In the mind of Wisconsin wrestling head coach Barry Davis, the Big Ten conference tournament is jam-packed with talent this year, including six universities in the top 15 of the coaches’ poll.
However, Davis and the rest of the Badgers have an ace up their sleeves, as 2010 NCAA Division I champion Andrew Howe returns from a torn hamstring just in time to receive the No. 1 pre-seed in the 165-pound class. Wisconsin will travel to Evanston, Ill., this weekend for the conference championship.
“I cannot understand how [Howe] could tear his hamstring that way and come back the way he has,” Davis said. “But if you knew Andrew, he’s a very unique individual, and he’s doing great. His body looks as good right now as it did at the beginning of the season.”
Howe has not been on the mat since the middle of January, so Davis hopes the past few weeks have helped him return to the form that produced a 19-2 record this season. He will need to be in top shape if he wants to three-peat as Big Ten champion at 165 lbs.
Davis detailed Howe’s recent practice habits, explaining just how healthy and motivated the junior is.
“Last week in practice, he wrestled Travis Rutt, who’s the second-best 184-pounder in the country,” Davis said. “He said, ‘I need to wrestle him to make sure in my own mind that I’m ready to go.'”
The Badgers’ success this weekend will also hinge on other wrestlers besides Howe stepping up. Two other Badgers earned the top pre-seed for their weight division, with Howe’s practice opponent Rutt in the 184-pound class and Trevor Brandvold in the 197-pound class. Rutt has only one loss so far this year, and the redshirt senior Brandvold comes in undefeated at 11-0. Brandvold also missed time due to injury earlier this year, forcing Davis into some interesting roster-juggling.
“This will be the first time since the first competition that we will have our full lineup back, all in one,” Davis said. “It’s been a makeshift year.”
The Badgers also have six other wrestlers on the Big Ten Tournament pre-seed list, including Tyler Graff, who is second in the 133-pound class.
Wisconsin faces stiff competition within the Big Ten, and Davis admits that winning this weekend’s tournament might be just as impressive as winning the NCAA’s two weeks later.
“I think the Big Ten Tournament is actually tougher than the NCAA’s,” Davis said. “Most of the matchups you see in the Big Ten finals, you will see in the NCAA Finals. It will be a battle all the way through.”
The Penn State Nittany Lions, the fourth-ranked team in the nation, have the most No. 1 pre-seeds in the Big Ten Tournament this year, with five. Along with Wisconsin’s three No. 1’s, the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Michigan Wolverines each have one top-seeded wrestler in the tournament. The Hawkeyes, undefeated as a team this season, won the Big Ten regular season dual-meet title for the fourth consecutive year. Iowa and Penn State pose the biggest challenges for the Badgers in the tournament.