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 Hawkeyes stayed in control over the Fighting Illini despite many close matches between the two programs. No. 28 Joey Cruz (125) got the Hawkeyes started on a strong start against Caelan Riley (ILL).

The Hawkeyes' fifth-year star is currently at this year's East-West Shrine Bowl, where he's popped up on the radars of many scouts and analysts. NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid gave credit to the young tight end on Sunday, claiming that was impressed with his play throughout the Shrine Bowl.

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.

S. Illinois is giving their home crowd exactly what they were hoping for. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead N. Iowa 33-15. S. Illinois came into the game with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off.

It’s a tale of two extremes in the weather conditions and crops between parts of Iowa and Illinois. In northwestern Iowa and further north, creeks and rivers are coming out of their banks with ...

Joey Cruz has been competing for the 125-pound starting spot. He has won his last two chances, including a major decision to spark Iowa’s 28-6 Big Ten Conference dual win over Illinois Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena,

It's Iowa wrestling vs. Illinois in a dual this college wrestling season. Follow for live results and dual highlights from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Quad Cities Chamber held a legislative forum on Friday featuring Illinois state representatives and senators from the area.

Bob Asmussen is a college football reporter and columnist for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at 217-393-8248 or [email protected].

Southern Illinois takes on the Northern Iowa Panthers after Gift Uchenna scored 26 points in Southern Illinois’ 85-70 loss to the Evansville Purple Aces

Linder becomes the fourth commitment in Iowa's 2026 recruiting class. He joins another offensive lineman, 4-star Carson Nielsen of Waterloo West. The Hawkeyes also have a verbal pledge from quarterback Cash Herrera. Marcello Vitti currently stands as Iowa's lone commitment on the defensive side of the ball in the 2026 recruiting class.