Although both teams are ranked among the top in the country, the Spartans (3-4 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) are not worried about the challenge they face.

“We take it one dual at a time,” senior 174-pounder Curran Jacobs said. “Rankings don’t matter as long as we go 100 percent, go hard and get the job done. As long as all 10 guys do their job — that’s all we care about.”

So far this season, head coach Tom Minkel has had some trouble keeping his roster together, as injuries have forced him to tinker with the lineup. Minkel said while that does present some difficulties, there also are some benefits.

“The obvious downside is that we have guys in the lineup who haven’t wrestled much before,” he said. “But the upside is that they’re getting valuable experience that will help them down the road.”

Last week, Minkel put his faith in freshman 133-pounder Terry Turner, and it paid off, with the young wrestler notching his first ever career dual victory, helping the Spartans to a 21-20 victory over Indiana. Minkel said the younger wrestlers will see time on the mat again at some point, but during the middle of a Big Ten stretch, it’s important to get his veterans out on the mat.

One thing MSU will be looking to improve is its slow starts. In the past couple duals, the Spartans found themselves behind early and playing catch up. Minkel has been working to get it into his wrestlers’ heads to focus on their own match and not worry about the team score as much.

“I’m just taking each dual, each match for what it’s worth,” senior 165-pounder David Cheza said. “You have a responsibility to take care of your match for the good of the team, and that’s what I try to do.”

Minkel said he won’t be changing his strategy based on his opponents, and that he has been pounding one mentality into his team to prepare for the weekend duals.

“It’s important to not get caught up in the big picture of the dual,” he said. “If you do your part, you handle your situation, then the dual takes care of itself.”