No. 2 Iowa wrestling defeated No. 10 Illinois at home 28-6. The Hawkeyes stayed in control over the Fighting Illini despite many close matches between the two programs.

The No. 2 Iowa men’s wrestling team proved its strength in a 28-6 win over No. 9 Illinois inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday. Iowa’s No. 4 Drake Ayala highlighted the early slate of matches with a massive upset win over Illinois’ No.

Plenty of numbers could tell the tale of #2 Iowa wrestling’s beatdown of #9 Illinois on Friday night. The final score? Iowa – 28, Illinois – 6. Total match points? Iowa – 69, Illinois, 21. Or how about the most basic premise in all of wrestling – takedowns scored?

The 2nd-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes kick off a big Friday night of wrestling on BTN with a top-10 Big Ten battle with the No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Ranked as Intermat's No. 10 dual team in college wrestling (No. 13 as a tournament team), the Fighting Illini present a worthy challenge for the No. 2 Hawkeyes with nine-ranked wrestlers, eight of whom are ranked 20th or higher.

Look, you guys know the deal – we’re in the thick of Iowa wrestling season now. The women just captured their first championship hardware of 2025 at National Duals, and the men are off and running in Big Ten competition.