Undefeated No. 21 Hoosiers set to face Eastern Illinois in dual meet

As the IU wrestling team practiced on the court level of Assembly Hall, the giant arena filled with intensity.\nCoach Duane Goldman paced back and forth, yelling "dig deep" to his wrestlers who tussled with one another in an attempt to put their opponents against the padded wrestling-room walls.\nThe Hoosiers competed against each other as if there were a national championship on the line, using every bit of strength and energy in their bodies. \n"This isn't wrestling, this is street fighting," Goldman told his players.\nThis sense of passion and determination on display has been a staple of this year's wrestling squad. Goldman said his team was able to practice harder during winter break in preparation for the Big Ten Conference competition.\nBut the Hoosiers will have to go through Eastern Illinois before facing a Big Ten foe. IU will travel to Charleston, Ill., to face coach Ralph McCausland and the Panthers on Sunday in Lantz Arena. \nIU might be somewhat familiar with the Panthers after competing in the same tournament last month. The Hoosiers placed fifth at the Midlands Championships while Eastern Illinois finished 27th. The Hoosiers will also get a chance to scope how they might stack up in the Big Ten. Eastern Illinois was 0-3 at the Purdue duals, and the Hoosiers open Big Ten competition against the Boilermakers at Assembly Hall on Jan. 19. \nThe matchup will pin a Panthers squad that is 0-4 in dual meets against an IU team that is 8-0 in dual meets. Still, IU junior 165-pound wrestler Max Dean said the Hoosiers will not overlook the Panthers, who he said would help warm up IU to Big Ten competition. Dean will use the match to work with some younger wrestlers on the squad, he said.\n"I plan to provide guidance as one of the more experienced guys," said Dean. "I'll let them know the good and bad while painting a realistic picture of what is mostly a mental game for talented kids like them." \nNo. 12 senior 184-pound Marc Bennett said he, too, won't look past his opponent, 184-pound competitor junior Greg Perz, who has a season record of 17-4, 4-0 in dual meets.\n"I don't worry about the rankings," Bennett said. "I expect everyone to be good and don't look past anyone."\nIU freshman Angel Escobedo won the Midlands in the Hoosiers' last time out, defeating an Eastern Illinois opponent en route to his 125-pound championship. He enters the dual with an 8-0. \n"I'm not going to let the win get to me," Escobedo said. "I'm just going to continue working hard at getting better in practice." \nGoldman said Eastern Illinois will help his team to compete in the Big Ten. \n"They do a good job and are a physical team that will challenge us," he said. "Big Tens are coming up in a week, and this competition will help us be ready to go"