165 pounds

Penn State wrestling coach Troy Sunderland said he thinks that all 10 of his wrestlers can finish in the top seven at Big Ten championships and qualify for NCAA championships.

However, he said eight out of 10 probably have a better shot than the other two. One of those two is Jarrad Turner, who defeated Jeremy Hart to claim the spot at 165 pounds for the Nittany Lions. Turner went just 5-15 on the season and 1-2 in Big Ten matches. He is seeded No. 8 in the tournament and will have to notch an upset to finish in the top 7.

174 pounds

The second wrestler Sunderland was talking about is James Yonushonis. The freshman tore his ACL at the end of January, but beat Rich Brooks to get the nod at 174 pounds for Penn State.

Yonushonis was 14-13 on the season, 0-3 in Big Ten matches, and enters the tournament as the only unseeded Penn State wrestler.

Posting an upset could prove difficult for Yonushonis as seven Big Ten wrestlers in this weight class are ranked in the top 20 nationally, including No. 2 Tyler Nixt of Iowa.

184 pounds

Eric Bradley will look to continue his remarkable season with a strong showing this weekend. After being told he would never wrestle again last year because of a back injury, Bradley is currently ranked No. 5 in the country and seeded No. 2 in the Big Ten with a 30-3 overall record.

Bradley enters the tournament on a nine-match winning streak and is 7-1 in Big Ten matches. Bradley said he didn't think he'd be in this position last year, but now he has lofty expectations.

"After what happened last year, I thought I'd never get this chance," he said. "I go into every tournament looking to win it."

Bradley said he had some doubts at the beginning of the season, but his back hasn't given him any problems and he expects big things of himself going into the tournament.

197 pounds

As Penn State fell to Minnesota in its last dual meet of the season, it was Adrian Rivera representing the Lions at 197, getting pinned by No. 1 Damion Hahn. The usual starter for at 197 pounds, Joel Edwards, sat out the last match of the season with a knee injury but will look to take a shot at Hahn this weekend.

Edwards went 3-3 in Big Ten matches on the season and compiled a 20-9 record. Sunderland said Edwards' knee is fine and that missing the final match against Hahn will not hurt him because Edwards has faced stiff competition all year. While winning Big Ten championships and dethroning Hahn is probably unlikely, qualifying for NCAA championships shouldn't be for Edwards.

Heavyweight

In the beginning of February, it seemed as though everyone had conceded that Pat Cummins and Ohio State's Tommy Rowlands would square off in Big Ten and NCAA championships.

Now, things aren't so clear. After starting off the season 31-0, Cummins lost three of his last four matches, two of which came against Big Ten wrestlers Greg Wagner of Michigan and Cole Konrad of Minnesota. Cummins said he has been able to put the losses in to perspective during the last couple of weeks

"It bothered me for awhile because I felt like I was slumping," Cummins said. "But now I can use it as motivation."

Cummins said he feels as good as he has all season. He was the only wrestler in the country to defeat Rowlands, as the former NCAA champion finished the season with a 36-1 mark. The conference is strong at heavyweight with six wrestlers ranked in the top 10 nationally.