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Blue Devils Travel to No. 10 Virginia Tech Saturday
1/26/2018 11:15:00 AM | Wrestling
Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech
Saturday, January 27 | 1 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Cassell Coliseum | Blacksburg, Va.
Duke Blue Devils
2017-18 record (ACC): 3-4 (0-1)
USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll: NR
Head Coach: Glen Lanham (Oklahoma State '88)
Career Record/Season: 39-54/6th season
Duke Probables
| Wt. | Rk. | Name | Yr. | Record |
| 125 | - | Thayer Atkins | Sr. | 9-10 |
| 133 | - | Josh Finesilver | Fr. | 17-10 |
| 141 | - | Jeremiah Reitz | Fr. | 4-15 |
| 149 | - | Brandon Leynaud | R-So. | 4-13 |
| 157 | 11 | Mitch Finesilver | R-Jr. | 19-3 |
| 165 | - | Zach Finesilver | R-Jr. | 11-9 |
| 174 | - | Matt Finesilver | Fr. | 17-6 |
| 184 | - | Kaden Russell | Fr. | 6-14 |
| 197 | - | Alec Schenk | R-Jr. | 15-11 |
| 285 | 5 | Jacob Kasper | R-Sr. | 25-2 |
* Rankings are InterMat (1/23)
No. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies
2017-18 record (ACC): 10-2 (1-0)
USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll: 10
Head Coach: Tony Robie (Edinboro '97)
Career Record/Season: 10-2/1st season
Virginia Tech Probables
| Wt. | Rk. | Name | Yr. | Record |
| 125 | - | Kyle Norstrem | R-Fr. | 11-11 |
| 133 | 17 | Dennis Gustafson | R-Sr. | 17-7 |
| 141 | - | Brent Moore | R-Fr. | 15-8 |
| 149 | 19 | Solomon Chisko | R-Jr. | 6-2 |
| or | - | Ryan Blees | R-Jr. | 16-5 |
| 157 | - | B.C. LaPrade | R-Fr. | 11-9 |
| 165 | 4 | David McFadden | R-So. | 14-10 |
| 174 | - | Cody Hughes | R-So. | 14-10 |
| or | - | Hunter Bolen | Fr. | 12-9 |
| 184 | 8 | Zack Zavatsky | R-Jr. | 22-4 |
| 197 | 2 | Jared Haught | R-Sr. | 19-2 |
| 285 | 18 | Andrew Dunn | R-Fr. | 19-5 |
* Rankings are InterMat (1/23)
Duke by the Numbers
94 – Career wins for redshirt senior heavyweight Jacob Kasper, six shy of becoming the fourth Blue Devil to amass 100 career victories.
20 – Debut ranking for true freshman 174-pounder Matt Finesilver
41 – Of Duke's 113 team dual points scored by the stellar combo of Mitch Finesilver and Jacob Kasper
5 – Finish for Duke at the prestigious Southern Scuffle, the highest finish in school history by seven spots
8 – Major decisions for Mitch Finesilver, the most of any Blue Devil
15 – Of Kasper's 25 wins that have come by major decision, technicall fall or pin this season
24 – Duke's team ranking in the Jan. 23 InterMat poll
3 – Duke wrestlers in the first edition of the NCAA Coaches' Panel rankings
How to Follow the Action
- Saturday's match in Blacksburg will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra and can be seen via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app. Live scoring also will be available via Trackwrestling.
Series History
- Duke and Virginia Tech are meeting for the 42nd time overall with the Hokies holding a 28-13 edge in the series. The Blue Devils last defeated Virginia Tech in 1999, a 23-21 win in Blacksburg.
- The Blue Devils have battled the Hokies tough in recent seasons, with the closest result being a 22-15 setback in 2015.
Looking at the Duke Lineup
- The Blue Devils hit the road for their first ACC away dual at No. 10 Virginia Tech. Duke is 3-4 overall after dropping its ACC opener to No. 6 NC State and rebounding for a thrilling win over Navy two days later.
- Duke features four true freshmen in its lineup and just two seniors in Thayer Atkins and Jacob Kasper at 125 and HWT, respectively. Kasper is tops on the team with 25 wins, while Mitch Finesilver has 19. Rookie Matt Finesilver posted a pair of victories to move into the national rankings for the first time, while Alec Schenk is having a strong season up at 197 with 15 wins. Kasper and Mitch are ranked fourth and 11th, respectively.
- There are a lot of new faces and movement in the Duke lineup this season. Both Atkins and Kasper stayed put at their weights, while all others have new faces.
