Moderator: Good afternoon everyone. I'm excited to be talking about Big Ten wrestling with all of you. I've covered the Illini for the last several years, starting with their Big Ten title team in 2005. The Illini look to have another strong squad this season. We'll find out exactly how strong in a hurry, as they wrestle #1 Iowa on Sunday. Let's get to some questions!

Irv, taylorville, il: brian, thanks for the chat. what will it take for illinois to win a national title in wrestling?

Moderator: Irv,

You're welcome. Glad to have the opportunity. It certainly won't be easy for Mark Johnson and company to win a national title, especially now that Iowa has returned to being the national power they were about ten years ago. As to what Illinois can do, the key here as in any other major college sport is recruiting. Johnson has a great freshman class this year. Three of those wrestlers are on the mat already (B.J. Futrell, Eric Terrazas, Jordan Blanton), and there are other talented newcomers using their redshirt year. Illinois needs to stack up three or four classes in a row like the freshman class they now have on campus to really be in contention for an NCAA Championship.

Don Wilcox, Bloomington, IL: Will Troy Tirapelle wrestle this year?

Moderator: Don,

Unfortunately, it appears the Tirapelle era at Illinois is over. Troy re-injured the same shoulder he had surgically repaired in the offseason. When I talked to Mark Johnson earlier this week, he indicated that Troy was done for the season and likely not a candidate for a medical redshirt. On the bright side, that means he may once again be my color partner on our radio broadcasts, at least for home meets.

Kyle, Champaign, IL: Does Illinois have any chance against Iowa, in any of the weight classes?

Moderator: Kyle,

The short answer is "yes." Mike Poeta is a heavy favorite at 157 against Iowa's unranked Matt Ballweg. John Wise is considered a slight favorite over Iowa's Dan Erekson at heavyweight. Jimmy Kennedy's match at 133 pounds with Daniel Dennis is a tossup. Dennis beat Kennedy at the Midland Championships in December, and that's still Jimmy's only loss this season. I also consider B.J. Futrell a slight favorite at 125 over Iowa's backup at that weight, J.J. Krutsinger. The starter, Charlie Falck, is doubtful with an ankle injury. 197 also looks like a tossup to me. Iowa will be favored at 141, 149, 165, 174 and 184.

rocko, dublin, oh: What can you tell us about Vince Vercelli?

Moderator: I have not had the opportunity to see Vince wrestle. He redshirted last year while participating in the Missouri Open (fresh-soph division) and Loras Open. He competed at the Missouri Open again this season, going 0-2. He's wrestling at 141, which means he's behind Ryan Prater in the pecking order right now. Prater had a great freshman season, winning 20 matches, but has gotten off to a slow start this year. Maybe Vince can push him for that spot.

Karen Podhajsky, Traer, Iowa: From everything you write on your blog, it really should be a close meet Sunday in Iowa City. Do you see the fan support in Iowa being a factor in the meet? Coach Brands really seems to be getting everyone "fired up" in Iowa City. Reminds me of the days of Dan Gable.

Moderator: Karen,

I do think it will be a close meet on Sunday. The two teams could easily split the ten matches, winning five apiece. Then it comes down to bonus points, and I think Iowa is in a bit better position to pick those up at 149 and perhaps 141.

The crowd is always a factor in Iowa City. Even when Illinois went to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and won three years ago, there were more than 5000 people in attendance and they got quite loud. That was when the Hawkeyes were struggling. Now there should be an even bigger crowd with more reason to cheer. Watch Illinois' three freshman wrestlers on Sunday. That's where the crowd could make the most impact.

Jay, Glenview, IL: Hey Brian, how far do you think this team can go at the NCAA tournament? Say Kennedy and Poeta are able to win the national titles in their weight classes, and then a few guys like Roger Smith Bergsrud, John Wise, Jordan Blanton and John Dergo overachieve, will we have a shot at placing in the top four?

Moderator: Jay,

It's really hard to say at this point. The Illini have underachieved the past few years at the NCAA's, relative to their wrestlers rankings/seedings going in. I think Poeta is the best bet to bring home Illinois' first NCAA title since 2003. He's rested after sitting out the first part of the season because of knee surgery.

Jimmy Kennedy is in a dogfight at 133 pounds. The key for Jimmy is likely to be figuring out Michigan State's Franklin Gomez. Jimmy has yet to beat him, and his style isn't a good matchup for Jimmy.

Top four might be a bit ambitious for this squad unless a lot of things break their way. My top four as of right now would probably be Iowa, Iowa State, Cornell and Nebraska. The Illini do have a very good shot at the top 10.

Barry, Danville, IL: Is DWS carrying any matches this season?

Moderator: Barry,

I'm glad you asked. We are carrying four Big Ten duals this season, starting with this Sunday's big matchup at Iowa. We'll also carry the duals against Northwestern (Friday 2/6), Indiana (Friday 2/13) and Michigan (Friday 2/20).

I also hope to once again follow the team to St. Louis for the NCAA Championships in March. If you've never been there, it's a lot of fun, especially the first two days with action on eight mats at once.

Moderator: Well, it looks like that's about it for questions today. Thanks to everyone who chimed in with your thoughts and questions. I'll be on the air Sunday just before 5 pm from Iowa City. I hope you all can tune in!

bmoline@wdws.com