It's been a Big Ten type of year in NCAA men's gymnastics. The seven schools that compete are all ranked in the top nine.

The best of the best, at least so far, has been Ohio State. The Buckeyes are ranked second in the country and average 214.125 points per meet.

Penn State is ninth in the country, last in the Big Ten, and averages 206.925 points.

But tomorrow, when the Nittany Lions travel to Ohio State's St. John Arena for a 7 p.m. match-up, all the averages and rankings will mean nothing.

"If we go out and hit our routines, then we'll be right there with them," Penn State captain Dominic Brindle said. "There's no reason we can't compete with them."

Sure, the Buckeyes are ranked in the top three for every event. They also have the top-ranked guy on rings in Daren Lynch, and Jaime Natalie is the best in the country on the parallel bars an in the all-around.

The impressive ratings go on and on for the Buckeyes, but don't expect it to impress the defending National Champion Lions. They know as well as any team in the country that what it really comes down to is each event at each meet.

"Ohio State has a lot of talent, a lot of experience and a lot of depth," Penn State head coach Randy Jepson said. "Put that together and you're going to get a solid team. But we like to think our team has all of those aspects, and if we show some character we can be right up there with them."

The Lions lost a close meet to the Michigan Wolverines, who were No. 1 at the time, at Rec Hall in their only other Big Ten meet this year.

Rec Hall will be the site for the Big Ten Championships, while Ohio State will host the NCAA Championships.

The most interesting head-to-head battle of the meet will be Lynch and Penn State ring ace Chris Lakeman, who is currently ranked second in the country. Two weekends ago Lakeman won the event at the Winter Nationals and staked his claim as best in the nation.

"This is another step in Chris's process of establishing himself," Jepson said. "Both of these guys are going to put up some big scores."

Kevin Donohue, the best Lion on the floor and the vault, will once again be limited due to a bruised talus bone. Brindle has been sick all season and visited the team doctor yesterday. He's hoping to be at full strength by the time Big Tens roll around in late March.

Jose Palacios will compete in the all-around for the second week in a row after battling back injuries earlier in the year. Jepson expects his score to raise by a few points.

Kevin Tan, a freshman who has seen action in four events this season, is bothered by a sore back and will be limited.

The injuries have allowed other gymnasts to get much-needed experience. Jay Kim, Duke Van Fleet and Josh Malecki have all stepped in to fill different roles.

Penn State has been ravaged by injuries, but they are also failing to hit routines. With seven seniors and a plethora of young talent, the Lions should be scoring higher.

"If we were healthy enough, we could put up some higher scores," Jepson said. "But we're at the point where we need to see what other top teams are doing so we can reach that level."