One last tournament. One last opportunity to improve. One last chance to prove that you're a contender. One last time to shock the wrestling world.

The time has come for the NCAA tournament, and the Penn State wrestling team is looking to compete at the highest level. The No. 11 Nittany Lions (14-5, 5-3 Big Ten) will send seven qualifiers to Auburn Hills, Mich. to compete among the best 330 wrestlers in the country starting on March 15.

The Lions last competed in the Big Ten championships, where the team came away with fourth place and not one individual champion.

Discouraging? Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said "No."

"We don't want them necessarily to peak in the Big Ten tournament so we don't want [to] have a letdown at the NCAA tournament," Sunderland said. "We want them to take another step up going into the NCAA championships."

Last year's champion, No. 4 Oklahoma State will still be a major contender along with last year's runner-up, top-ranked Minnesota.

The wrestlers have been working all year to exceed last year's performance at nationals where the Lions finished ninth overall with three All-Americans, including a national runner-up in 197-pounder Phil Davis.

The three biggest threats in Penn State's arsenal include No. 3 Davis, No. 4 James Yonushonis at 174-pounds, and No. 3 Aaron Anspach at heavyweight.

"It's a high-anxiety time, and the guys know it's for all the marbles," Sunderland said. "This is what we train for all year round and what they've been trained for since they began wrestling, really."

The key for all the wrestlers, according to Sunderland, is to not look ahead in the bracket but to focus on how to get past the next match. With this mindset, Sunderland and the wrestlers feel confident in the potential of this year's team.

"I'm pretty excited about the rest of the team," Yonushonis said. "We have an excellent chance. ... I think we're really going to shine at nationals.

"For the guys in the Big Ten, we've wrestled them for the past month and a half. They sort of know what to expect out of us, but I don't think the rest of the country is ready for it."