cigaretteman

When this college wrestling season began, Minnesota was the undisputed king. Few, if any, gave any other team a chance to dethrone the mighty Gophers.

But things have changed since November. Iowa State beat Minnesota in a dual and moved into the No. 1 slot. Iowa beat ISU and moved to the top. Oklahoma State beat Iowa, and Penn State jumped to the top of the rankings. Penn State tumbled at the National Duals, and the Hawkeyes moved back to No. 1.

Iowa has held that spot since winning the duals title Jan. 13, but the Hawkeyes will be seriously challenged tonight when they travel to No. 4 Minnesota for a Big Ten dual at Williams Arena (7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network, KXIC 800-AM).

Minnesota may not be No. 1, but the Gophers are the defending NCAA champions and still tough.

"If all 10 guys are wrestling well, we're a good team," Minnesota Coach J Robinson said Thursday. "We can be as competitive as anybody when everybody is in the lineup."

That's been the rub — getting everyone healthy at the same time. Minnesota has wrestled much of the season without second-ranked Dustin Schlatter at 149 pounds or Roger Kish at 197. Schlatter, the 2006 NCAA champion, remains questionable tonight, meaning a showdown with top-ranked Brent Metcalf may not happen.

Robinson said Kish, a two-time all-American, will be in the lineup against Iowa's eighth-ranked Phil Keddy.

"I'm not making any excuses," Robinson said. "It's just the way it is. There's nothing you can do to hurry them (back). Pull the two best guys out of any lineup and see what happens. It has a big toll on your team."

He said dual meets are important but not as important as the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments in March.

"It's more about getting them healthy at this point," he said.

The Gophers were at full strength when they lost to Iowa State, but were missing Schlatter in a loss to Nebraska and Schlatter and Kish in a loss to Michigan, the latter two at the National Duals. Minnesota has beaten both those teams in this topsy-turvy season.

The Gophers (11-3, 2-0 in the Big Ten) have a solid shot at defending their NCAA title. Seven wrestlers are ranked this week, including No. 1 Jayson Ness at 125 pounds, No. 2 Schlatter and No. 3 Manuel Rivera at 141. Mack Reiter, a former Don Bosco prep at 133, and Kish are ranked fifth.

"We've still got plenty of time," Robinson said of getting everyone back in the lineup. "The potential is there. I think the attitude is there ... But there's a whole lot of people who want the same thing."

Like the Hawkeyes (14-1, 3-0), who counter with eight ranked wrestlers. In addition to Metcalf and Keddy, the Hawkeyes will have No. 2 Jay Borschel at 174, third-ranked Charlie Falck at 125 and No. 3 Joe Slaton at 133.

This year's dual looks like a tossup on paper. Minnesota is favored at five weights, Iowa at four with 197 a tossup. Upsets and bonus points will play a major role tonight.

"That's what the fans want," Robinson said, then added with a laugh, "it's not what the coaches want. We want it one-sided."

Northern Iowa (3-5-1) also wrestles tonight, traveling to Northern Illinois. Iowa State has the weekend off, hosting Oregon State in its next outing Feb. 8.

Iowa is back in action Sunday at Wisconsin. The Badgers beat the Hawkeyes, 21-14, last year at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, snapping a 41-year losing streak to Iowa.

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pb...84/1008/sports