IOWA CITY − A gauntlet of a schedule gets started for Iowa wrestling on Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with Illinois coming to town.Ranked as Intermat's No. 10 dual team in college wrestling (No. 13 as a tournament team), the Fighting Illini present a worthy challenge for the No. 2 Hawkeyes with nine-ranked wrestlers, eight of whom are ranked 20th or higher.Iowa coach Tom Brands said a few of the Illini wrestlers contacted the Illinois natives on the Hawkeye team (Michael Caliendo and Aiden McCain) last summer to say how good they felt about the upcoming season."They really like their team they're putting on the mat," Brands said. "We got to be ready to go."Here are four things to watch in what should be an entertaining dual for fans.No. 2 Lucas Byrd vs. No. 4 Drake Ayala at 133 poundsThe matchup that everyone has circled is Ayala vs. Byrd, a top-five bout that will have seeding implications in the postseason and should produce good wrestling. Byrd is a two-time NCAA All-American and is 11-0.Ayala said he's taking a status-quo type of approach."The thing about Division I college wrestling is every match is tough," said Ayala, last season's national runner-up at 125. "I don't put this one on a pedestal, and I keep my routine the same."With a wide-open field at 133, this presents an opportunity for both wrestlers to show they are a step ahead in the race for the top of the podium in March.Is Joey Cruz separating himself at 125?Cruz had a huge win over Wisconsin's Nicolar Rivera, a top-20 wrestler who was undefeated prior to the match. In the 8-2 win by decision, Cruz showed improved control of the match from start to finish.Brands has said multiple times that 125 needed to start producing for Iowa. For the first time this year, Cruz looked to have given himself some leeway going forward."We maybe had one guy (Cruz) emerge at 125 a little bit," Brands said. "Maybe he's a head ahead now."At 3-9, Illinois' Caelan Riley doesn't present a massive challenge, but this bout can give Cruz a chance to prove himself further if he draws the start over redshirt freshman Kale Petersen. If Petersen gets the nod, a big outing could make the decision harder for Brands and the staff come March.Iowa heavyweight Ben Kueter begins important stretchKueter is going to get plenty of challenges from now until the postseason, starting with No. 11 Luke Luffman of Illinois on Friday. Luffman is 9-2, with a notable win over Arizona State four-time NCAA All-American Cohlton Schultz.Additionally, Kueter could face the current top-three wrestlers to round out a touch stretch: No. 1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota, No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State and No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State, as well as No. 7 Nick Feldman of Ohio State.Pretty much every match that Kueter gets from here on out will be a tough one. This additional mat time will provide context of exactly where Kueter stands ahead of NCAAs among a crowded heavyweight field.Iowa freshman Miguel Estrada seizing opportunity at 157 after injury to Jacori TeemerAbout the only thing Estrada can't quite get used to is Brands constantly smiling at him. Estrada said he has some social anxiety, and his coach tries to keep things loose by grinning at him. The freshman smiles back.Everything else has been gravy for the California native. Even the snow and cold temperatures, he said. Estrada added that he enjoyed how nice the people are in Iowa, along with the smaller buildings and different environments he sees. Mostly he's enjoying the wrestling, training with some talented guys in Kyle Parco, the Voinovich brothers and others.About the only time Estrada isn't smiling, he said, is when he wrestles, clearly embracing the Iowa toughness in his first year in Iowa City. At 13-2, he has wrestled attached four times, meaning one more appearance would be the cap of events he can wrestle in a Hawkeye singlet before burning a year of eligibility.Estrada is the only listed probable for Iowa at 157 against Illinois' No. 20 Jason Kraisser. The Iowa freshman continues to make the most of the opportunity left to him after Jacori Teemer's injury in November."This is just another match, Estrada said. "He's just a human. If I want to be an NCAA champion, it doesn't matter who is in front of me."Projected lineups between No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 13 Illinois125 - No. 28 Joey Cruz OR Kale Petersen vs. Caelan Riley133 - No. 4 Drake Ayala vs. No. 2 Lucas Byrd141 - No. 30 Ryder Block OR Jace Rhodes OR Cullan Schriever vs. No. 12 Danny Pucino149 - No. 3 Kyle Parco vs. No. 12 Kannon Webster157 - Miguel Estrada vs. No. 20 Jason Kraisser165 - No. 2 Michael Caliendo vs. No. 11 Braeden Scoles174 - No. 5 Patrick Kennedy vs. No. 21 Danny Braunagel184 - No. 5 Gabe Arnold OR Angelo Ferrari vs. No. 10 Edmond Ruth197 - No. 2 Stephen Buchanan vs. No. 18 Zac Braunagel285 - No. 12 Ben Kueter vs. No. 11 Luke LuffmanEli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

IOWA CITY − A gauntlet of a schedule gets started for Iowa wrestling on Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with Illinois coming to town. “They really like their team they’re putting on the mat,” Brands said. “We got to be ready to go.”Ranked as Intermat’s No. 10 dual team in college wrestling (No. 13 as a […]

IOWA CITY − A gauntlet of a schedule gets started for Iowa wrestling on Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with Illinois coming to town.

