#10 Pitt to Clash with Duke, Edinboro this Weekend

PITTSBURGH -- The 10th-ranked University of Pittsburgh wrestling team [5-2, 0-0 ACC] heads to Durham, N.C., Saturday to open ACC competition versus the Blue Devils [0-10, 0-0 ACC] at Card Gymnasium at 10 a.m. The Panthers will then head back to Pittsburgh to take on the Edinboro Fighting Scots [9-5, 3-2 MAC] Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House.

HOW TO FOLLOW

Saturday's dual at Duke will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and may be viewed here.
Sunday's dual in Pittsburgh versus Edinboro will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and may be viewed here.
Follow the team on Twitter for updates at @Pitt_WRES.

LAST TIME OUT

The Panthers fell to No. 9 Oklahoma State, 30-10, on Jan. 18, in Stillwater.
Two Pitt wrestlers secured wins in the dual. Redshirt sophomore Micky Phillippi at 133 pounds and senior heavyweight Demetrius Thomas.
Phillippi pinned Reece Witcraft in 4:04 after trailing 7-0 in the second period.
Thomas led Austin Harris 4-2 at the end of the first and scored a takedown in the second to lead 6-3 through two periods. He then scored eight points in the third to earn the 14-3 win.

THE SERIES - DUKE

Saturday marks the seventh meeting between the Blue Devils and the Panthers.
Pitt leads the series 6-0 with its last win coming in 2019 when the Panthers beat Duke 20-19 in Pittsburgh.
The last meeting was highlighted by then-ranked No. 16 Demetrius Thomas defeating Araad Fisher, 22-6, to earn the technical fall and give Pitt the victory. Going into the last bout, Duke led 19-15.
The first meeting between the two teams occurred during the 2014 season.

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS

Duke enters the match 0-10.
In their last time out, the Blue Devils fell to Appalachian State, 45-0, Thursday, Jan. 23.
Duke returns one NCAA qualifier from a year ago in Ben Anderson (157).
Two of the Blue Devils' losses have come against ranked opponents, No. 14 Lehigh and No. 15 Minnesota.
Duke finished the 2018-19 season 2-9 overall and 0-5 against ACC foes and finished fifth at the ACC Championship.
Pitt's associate head coach Jordan Leen got his coaching start at Duke. Leen spent the 2010-11 season in Durham.
The Blue Devils are led by eighth year head coach Glen Lanham.

THE SERIES - EDINBORO

Sunday marks the 30th match-up between the Panthers and the Fighting Scots.
Edinboro leads the all-time series 16-13.
Pitt defeated Edinboro in its last meeting, 20-16, in 2016.
The Fighting Scots won 11-consecutive matches versus the Panthers from 1999-09. Pitt is currently riding a three-match win streak.
The first meeting between the two teams occurred during the 1989 season. The Panthers won 23-12 in Pittsburgh.

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING SCOTS

Edinboro enters the match 9-5, 3-2 MAC, but will face Old Dominion Friday night before coming to Pittsburgh.
In their last time out, the Fighting Scots lost to Rider, 20-12. Edinboro won four bouts in the loss. Its wins came at 125, 174, 184 and 285 pounds.
Jacob Oliver (174) is the Fighting Scots only returning NCAA qualifier.
Last season, Edinboro finished 2-9, 1-5 MAC and came in fourth at the EWL Championships.

PITT IN THE COACHES' PANEL RANKINGS

Seven Pitt wrestlers were listed in the first of four NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings, announced Friday, Jan. 24.
- 133, Micky Phillippi, #6
- 141, Cole Matthews, #24
- 157, Taleb Rahmani, #28
- 165, Jake Wentzel, #10
- 174, Gregg Harvey, #24
- 184, Nino Bonaccorsi, #9
- 285, Demetrius Thomas, #9
The final rankings will be one of the criteria used as part of the selection process to determine qualifiers and seeding for the 2020 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
The rankings are determined by a vote of 14 head coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences.
For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have participated in at least five matches against Division I opponents in the weight class and have wrestled within the last 30 days to be ranked.
The first two rankings (Jan. 24/Feb. 13) are used primarily for educational purposes to promote the selection criteria to coaches, student-athletes, media and fans.
The third ranking (Feb. 27) will be the ranking that will be used by the NCAA Wrestling Committee to assist in determining the advance allocations to each qualifying tournament. The final ranking following conference tournaments will be used to provide the most accurate and up-to-date rankings to the committee as an important element of the selection criteria during the in-person selection meeting.

PITT RETURNS TO TOP 10
Pitt returned to the top 10 of the NWCA Rankings Tuesday, Nov. 26 for the first time since 2015.
For the sixth consecutive week, Pitt ranks No. 10 in the country.
The Panthers had previously earned a No. 10 rankings eight times.

ACC WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS NOW ON SALE

Tickets for the 2020 Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestling Championship are now on sale. The Championship, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh, will take place Sunday, March 8 at the Petersen Events Center.
To order tickets, visit theacc.co/20ACCtix.
- Ticket Prices (all seating is general admission):
- Single: $10
- Children (18 & under): $5
- Group (15+ people): $3/person
March 8, 2020 will mark just the second time that Pitt has hosted the conference championship since joining the league in 2013. Pitt served as the host institution on March 8, 2015 and saw three Panthers earn titles.

LOOKING AHEAD

Pitt will host two consecutive ACC rivals starting with NC State Saturday, Feb. 1. Virginia will then come to Pittsburgh Friday, Feb. 7.
The Panthers home stretch will end with Davidson on Sunday, Feb. 9.

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#10 Pitt to Clash with Duke, Edinboro this Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nino Bonaccorsi

Gregg Harvey

Cole Matthews

Micky Phillippi

Taleb Rahmani

Demetrius Thomas

Jake Wentzel

#10 Pitt to Clash with Duke, Edinboro this Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nino Bonaccorsi

Gregg Harvey

Cole Matthews

Micky Phillippi

Taleb Rahmani

Demetrius Thomas

Jake Wentzel

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