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 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.

Tom Brands just wanted Iowa to score more points against Illinois Friday night. Despite a 28-6 win for the No. 2 Hawkeyes over the No. 9 Fighting Illini, it wasn’t enough to be satisfied. Sure, Iowa won eight of 10 bouts,

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.

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?

In their first time back in Carver-Hawkeye Arena since the calendar flipped to 2025, Iowa wrestling rolled Illinois for a 28-6 victory on Friday night. The Hawkeyes won nine of 10 bouts, highlighted by 133-pounder Drake Ayala's win over No.