DeKALB | Buckle up for the ride through the Big Ten this weekend.

After participating in three tournaments, the Huskie wrestling team starts dual matches as they travel to Northwestern Friday and host Wisconsin Sunday.

Northwestern is ranked No. 10 in the country and features four wrestlers individually ranked in the top ten. Two of those top ten wrestlers, Ryan Lang and Jake Herbert, are ranked No. 1 in the 141-pound and 184-pound weight classes, respectively.

Either Dan Ruettiger or Justin Metcalfe will have the opportunity to take down Lang in the 141-pound match. On the other end, Duke Burk, ranked 10th in the country, will match up against Herbert.

Taking on the best has Burk eager for Friday’s match to begin.

“I’ve been excited,” the Peoria native said. “Most people would think I’m scared, but I’m a freshman, so I have nothing to lose. I’m gonna go out there and do my best and see what happens.”

Other marquee match-ups will feature Nick McClone and Jeff Burdorf taking on Northwestern’s other two nationally ranked wrestlers in Mike Tamillow and Dustin Fox. Coach Dave Grant knows every match against Northwestern will be important.

“McClone, [Chad] Vandiver and [Karen] Knull really competed hard in Vegas,” the 11th-year head coach said. “They can really make a big difference in our dual meets.”

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Huskies when they host No. 23 Wisconsin at 2 p.m. Sunday. The Badgers are coming off a fifth-place finish at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, where NIU finished 25th. Grant hopes the tough early season schedule will help his team in the long run.

“This has been the most competitive pre-Christmas schedule since I’ve been here,” Grant said, “but this is what we need going into MAC play.”