For ASU wrestlers this weekend, the City of Sin won’t mean going to a casino, a party or pulling an all-nighter.

Instead the city will mean opportunity.

After five duals so far this season, the ASU wrestling team (3-2, 2-0 Pac-10) travels to Las Vegas for the 27th Annual Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational.

The two-day tournament starts Friday and will feature 48 teams, including five ranked in the top 10, with No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Cornell entering as the highest ranked teams.

“It’s good preparation for the NCAA Tournament,” ASU coach Thom Ortiz said. “You have to have that tournament feel. That’s paramount.”

Tournaments, unlike duals, do not count toward team records but are used in determining individual rankings. Each team submits 10 wrestlers to compete in their respective weight classes.

For Sun Devil wrestlers, it’s a chance to focus on individual skill while preparing for the Pac-10 and NCAA Championships in March 2009.

“I’ll be happy to be able to compete more than once on the same day,” sophomore (141) Chris Drouin said. “I look forward to getting to wrestle those top guys in the country and to showcase the skills.”

For wrestlers like Drouin, who is currently ranked No. 4 nationally in his weight class, tournaments like these help sharpen the tools used in competition.

“Any mistake. That’s what I’m looking to improve on. I lost to Iowa 2-3, but I learned about it and I’m looking to not make the same mistake,” he said. “I feel like I can break anyone in the country.”

For some of the younger blood on the team, this is an opportunity to strengthen individually before returning to dual competition in early January.

“I approach it with a different mindset,” said 149-pound freshman Vicente Varela. “I’m in the mindset of less pressure on myself individually and just going out there and being confident in myself.”

After a 2-3 start for the season, Varela said he has noticed his own improvements.

“I’ve gotten a lot better. I’ve just noticed that I tend to beat myself,” he said. “When I talk about going into this tournament with a different mindset; that’s what I’m looking to change. Sometimes I can be my own worse enemy.”

Junior heavy weight Erik Nye will miss the tournament due to academic issues, though he remains eligible to compete. Freshman Anthony Morales, a native of Las Vegas, will fill in for Nye.

“The competition will be good prep,” said Drouin, one of team’s captains. “If [our younger wrestlers] have any weaknesses or holes in their game, this will be a good tournament that will expose it. And if there are any holes; now’s a good time to find out.”

Reach the reporter at joshua.spivack@asu.edu.