The No. 2 Iowa men’s wrestling team opens its Big Ten schedule against unranked Illinois on Friday at 7 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

Friday’s dual will be streamed on BTN+ with former Iowa wrestlers Kaleb Young and Alex Marinelli on the call. 

The Hawkeyes are 7-0 on the season while the Fighting Illini are 2-2. Iowa has won the last 11 matchups against Illinois and leads the all-time series, 54-26-1. 

Iowa is fresh off a team title with 228 points at the inaugural Soldier Salute on Dec. 29-30 in Coralville at Xtream Arena. The tournament featured wrestlers from Army, Bellarmine, Citadel, Columbia, Iowa State, Minnesota, Navy, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Virginia Military Institute, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

RELATED: Photos: 2022 Solider Salute College Wrestling Tournament – day one 

The Hawkeyes crowned eight champions while 18 Iowa wrestlers finished in the top six of their respective weight classes. 

“The pageantry of [this event was] great,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said in a statement after the conclusion of the tournament. “It was a great first year and we want to be a part of it and keep coming back. One of the great things about this tournament is it will continue to grow.”

RELATED: Photos: 2022 Solider Salute College Wrestling Tournament – day two 

Illinois finished fifth in the team race at the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30 with 104.5 points. The Illini’s 10th-ranked 174-pounder Edmond Ruth and 13th-ranked 197-pounder Zac Braunagel brought home titles in their respective weight classes. 

Ruth is riding an 18-match win streak and will present a tough task for Iowa’s 16th-ranked Nelson Brands on Friday. 

Nelson Brands is 2-1 on the season and did not compete at the Soldier Salute and is still recovering from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in Dec. 2021 and the collarbone surgery he had in October 2022.

RELATED: Iowa men’s wrestler Nelson Brands earns gutsy win in season debut 

The Illini’s Braunagel, a three-time NCAA qualifier at 184 pounds, will face Iowa’s sixth-ranked 197-pounder Jacob Warner on Friday. Warner defeated Hawkeye teammate Kolby Franklin, 10-2, to clinch the 197-pound title at the Soldier Salute. 

Iowa’s Brody Teske and Cullan Schriever are both listed on the probable bout sheet at 133 pounds for Friday’s dual against Illinois and Sunday’s road trip to Purdue. 

Teske has not competed since Iowa’s season opener against Cal Baptist on Nov. 13, 2022, when the Northern Iowa transfer defeated Lancer Hunter Leake, 6-4. Tom Brands did not give a reason for Teske’s recent absence from the mat but expects him to return Friday or Sunday. 

In the meantime, Schriever has given the Hawkeyes a consistent effort at 133 pounds. The 17th-ranked Mason City, Iowa, product is 6-3 on the season and took home the 133-pound individual title at the Soldier Salute. 

Whoever gets the nod at 133 on Friday will battle the Illini’s 10th-ranked Lucas Byrd. Schriever wrestled Byrd last season and fell, 5-0. 

With lingering injuries and uncertainties throughout the lineup, Tom Brands emphasized the importance of embodying the “next man up” mentality and taking advantage of opportunities.

“They literally are a heartbeat away from being the guy,” head coach Tom Brands said during a press conference Wednesday. “And that’s why we compete and that’s why it’s important to communicate to guys their importance and keep them on the cutting edge.”

Iowa heavyweight Tony Cassioppi is one name that has remained in the Hawkeyes’ starting lineup since the season opener. The third-ranked senior is 11-0 on the year with a career-high nine falls. The nine falls are the most by a Hawkeye since Marinelli in 2018-19.

Cassioppi has earned bonus points in all but one bout this season. His lone decision came in a 9-2 victory over Iowa State’s then-ninth-ranked Sam Schuyler in the annual Cy-Hawk dual.

Cassioppi pinned his way through the heavyweight bracket at the Soldier Salute to take home the individual 285-pound title and is riding a five-match pin streak heading into Friday’s dual.

Cassioppi is projected to face Illinois’ Matt Wroblewski. Cassioppi and Wroblewski grew up about an hour away from each other in Illinois and wrestled several times throughout middle school but have not faced one another since. 

“The next competition is the most important, so that’s what I’m most worried about,” Cassioppi said Wednesday. “My preparation is always going to be the same. I’m always preparing to be the best, it doesn’t really matter who I’m going up against.”