Tag: Virginia Tech wrestling

Is Rutgers wrestling ready to take the next step in the Big Ten? Shane Sparks weighs in

Shane Sparks sees Rutgers wrestling as having the potential to take the next step this season in the Big Ten.

The best match-up of the college wrestling weekend might well be at Rutgers and Jersey Mike’s Arena on Friday night. With a top-10 team in Virginia Tech rolling into town, it is certainly a measuring stick moment for Rutgers.

No. 8 Virginia Tech comes into Friday night a bit battered following a loss last weekend at Ohio State. With Rutgers having two weeks rest after their 2-0 start to the season (wins over Duke and Cal Poly), it certainly makes for an intriguing early-season meeting.

A win would certainly show that Rutgers has the potential to break into a very tough Big Ten pecking order. Big Ten Network analyst Shane Sparks believes that Rutgers could be ready to take that proverbial next step starting with this weekend.

Rutgers has been consistently solid in the Big Ten in recent years, but their path upward is made more difficult by the fact that the conference is easily the toughest in the sport.

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“The Big Ten is so tricky because the dual meet schedules are not balanced,  so you can have that 3-5 season in the Big Ten because…I’m just looking at the rankings, right now. I’m gonna go to the to meet rankings but you got Penn State’s at one, you got four of the top seven, five of the top nine,” Sparks told Rutgers Wire about the current national rankings.

“I think for Rutgers. This year, if they can get in that top half – that’d be a huge step for them. Because the reality is that it’s tough. They’ll need to find a way to finish, say seventh at the Big Ten Tournament.

“I mean, the six teams ahead of them are basically all in the top 10 or close to it so if they can find a way to crack that top path, I would say it is a very successful season for them. That’s taking the next step because the bottom line is, you know, the Big Ten gives you nothing. I mean, you got to earn it. So a lot of good things potentially but they got to stay healthy because they don’t have that big point scorer.”

In this week’s NWCA poll, Penn State is the consensus top team in the nation followed by North Carolina State and Iowa.

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Sparks said that the atmosphere on Friday night at Jersey Mike’s Arena has the potential to be special.

Shane Sparks expects a special atmosphere for Rutgers wrestling against Virginia Tech: ‘Jersey is a different place!’

Jersey Mike’s Arena is going to be a good atmosphere for Virginia Tech at Rutgers wrestling.

Friday night has the potential to be a special atmosphere at Jersey Mike’s Arena, with No. 13 Rutgers set to host No. 8 Virginia Tech. It is an advantage in the stands that Big Ten Network wrestling analyst Shane Sparks says is one of the very best in the nation.

Rutgers comes into this match off wins against Duke and Cal Poly to start the season. This could well be one of the top matches of the weekend, featuring two programs ranked top 15 in the nation.

It should be a big crowd for Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Friday night, making for a special and intense atmosphere. Sparks, a former collegiate wrestler, is one of the top voices of the sport.

As such, his ability to travel around the nation covering wrestling has given him some insight into what the environment will be like at Rutgers this weekend.

“I live in Wisconsin. I’ve been to every Big Ten venue and for lack of a better way to say it – it’s just Jersey. Like it’s different. I mean, it’s tough. I mean, I’ve said this oftentimes Jersey is a different place! And I mean that with the utmost respect!” Sparks told Rutgers Wire.

“They are tough, they are gritty. They are blue collar, they are passionate – like they want to come and see a fight. These people want to come and see a fight! That’s what they want to see. So that’s how they are there. I love it. I love that place because it’s going to get…there will be plenty of tension in that arena. And, you know, I’m sure Virginia Tech is well aware. I mean, they were at Ohio State and that’s a really good environment.

“But I would say from a national standpoint, Jersey Mike’s Arena is one of my favorite places because it is go time – it’s go time.”

Last week, Virginia Tech lost at Ohio State in a result that was largely seen as an upset. Saying that Virginia Tech is going to ‘look to right the wrong,’ Sparks sees the Hokies as coming into Friday night with a point to prove.

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This is a big early-season test for both programs.

“So you got a Virginia Tech team that is kind of a wounded dog. I mean, those guys gonna be hungry. Tony Robie has done a great job with one of the best teams in the country. I mean, they want to right the wrong,” Sparks said.

“They just lost to the Buckeyes so I think they’re going to come in hungry. Probably very focused. I think against Ohio State, they probably  – it was kind of a little bit of a wake-up call.

“Rutgers, last week -they did a really good job, but this is a different level. They understand that. So I just think it’s a very even matchup. You got ranked matchups up and down. And then in wrestling, we call them toss-up matches where it’s like they’re toss-ups. where you could see them going either way.”