Duke came up short in its season-opening dual against No. 15 Oregon State last weekend. Now the Blue Devils have another chance to take down a ranked opponent in their home-opener.
After falling to the Beavers 22-20 in Boone, N.C., Saturday, Duke will host No. 18 Wisconsin Friday. The Blue Devils hope to build off a strong performance against Oregon State during which redshirt junior Jacob Kasper and senior Connor Bass stayed undefeated on the season.
“We definitely outwrestled them,” Duke head coach Glenn Lanham said. “It’s one of those duals where there are a lot of missed opportunities. That was a disappointment that we didn’t really seize that moment and get that opportunity. That’s a top-15 team and we had them beat every which way, so it’s just a learning process for us right now.”
The Blue Devils started slow against the Beavers, falling behind 19-3 after six bouts. Duke's lone early points came in Cole Baumgartner’s 10-8 decision win against Devan Turner in the 133 weight class. Zach Finesilver also fought hard against 12th-ranked opponent Joey Palmer, but fell in an 11-5 decision.
But the Blue Devils suddenly turned the match around later thanks to strong performances from Kasper and Bass.
Kasper continued his perfect start to the season with a third-period pin against David Henry at heavyweight. The redshirt junior from Lexington, Ohio, has now earned bonus points in three of his six wins this season.
The Blue Devils cut the deficit further when Bass defeated 14th-ranked Corey Griego with a 15-0 technical fall at 174 pounds. The Yorkville, Ill., native has also registered bonus points in four of his six wins.
Although Duke picked up six more points when Alex Belaia won by forfeit, the Blue Devils' comeback fell short when Alec Schenck fell to 14th-ranked Corey Griego 7-3 in the 184-pound weight class.
“My goal was to go out there and score as many points as quickly as possible,” Bass said. "[The loss] gives us a chip on our shoulder to go into this week.... We just need to make a couple of adjustments to step up and seize that opportunity.”
Duke will see if those adjustments pay off against Wisconsin at Card Gymnasium Friday. The Blue Devils want to be aggressive against a Badger squad that has several nationally-ranked wrestlers and captured four titles at the Journeyman Classic Sunday.
No. 2 Connor Medbery already owns three top-five wins and will put his undefeated record on the line against Kasper at heavyweight. Second-ranked Isaac Jordan in 165 pounds is also an All-American and will face redshirt senior Michael Wright.
“[The Wisconsin matchup] is a great opportunity for [Kasper] to go out and wrestle hard, and I think some good things can happen,” Lanham said. “Medbery is the No.2 ranked kid in the country, had a great Greco season and has been doing some things on the Olympic circuit.... “We’ve got a couple guys who have some key matches that we have to capitalize on."
The rest of Wisconsin's lineup is young, however, with four Badgers expected to make their first career dual starts Friday. Lanham said he has been impressed with his squad's strength and conditioning, but wants to see his wrestlers stick to their technique and exploit the Badgers' youth.
“We have to be more offensive, score more points,” Bass said. “Going out there, sticking to your game plan, your strategies, is going to be key to pulling out some wins.”
Following Friday's dual, the Blue Devils will compete in the Wolfpack Open at N.C. State Sunday.
Sam Turken contributed reporting.
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