Specifically, junior Caelan Riley has struggled all season with a 1-9 record in duals.
Riley managed to grab his maiden win against No. 29 Maryland (8-6, 3-1) on Jan. 24. But he failed to follow it up against No. 12 Rutgers (11-4, 3-2) in Illinois’ last dual. Ramos has handed his opponents one fall and three technical falls this season. Riley has had one fall and one technical fall this season. This will be his toughest test and a formidable challenge before he faces No. 1 Penn State’s (9-0, 3-0) 125-pound freshman No. 7 Luke Lilledahl on Feb. 16.
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Big Ten Wrestler of the Week showdown
Illinois 133-pound redshirt senior Lucas Byrd won the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week award this week. He has gone 10-1 in duals this season and has been on a tear in most of his duals. His opponent, Purdue’s 133-pound redshirt junior Dustin Norris, has gone 6-5 in duals this season.
It should be a cakewalk for Byrd, and a big win should keep his momentum going for his dual with Penn State’s 133-pound sophomore No. 7 Braeden Davis.
The 157-pound losing streak
Purdue’s second highest-ranked wrestler is in the 157-pound category, sophomore No. 7 Joey Blaze. He is 8-0 in duals this season. Illinois’ 157-pound graduate student Jason Kraisser has had an up-and-down season and is 7-4 in duals. He’s faced two top-10 opponents this season and lost to both.
Kraisser lost his last three matches, and Illinois needs him to bounce back as a key player in the middleweight lineup. He will face off against a top-five wrestler against Penn State as well. There, Illinois also needs Kraisser in good form for its most important dual of the season.
Purdue’s third-ranked dual
Purdue has only faced two ranked teams this season. It lost to both No. 25 Indiana (6-3, 2-3) and No. 4 Ohio State (11-1, 3-1) and all of its wins have come against unranked teams. As a team, the Illini are stronger than the Boilermakers. Since 1999, they lead the all-time series 18-3.
They have dominated most of their duals and will hope for a similar result this time around as they hunt for a vital conference win to push them up the seedings.
Illinois’ penultimate dual
Illinois is not having the season its fans might have hoped it would after the undefeated start. It is now 3-3 in conference play as well and sits in an uncomfortable position in the Big Ten table.
With two conference matches remaining, one of them being versus the top-seeded Nittany Lions, the Illini have a mountain to climb to achieve better seedings. Purdue should be an easier opponent, and Illinois will want to use it as a training ground to fix its weaknesses heading into the big Senior Day dual on Feb. 16. The team has good wrestlers, and Poeta can aid the team in picking up its pieces to end the season on a strong note.
