After a weak start and a dual loss last weekend, the MSU wrestling team hopes to produce better results with the start of Big Ten action on Friday.

The Spartans (1-4 overall, 0-0 Big Ten) already have faced No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 3 Missouri and No. 16 Central Michigan in preseason competition and will continue with a tough schedule, hosting No. 2 Illinois and No. 7 Minnesota this weekend.

"We don't ever fill our schedule with the soft teams," head coach Tom Minkel said. "We try to wrestle the best teams.

"The Big Ten's a very tough conference, and we're a bit of a young team right now, so it's really important that we go out and hustle."

The team's lone win came on Jan. 6 in a 22-15 victory over Kent State. Redshirt freshman Andy Simmons and sophomores Darren McKnight and Jeff Clemens each made a strong showing.

Last week's meet ended in disappointment as the Spartans fell to No. 3 Missouri, a 29-3 decision, in the NWCA Cliff Keen National Duals competition. Simmons, wrestling at 141 pounds, captured the only win for the Spartans.

"Yeah, we got off to a slow start, 1-4, but we wrestled some of the top competition in the nation," Simmons said. "It's going to be a lot easier because we're already well-adjusted.

"I don't think anyone's going to be a surprise. If we wrestle hard, I think good things will come - I think we can beat anybody."

MSU will face at least six other ranked opponents throughout the season, including No. 6 Michigan, No. 9 Penn State and No. 10 Iowa.

But right now, the team is concerned with taking one match at a time in order to improve its skills and technique.

"We're working a lot on the technical side of what we're doing and trying to be aggressive," Minkel said. "This is kind of a work in progress.

"We know we're going to have to make some improvements throughout the year. It can be kind of slow going sometimes, but this team has a lot of heart, and we think when it's all said and done, we're going to be a pretty good team."

Fifth-year heavyweight and team captain Mike Keenan said the main thing the team is working on is being aggressive.

"We're working on going out there and fighting and just getting after the other team," Keenan said. "It's good to wrestle these tougher teams - then you know where you stand and what you need to work on.

"I just know we're going to go out there and be ready to fight them."

The action begins when the Spartans host Minnesota at 7 p.m. Friday and continues with Illinois at 1 p.m. Sunday. Both matches are at Jenison Field House.