March 4, 2011
Event: 2011 Big Ten Wrestling Championships
Saturday, March 5 (Session I: 10 a.m., Session II: 5 p.m. CT)
Sunday, March 6 (Session III: 1 p.m., Championship Rounds: 3 p.m. CT)
Welsh-Ryan Arena
Evanston, Ill.
Live Television: Big Ten Network (Sunday, March 6, 3 p.m. CT) (BTN Channel Finder)
Live Twitter Updates: @NU_SportsLIVE (Search BTWrestling or d1wrestling)
Championships Central Page: NUsports.com (Schedule, Ticket Info, Updated Brackets, Standings)
Tickets: Available by calling 888-GO-PURPLE
OFFICIAL BRACKETS (PDF) -- as of Friday, March 4, 1 p.m. CT
Pre-Championships Coaches Press Conference Transcript 
(Northwestern's Drew Pariano, Iowa's Tom Brands, Penn State's Cael Sanderson)
EVANSTON, Ill -- On the eve of the 2011 Big Ten Wrestling Championships hosted by Northwestern, the Big Ten announced final seeds and pairings for Saturday and Sunday's tournament. None of NU's seven seeded competitors moved off of their previously announced pre-seed lines.
Following the coaches meeting, Northwestern head coach Drew Pariano was one of three Big Ten coaches to participate in the pre-championships press conference. Alongside Iowa head coach Tom Brands and Penn State head man Cael Sanderson, Pariano gave insight into the team's mindset entering the tournament on their home mats.
"We had a pretty good regular season, but I think that pretty much stops right now," Pariano said. "It's the second season, the important part of the season. Our guys are ready to go. The draws are the draws, they don't really dictate how we're going to wrestle tomorrow. It's a big event and we're real happy to be hosting it."
Hosting the annual event brings with it a number of advantages, including the chance for many distinguished alums of Northwestern wrestling to return to campus and see firsthand the growth of the program.
"You have guys flying in from all over, Pennsylvania, California and they haven't seen Northwestern wrestle in a few years. That's exciting and we want to put on a good show for them," Pariano said. "We have had great alumni support. You have these guys coming back and it's real important to perform not only for yourself but for the future of the program. It's exciting, but it's real important not to get caught up in the hoopla."
A complete transcript of the coaches press conference is available in PDF format at the top of the page.
Below is a look at Northwestern's 10 opening-round match-ups and their results against that opponent this season. Rankings reflect a wrestler's seed in the tournament.
125: #2 Brandon Precin (NU) vs. Camden Eppert (PU)
Previous meeting in 2011: Precin maj. dec. Eppert, 11-0 (Feb. 4)
133: #5 Levi Mele (NU) vs. #4 B.J. Futrell (IL)
Previous meeting in 2011: Futrell dec. Mele, 7-3 (Jan. 14)
141: #6 Kaleb Friedley vs. #3 Michael Thorn (MN)
Previous meeting in 2011: Did not meet
149: #2 Andrew Nadhir (NU) vs. Dan Osterman (MSU) or Mike Fee (OSU)
Previous meeting in 2011: Nadhir dec. Osterman, 6-5 (Jan. 23)
157: #3 Jason Welch (NU) vs. #6 Brandon Zeerip (MI)
Previous meeting in 2011: Welch Tech. Fall Zeerip, 18-3 (Jan. 21)
165: #8 Kevin Bialka (NU) vs. #1 Andrew Howe (WI) or James Vollrath (PSU)
Previous meeting in 2011: Did not meet either opponent
174: Brian Roddy, Jr. (NU) vs. #6 Ben Jordan (WI)
Previous meeting in 2011: Jordan dec. Roddy, 6-3 (Feb. 11)
184: Aaron Jones (NU) vs. #7 Cody Magrum (OSU)
Previous meeting in 2011: Magrum dec. Jones, 7-4 (Feb. 19)
197: John Schoen (NU) vs. #2 Luke Lofthouse (IA)
Previous meeting in 2011: Did not meet
285: #8 Ben Kuhar (NU) vs. #1 Cameron Wade (PSU)
Previous meeting in 2011: Did not meet
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!