After a one-year experiment with a two-day tournament, the Big XII Championships will return to its original one-day format n Columbia, Mo. on March 8.    Last year's conference champion, Oklahoma (12-8, 2-5 Big XII), placed third at the NCAA Tournament in Albany, N.Y. This year, the Sooners have battled through injuries to All-Americans Witt Durden (133 lbs.) and Josh Lambrecht (184 lbs.) and the loss of All-American Nate Parker (141 lbs.) after coaches felt his attitude was hurting the team.    But true freshman Teyon Ware (141 lbs.) has flourished since being pulled out of a redshirt season, posting wins over some of the top-ranked wrestlers in the nation.    "We are not thinking in terms of defending our title, we are thinking in terms of surviving," Sooners coach Jack Spates said. Spates is three months removed from a mild heart attack that sidelined him for one month.    "In the midst of all of this adversity, our team has bonded. Some of the guys have really stepped it up. We have had three starters out of the lineup due to injuries lately, but we feel we are ready for the Big XII Championships. Teyon has wrestled superbly in a very tough weight class. He is prepared for his postseason tournament," Spates added.    To defend its conference title, the Sooners will have to beat out in-state rival Oklahoma State, a team that many favor to win the national title this year.    The Cowboys enter this weekend with an undefeated 16-0 dual record, but head coach John Smith wants his team to stay focused on the task at hand.    "We still have to wrestle a very good Michigan State team before we can think about going to the Big XII Championships," Smith said. "To have an undefeated season is something that should be celebrated, but we will have one more tough team to go through before we can achieve that goal."    Smith is also leery of talking about national title prospects in a year when his team is on the verge of finishing undefeated. Between 1996 and 1999, the Cowboys won 69 consecutive dual meets, but won zero national titles.    "Some of those years we were favored, even though I am still not sure why we were favored in 1997," Smith said. "Iowa was returning four national champions for Gable's last year, and we weren't returning any. I don't make excuses for those years, though. This year, there is a lot more individual focus and a lot of team focus. We have struggled at times together this year even in victory, and I think that is good for our team as we get closer to the postseason."    The Cowboys return national champion Johnny Thompson (133 lbs.) along All-Americans Skyler Holman (125 lbs.), Shane Roller (157 lbs.) and Tyrone Lewis (165 lbs.) to try to win its first conference title in two years.    Host school Missouri has posted its best season ever nationally, and its three conference wins are the most ever by a Missouri squad.    Although the dual record this season is not as good, 15-6 this year and 18-3 last year, the Tigers seem to be a much improved team, even with injuries to key starters Tyron Woodley (165 lbs.) and All-American Scott Barker (184 lbs.).    "The focus of the whole program this year has been on performing in March. When we lost a dual, we we're upset, but it didn't matter either," head coach Brian Smith said. "Last year we we're 18-3 and didn't perform well in March, so this year we are not so much worried about the dual record as we are the number of All-Americans and our national placing."    With all the talk of the other three teams in this conference, Nebraska feels a little left out. The Cornhuskers have placed in the top 10 in the nation three years in-a-row, and with All-Americans Jason Powell (125 lbs.) and Justin Ruiz (197 lbs.) hoping to pin down national titles, expectations for this squad are once again high.    "I hope we are forgotten," third-year head coach Mark Manning said. "I have been really proud of our team this year and really proud of what they we've done. For nine weeks this year, we had probably our best starter, Justin Ruiz, out of the lineup, and I think it may have cost us in four or five duals. But our guys kept battling, especially our young wrestlers. We have a lot of hard workers on this team and we are looking forward to the postseason."    Manning stated that Dusty Spaulding and Matt Murray will wrestle-off this weekend for the 141-pound starting position. For the first time this year, the Cornhuskers are expected to have a healthy starting lineup, which may be enough to help them challenge for the conference crown.    Last year's Cinderella, Iowa State, has turned into this year's nightmare in the Big XII. The Cyclones went from an NCAA runner-up finish last year to last in the conference this year. With the loss of so many key seniors, Iowa State has struggled to stay consistent, posting an 8-10 dual record, its worst record since going 4-6 in 1950.    National champion Aaron Holker returns at 141 lbs. along with All-American Zach Roberson at 133 lbs., but the abundance of youthful talent in the lineup as well as numerous injuries has set this squad back some.    "We aren't where we would like to be as far as record goes, but the dual record is not our main goal. Our main goal is to win a national title and bring back national champions and All-Americans," head coach Bobby Douglas stated. "This is a persistent team that continues to fight. We knew all along that this was not going to be our year, but we are preparing for the future again, and I think it is a bright future."    The Big XII Conference will send 36 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Kansas City, Mo., March 20-22. Last season, Iowa State (2nd), Oklahoma (3rd), Oklahoma State (5th) and Nebraska (8th) placed in the top 10 in the country, proving the Big XII to be one of the most powerful conferences in the nation.