ST. LOUIS -- It's just a little bigger than Rec Hall. It will be slightly more full than the Bryce Jordan Center.

It's the Savvis Center, located in St. Louis. It's the arena that will host the NCAA Championships. Six Penn State Nittany Lions will attend, the most notable being Eric Bradley.

Seeded fourth in his 184-pound class, Bradley represents the Lions' most legitimate threat to walk away with an individual crown.

Two other wrestlers came off some of their best performances of the year at the Big Ten Tourament, March 5 and 6. For one, this weekend represents the climax to a stellar career. For the other, it's his coming out party in the national spotlight.

Senior Adam Smith placed a career best fourth at Big Tens at 125 pounds to earn the trip down the Mississippi. Freshman Phil Davis, in his first Big Ten Tournament, also wrestled his way to a fourth-place finish at 197 pounds and will wrestle a guy in the first round whom he's already beaten.

One wrestler was at the cusp of not advancing, which would've been disastrous to a season in which he was a staple in the top 20 at 157 pounds. Sophomore Nathan Galloway thought he won his seventh-place match at Big Tens in Iowa City, but in the closing seconds the referees awarded his opponent a deciding takedown. Galloway and Penn State coaches both thought time had expired.

After a discussion, there was no overturn. With the top seven finishers going on to NCAAs, it appeared his season was over. He caught a break. Galloway won one of two wild-card spots, given by the Big Ten coaches.

Junior Joel Edwards would've told you at the start of the season he'd be at Nationals. But at heavyweight? He'd probably give you a sideways look. But jumping up and performing well despite being undersized means he'll be in St. Louis after finishing seventh at Big Tens. For Penn State, the tournament will be based on individual success. With six wrestlers competing and only one noted contender (Bradley), the Lions are not viewed as a threat for the team championship.

According to Intermatwrestle.com, a poll shows Oklahoma State as the likely team champion, showing the emergence of the Big 12. The Conference has griped for years about the Big Ten receiving a competitive advantage.

However, Sunderland said prior to Big Tens that "the Big Twelve may have a legitimate complaint but the fact is the Big Ten has outperfomed the other conference [at Nationals]."

But the Big Ten still has the most threats to win it all, and because Oklahoma State won last year, it's more of an opportunity to state the Cowboys' case as one of the top programs, rather than improve the attitude towards the conference as a whole.

"They won it last year and they have a solid team and a lot of top individuals," Sunderland said. "They have a good enough opportunity to win again."

With Big Ten schools such as Iowa, Illinois and Michigan not favored to win, it's still enough to prove that they are the best conference in the nation.

The Lions look to build off a seventh-place finish at Big Tens and show they are one of the best squads in the country despite the injury woes.

But they only have one more night to prepare. Sunderland scheduled one workout and a video session. Then it's off to the Savvis Center and look to finish a sup-par season on a bright note.