“They really like their team they’re putting on the mat,” Brands said. “We got to be ready to go.”Ranked as Intermat’s No. 10 dual team in college wrestling (No. 13 as a tournament team), the Fighting Illini present a worthy challenge for the No. 2 Hawkeyes with nine-ranked wrestlers, eight of whom are ranked 20th or higher.Here are four things to watch in what should be an entertaining dual for fans.Iowa coach Tom Brands said a few of the Illini wrestlers contacted the Illinois natives on the Hawkeye team (Michael Caliendo and Aiden McCain) last summer to say how good they felt about the upcoming season.

No. 2 Lucas Byrd vs. No. 4 Drake Ayala at 133 pounds

The matchup that everyone has circled is Ayala vs. Byrd, a top-five bout that will have seeding implications in the postseason and should produce good wrestling. Byrd is a two-time NCAA All-American and is 11-0.Ayala said he’s taking a status-quo type of approach.”The thing about Division I college wrestling is every match is tough,” said Ayala, last season’s national runner-up at 125. “I don’t put this one on a pedestal, and I keep my routine the same.”With a wide-open field at 133, this presents an opportunity for both wrestlers to show they are a step ahead in the race for the top of the podium in March.Is Joey Cruz separating himself at 125?Cruz had a huge win over Wisconsin’s Nicolar Rivera, a top-20 wrestler who was undefeated prior to the match. In the 8-2 win by decision, Cruz showed improved control of the match from start to finish.Brands has said multiple times that 125 needed to start producing for Iowa. For the first time this year, Cruz looked to have given himself some leeway going forward.”We maybe had one guy (Cruz) emerge at 125 a little bit,” Brands said. “Maybe he’s a head ahead now.”At 3-9, Illinois’ Caelan Riley doesn’t present a massive challenge, but this bout can give Cruz a chance to prove himself further if he draws the start over redshirt freshman Kale Petersen. If Petersen gets the nod, a big outing could make the decision harder for Brands and the staff come March.Iowa heavyweight Ben Kueter begins important stretchKueter is going to get plenty of challenges from now until the postseason, starting with No. 11 Luke Luffman of Illinois on Friday. Luffman is 9-2, with a notable win over Arizona State four-time NCAA All-American Cohlton Schultz.Additionally, Kueter could face the current top-three wrestlers to round out a touch stretch: No. 1 Gable Steveson of Minnesota, No. 2 Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State and No. 3 Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State, as well as No. 7 Nick Feldman of Ohio State.Pretty much every match that Kueter gets from here on out will be a tough one. This additional mat time will provide context of exactly where Kueter stands ahead of NCAAs among a crowded heavyweight field.Iowa freshman Miguel Estrada seizing opportunity at 157 after injury to Jacori TeemerAbout the only thing Estrada can’t quite get used to is Brands constantly smiling at him. Estrada said he has some social anxiety, and his coach tries to keep things loose by grinning at him. The freshman smiles back.Everything else has been gravy for the California native. Even the snow and cold temperatures, he said. Estrada added that he enjoyed how nice the people are in Iowa, along with the smaller buildings and different environments he sees. Mostly he’s enjoying the wrestling, training with some talented guys in Kyle Parco, the Voinovich brothers and others.About the only time Estrada isn’t smiling, he said, is when he wrestles, clearly embracing the Iowa toughness in his first year in Iowa City. At 13-2, he has wrestled attached four times, meaning one more appearance would be the cap of events he can wrestle in a Hawkeye singlet before burning a year of eligibility.Estrada is the only listed probable for Iowa at 157 against Illinois’ No. 20 Jason Kraisser. The Iowa freshman continues to make the most of the opportunity left to him after Jacori Teemer’s injury in November.”This is just another match, Estrada said. “He’s just a human. If I want to be an NCAA champion, it doesn’t matter who is in front of me.”Projected lineups between No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 13 Illinois125 – No. 28 Joey Cruz OR Kale Petersen vs. Caelan Riley133 – No. 4 Drake Ayala vs. No. 2 Lucas Byrd141 – No. 30 Ryder Block OR Jace Rhodes OR Cullan Schriever vs. No. 12 Danny Pucino149 – No. 3 Kyle Parco vs. No. 12 Kannon Webster157 – Miguel Estrada vs. No. 20 Jason Kraisser165 – No. 2 Michael Caliendo vs. No. 11 Braeden Scoles174 – No. 5 Patrick Kennedy vs. No. 21 Danny Braunagel184 – No. 5 Gabe Arnold OR Angelo Ferrari vs. No. 10 Edmond Ruth197 – No. 2 Stephen Buchanan vs. No. 18 Zac Braunagel285 – No. 12 Ben Kueter vs. No. 11 Luke LuffmanEli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.