The ASU wrestling team (2-0) has a busy weekend ahead, as they take on No. 8 Oklahoma (2-0) at home on Thursday night before traveling to Fullerton, Calif., for a tournament Saturday.
The No. 18 Sun Devils, coming off two season-opening victories last weekend, look to build on their early-season success against a talented Sooner squad that features four wrestlers currently ranked among the national top 20.
“They have a very tough team,” redshirt senior Ben Ashmore said. “It’ll be good to see where we’re at after that match.”
While ASU was satisfied with the pair of wins in last weekend’s duals, the Sun Devils acknowledge that there is still room for improvement.
“Ever since we got back [to practice], we’ve started off doing technique every day, and then we’ve been running afterwards, too,” Ashmore said.
ASU has lost the last three meetings inside Wells Fargo Arena to OU and hopes that a rowdy home crowd will help them upset the Sooners. The dual is the team’s annual Gold Game, so all fans are encouraged to wear gold to show their support for ASU wrestling.
“I’m hoping that the state of Arizona really comes out and supports us,” ASU coach Shawn Charles said. “I think that with the right crowd, we can go in there and beat them in our own gym.”
While OU might be ranked above ASU in the polls, the Sun Devils believe they are just as talented as their opposition and head into Thursday’s 7 p.m. matchup undaunted.
“We expect to compete with them, we expect to be fighting, and we expect to go out there and wrestle Sun Devil tough,” redshirt senior Bubba Jenkins said. “We expect to win — that’s the reason we step out on the mat.”
The primetime dual, which will be webcast live at FoxSportsArizona.com, will act as a good early-season measuring stick of ASU’s abilities.
“The one thing the lights do every time is they’re unforgiving,” Charles said. “If you have any shortcomings, they’re going to come out under those big ol’ spotlights.”
Following Thursday night’s dual, ASU will hop on a bus and head to California for the Fullerton Open. Set to compete in the tournament are four other Pac-10 wrestling schools — Cal Poly, CS Bakersfield, Stanford and host CS Fullerton — as well as several other Division II schools and junior colleges.
“It’s going to give the coaching staff an opportunity to really see where we’re at conditioning-wise,” Charles said.
The meet will also act as ASU’s first opportunity to get to know one another on a more personal level outside of practice, an important intangible aspect of the road trip that Charles said cannot be understated.
“[Camaraderie is] everything,” Charles said. “At the end of the year, these guys have to believe in each other. As a team, they got to really care about each other and wrestle hard for one another.”
Following Saturday’s tournament, Jenkins and redshirt senior Anthony Robles will compete in the 45th NWCA All-Star Classic on Sunday in Fresno, Calif. There, the duo will showcase their skills in an exhibition tournament loaded with top wrestlers from around the nation.
“It’s good to see the number one guy in the country before it counts, so hopefully I can get an upset,” Jenkins said of his looming match-up with top-ranked Adam Hall of Boise State.
Despite the busy schedule, Charles remained unconcerned about the readiness of his wrestlers for what promises to be a long, physically draining weekend.
“It’s wrestling season,” Charles said. “This is what they prepare themselves for every day.”
Reach the reporter at kyle.j.newman@asu.edu