- Mitch returned to the lineup at 157 after a redshirt season, while Zach bumped up to 165 from 141 a year ago. Schenk made the move to 197 from 184, while Brandon Leynaud is up to 149 from being a starter at 133 as a true freshman in 2015-16.
Last Time Out
- Duke split its matches last weekend, falling to No. 6 NC State 32-6 and avenging the 2017 loss to Navy two days later on criteria. Duke lost to the Midshipmen on criteria in 2017 and returned the favor Sunday after the dual finished tied 22-22.
- Jacob Kasper and Matt Finesilver both went 2-0 on the weekend and it was Kasper with the winning pin against Navy as Duke edged the Midshipmen on criteria with two falls in the match to Navy's one. Duke senior 125-pounder Thayer Atkins had the other pin that proved to be the difference.
Scouting the Hokies
- Virginia Tech enters the weekend with a 10-2 overall record and 1-0 mark in ACC action after a 31-6 win over Pitt. The Hokies are 10th in the most recent NWCA/USA Today poll and have six wrestlers in their probable lineup ranked in the top 20.
- Fourth-ranked David McFadden at 165 pounds is unbeaten at 24-0, while eighth-ranked Zack Zavatsky is just behind him in wins with 22 at 184 pounds. Jared Haught, Virginia Tech's veteran 197-pounder, owns the highest ranking at No. 2 and is 19-2 overall.
- Virginia Tech's lone losses have come against No. 10 Arizona State, 21-15, and No. 4 Missouri, 22-12. The Hokies took sixth at the Cliff Keen Invite and own ranked victories over Central Michigan and Stanford.
Last Time We Met
- The Blue Devils hung tough with the fifth-ranked Hokies last season, sitting in a tie after six matches. Virginia Tech won the final four to take the dual 26-13. Highlighting the outing for Duke was No. 5 Jacob Kasper's convincing major decision over No. 3 Ty Walz. Zach Finesilver also picked up bonus points for Duke with a pin, while Cole Baumgartner rounded out the winners for Duke.
- Only three of the same Hokies and four of the same Blue Devils will be wrestling Saturday.
Matt Finesilver Makes His Debut
- True freshman Matt Finesilver made his debut in the InterMat rankings at No. 20 this week after earning a pair of victories, including one over No. 20 Daniel Bullard of NC State. Matt, wrestling at 174 pounds, is 17-6 overall on the year and 1-4 against top 20 foes.
Jacob Kasper Chasing 100
- Redshirt senior heavyweight Jacob Kasper is hunting 100 career victories this season. He is at 94 currently, needing just six more to become the fourth Blue Devils to reach the century mark.
- John Barone holds the record with 112. Kasper has 11 regular-season bouts remaining and the ACC and NCAA Championships. He has the potential to finish second all-time at Duke in victories at his current pace of winning.
Kasper Streaking
- Kasper, similar to 2017, is currently on a hot streak. He has won 14 straight matches dating back to December 2 when he lost to Tanner Hall at the Cliff Keen Invite. He won 20 straight matches last season, including an upset win at Virginia Tech.
Matchups to Watch
- A host of Blue Devils have a great opportunity to leave their mark this coming weekend with ranked opponents awaiting.
- Arguably the most anticipated match of the weekend is the heavyweight bout between No. 4 Jacob Kasper and No. 18 Andrew Dunn. At 133, Josh Finesilver will be looking for his second ranked victory when he takes on No. 17 Dennis Gustafson.
- The nation's No. 4 and No. 2-ranked wrestlers await Zach Finesilver and Alec Schenk, respectively, as they both aim to pull the perceived upsets.
Kasper vs. Dunn Take Two
- Kasper and Andrew Dunn will be seeing each other again after they squared off in the semifinals of the Hokie Open Nov. 5. Kasper cruised in the match, winning 10-1 over then-unranked Dunn.
- Dunn and Kasper share a few similar opponents, including, NC State's Michael Boykin and Arizona States's Tanner Hall. Both have victories over Boykin and losses to Hall. Kasper has a tech fall over Purdue's Shawn Streck, while Dunn lost to the Boilermaker by a 5-1 decision in Las Vegas. Both also have wins over Cornell's Jeramy Sweany.
Duke in the Rankings
- The Blue Devils stayed put at 24th in the InterMat team rankings after a solid dual weekend. Duke, after sitting at 25th for a few weeks, bumped back up to 24th following its wins our in Colorado. Kasper is fourth at heavyweight, Mitch 11th at 157 and Matt 20th at 174 according to InterMat.
Up next
- Duke returns home for a pair of duals next week. The Blue Devils host Gardner-Webb Thursday, Feb. 1 in Card Gym and welcome ACC foe Virginia Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. That Virginia match will air live on ACC Network Extra.
Players Mentioned
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