When Nebraska comes to Carmichael Arena on Saturday, it will be one of the last chances for the North Carolina wrestling team to prove to the home crowd that its inconsistency is a thing of the past.
Inconsistency has been a problem for Coach C.D. Mock’s team all year, for upper and underclassmen alike. But Mock likes what he’s seeing lately.
“I know that the inconsistencies that a lot of the guys have had are getting better,” he said. “I feel like we’ve been on an uphill trend since the Navy-Maryland weekend. I think the guys are practicing much, much better — much, much harder and I think they are bringing that to the mat.”
Of the upperclassmen that have struggled week to week, senior Thomas Scotton will have the toughest test this weekend as he will face the 2009 national champion and current No. 1 165-pounder in the country in Jordan Burroughs. Scotton’s record this season is 24-14 but he has only managed to win three of his last 11 matches.
Scotton wrestled Burroughs as a sophomore in a bout that Scotton described as one where the “wheels fell off.”
Mock expects this match to be competitive if Scotton sticks to his strengths.
“Burroughs wrestles a lot like Thomas,” Mock said. “Burroughs is an outside wrestler and likes to hit the double leg. Both of them are probably two of the quickest wrestlers on the planet.”
The similarity in their style comes from familiarity.
“We’re both South Jersey boys, I’ve known Jordan (Burroughs) since high school.” Scotton said.
