IlliniHQ.com wrestling expert Brian Moline answers your questions at 11 a.m. Wednesday as the Illini prepare to head to the NCAA wrestling meet in St. Louis. Submit questions here.

Secrets to Success

Mark Johnson sends nine Illinois wrestlers to the NCAA mat Thursday, all going in with the idea of raising their hands in victory during Saturday's finals. Here are five keys to winning a national title:

Stay confident

If you think you're going to lose, you will. And if you think you're going to win, you have a chance.

Illinois assistant coach Carl Perry went into the 2000 NCAA meet as the No. 8 seed at 141 pounds. And walked away with a national title.

"I wasn't supposed to win it," Perry said. "But I gave myself an opportunity because I went out there and wrestled hard for seven minutes. That alone can change the outcome of matches."

Catch a break

The guy you've struggled with in the past is upset the round before you are scheduled to meet. It happens.

"Luck's all a part of it," Illinois coach Mark Johnson said. "A higher seed gets beat. Somebody's injured. All kinds of things. There are breaks that happen that are out of your control that sometimes work to your advantage."

Be yourself

When he won the 125-pound title for Penn State in 2000, Illinois assistant coach Jeremy Hunter tried to control the style.

"If I change my style or worry about what he's doing, I know I'm not wrestling my match," Hunter said. "I tried to force my style. I know what works best for me. When I went out there, I definitely had a game plan that I wanted to do this and this and this."

Hunter stayed aggressive.

"You see too many times, guys are winning 3-2 and have a chance to score an easy takedown, but instead they just push them away," Hunter said.

Turn selfish

Of course, you want your teammates to do well. But you can't waste one second thinking about anybody but yourself. There will be time to celebrate after the tournament ends.

Illinois 157-pounder Mike Poeta, ranked No. 1 in his weight class, plans to wrestle and rest.

"You've got to kind of have a little ego," Poeta said. "You can't watch the other guys. I just worry about my match. I'll find out the results later. For me to do what I have do there, I can't worry about their matches."

Don't lose

Sounds simple enough. One loss, in any round, and your best hope is third place.

There are examples every year of the top wrestlers getting upset in early rounds.

"These are close events," Johnson said. "There are not too many guys who are so dominant that they're going to walk through the tournament. You have to be on top of your game at all times, in every match."

Illinois assistant coach Jim Heffernan was the 150-pound champion for Iowa in 1986. He had spent most of his life preparing for the moment.

"It comes down to 35 minutes," Heffernan said. "The champions are the guys who don't ever consider losing as an option.

NCAA bound

Here is a weight-by-weight breakdown of the nine Illini competing in St. Louis:

B.J. FUTRELL
WEIGHT: 125
RECORD: 24-12
MARK JOHNSON’S COMMENT: “We wouldn’t be 13-2 and Top 10 in the country and second in the Big Ten Conference without B.J. Futrell wrestling as a freshman. By far, he exceeded expectations.” 

JIMMY KENNEDY
WEIGHT: 133
RECORD: 29-4
MARK JOHNSON’S COMMENT: “He’s one of the guys who is stepping up the ladder every year. He gets better in (the wrestling room). He works hard. He does everything right.”

RYAN PRATER
WEIGHT: 141
RECORD: 11-15
MARK JOHNSON’S COMMENT: “He’s had an up-and-down year. But when he won his match to qualify for nationals, he was so fired up. ... Even talking about schoolwise. He’s been better as a student.”

MIKE POETA
WEIGHT: 157
RECORD: 13-0
MARK JOHNSON’S COMMENT: “Be Mike Poeta and he’ll be the national champion.”

ROGER SMITH-BERGSRUD
WEIGHT: 165
RECORD: 19-10
MARK JOHNSON’S COMMENT: “Roger can wrestle with anybody in the country. He’s certainly capable of being an All-American.”

JOHN DERGO
WEIGHT: 174
RECORD: 14-8
MARK JOHNSON’S COMMENT: “He gave Steve Luke one of his best matches of the year. If John Dergo is clicking on all cylinders, he can be in the money.”

JORDAN BLANTON
WEIGHT: 184
RECORD: 27-9
MARK JOHNSON’S COMMENT: “Jordan Blanton’s going to be a superstar. He’s going to be the face of this program. Everybody knows that Jordan Blanton’s going to be a superstar.”

PATRICK BOND
WEIGHT: 197
RECORD: 16-13
MARK JOHNSON’S COMMENT: “Patrick Bond is coming off a long, slow injury-laden offseason with shoulder surgery. He’s finally coming around to show how good he is.”

JOHN WISE
WEIGHT: Heavyweight
RECORD: 21-7
MARK JOHNSON’S COMMENT: “John Wise wrestled a good (Big Ten) tournament. The Iowa kid (Dan Erekson) is very hot. He’s the only kid he lost to. He should be in the money for us.”