With a 4-1 record and a No. 11 national ranking in the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA poll, Wisconsin is once again off to a solid start.
Head coach Barry Davis, who returns for his 15th season at Wisconsin, has seen some good things from his team during the first five matches.
With the veteran guys I feel pretty good,"" David said. ""With the younger guys we still have to figure some things out, but I've seen some progress.""
The Badgers began their campaign Nov. 15 at the ACC/Big Ten Clash with victories over No. 21 Virginia, North Carolina and North Carolina State. Wisconsin then split back to back home matches with a win over Oregon State and a loss to No. 2 Iowa State.
The 27-7 defeat to the Cyclones is the only blemish on Wisconsin's record, but Davis said some of his players had a chance to win their matches, and playing such a highly ranked opponent was a valuable experience for his squad.
""We're not quite there yet,"" Davis said. ""[But] it was a good measuring stick of where we're at.""
As they usually are with Wisconsin's wrestling program, expectations are high for this nationally ranked squad. Currently the Badgers boast four wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in the country.
Senior Kyle Massey leads the way for Wisconsin with his No. 3 ranking as a heavyweight. Massey is 4-1 this season, including a win over senior No. 13 Justin Dobies of North Carolina.
No. 5 senior Dallas Herbst is also 4-1, with his lone defeat coming at the hands of freshman No. 1 Jake Varner of Iowa State.
Junior Kyle Ruschell and senior Zach Tanelli are also currently in the top-10, ranking sixth and 10th, respectively. Ruschell is 4-1 this season, and Tanelli is 5-0 with a victory over junior No. 2 Nick Gallick of Iowa State.
This weekend Wisconsin will compete in the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. The event features 10 ranked schools in the 48-team field, including No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Cornell, No. 8 Illinois and No. 9 Michigan.
Wisconsin has participated in the tournament in its two prior seasons, finishing fifth in the field each time.
""It's an opportunity for a lot of guys that are not ranked to beat some ranked guys, especially the younger guys that are up and coming,"" Davis said. ""And for the older guys, it's a chance to go out and make a statement about our program.""
On Jan. 23, after several other non-conference events, Wisconsin will begin Big Ten play, which is the most difficult stretch of its schedule because of the quality of the conference.
Besides the Badgers, the Big Ten has seven schools ranked in the top-25, including No. 1 Iowa.
""It's the premier conference in the country. There's no other conference in the country that is that tough year in and year out,"" Davis said.
