After this weekend, the Penn State wrestling team will finally get some time to rest and an opportunity to forget about their shortcomings in dual meets and focus on the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.

But first, the No. 25 ranked Nittany Lions will close out their Big Ten dual meet season with a match against No. 5 Michigan in Ann Arbor tonight at 7, and a Sunday match against No. 14 Michigan State at 1 p.m.

Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland says the Lions are preparing for Big Tens, but they are not giving up on the dual meets.

"We've worked hard this week," he said. "We're still working hard, watching films, and doing what we need to do to prepare for these dual meets."

The 7-11 Lions will need to upset one of these two Big Ten foes to avoid breaking the Penn State record for losses in a season.

The current record was set by the 1995 squad that finished 5-12, but also finished fifth at the NCAA tournament.

The Nittany Lions will need to get a lot of breaks to emerge victorious from either one of the matches this weekend.

"Both teams are obviously tough," Sunderland said. "They're both really solid teams. We're going to have a battle on our hands, and we're going to have to hope we get some upsets."

The upsets will be hard to come by in Ann Arbor, though. The Wolverines have ranked wrestlers in every class but 157-pounds, and six ranked in the top 10. It won't help that the Nittany Lions will not have a single ranked wrestler in the lineup.

Nate Parker, the only ranked wrestler on the squad at No. 18 in the 141-pound weight class, is still not travelling with the team because of unspecified team violations.

"We met for an extended period of time this week," Sunderland said. "We're going to see how things go with that to see if he stays with the team, but right now his status is still the same."

The Lions may also be without 184-pounder Jeff Knupp, who dropped out of the rankings for the first time this season. Knupp has been hampered by an abdominal strain he suffered against Minnesota, and has not practiced with the team this week. He will still travel with the team, but if he is unable to go, freshman Cliff Wonsettler will likely move up from 174-pounds.

The Lions will get some help from sophomore Nate Wachter, who will travel with the team this week after sitting out last weekend to rest his shoulder. The shoulder will be monitored this week, and his status will be determined before each meet.

There are a number of matches Sunderland points to with interest.

Redshirt freshman Marat Tomaev will wrestle Wolverine freshman Foley Dowd, ranked No. 8 at 133 pounds. Tomaev suffered a broken ankle the last time he wrestled with Dowd in a New Jersey prep school dual meet.

Sunderland is also interested in how redshirt sophomore Mark Becks will fare against No. 2 rated 174-pounder Otto Olson, and in heavyweight Bob Jones' match against No. 3 Matt Brink.

The Wolverines also have top ten wrestlers at 125-pounds in No. 9 A.J. Grant, 165-pounds in No. 10 Charles Martelli and at 184-pounds in No. 6 Andy Hrovat.

The No. 14 Spartans will also put a solid lineup on the mat. Michigan State boasts six ranked wrestlers, including No. 4 Pat McNamara at 133 pounds.

Sunderland still contends that the Lions have not yet given up on the season.

"We're not throwing in the towel yet," he said.

"We're still focusing on the next step, which is these two dual meets."