With a little more than a month until the Big Ten and NCAA championships, the Maryland wrestling team is still without a Big Ten victory.
The Terps (2-11, 0-6 Big Ten) host another struggling team Friday night — Indiana, which holds a 1-4 conference record. But the Hoosiers have an 8-6 overall record, so Maryland coach Kerry McCoy believes the Terps will be slated as underdogs once again.
Still, heavyweight Youssif Hemida said the Terps are capable of earning their first conference win.
“They’ve got an edge on paper,” McCoy said. “Where they’re strong, we’re a little bit weaker, and where we’re strong, they’re solid. So, it’s going to be a good match, but we’re going to go out there and give them heck.”
McCoy said the Terps could see a swing in their favor depending on the availability of 149-pounder Alfred Bannister. The redshirt sophomore has not competed since Jan. 15 due to an undisclosed injury, but McCoy said the grappler, ranked 15th in his weight class, would provide a big boost for the Terps.
“It’s kind of day-to-day with him, just recovering,” McCoy said. “It’s nothing major, nothing that will keep him out forever, but we’ve got to keep it one day at a time. The expectation is that he’s going to be ready to go.”
Hemida is confident entering the match with the Hoosiers. The sophomore is 7-1 in his last eight dual matches. The Mamaroneck, New York, native believes he can best his opponent, Fletcher Miller, again after beating him at the Midlands Championship in December.
Though the big competitions loom ahead in March, the Terps still have two Big Ten matchups after Indiana, as well as duals with Rider and Drexel.
Throughout the year, McCoy has said the Terps’ training builds up to March. Winning matches now helps in terms of momentum and seeding heading into the tournaments.
“We’re doing everything we’re supposed to in order to get ready for Indiana, but we’re going to also be ready for Big Tens,” Hemida said. “It’s hard because we want to focus on what’s ahead of us now but also in the long run.”
McCoy said he began stressing the importance of winning matches in preparation for the Big Ten championships on the Terps’ ill-fated trip to Michigan, where they lost to the Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans.
As March approaches, McCoy said, the importance of where the Terps are seeded in the Big Ten tournament increases.
“Every day is an opportunity to get better, and we talk to our guys all the time; it’s about practice, and this is all practice for March,” McCoy said. “This is an opportunity to get yourself one step closer.”
