EVENTS TO WATCH

* Men’s basketball, UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara, 7 p.m. Thursday: A victory could lift the Gauchos into a first-place tie with the Anteaters. Irvine is coming off its first Big West loss of the season, against Cal State Northridge, a defeat that ended the Anteaters’ 19-game home winning streak.

* Men’s volleyball, USC at Brigham Young, 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday: The Trojans, 3-3 overall and 1-0 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, travel to Provo to take on the defending national champions. Brook Billings and Josh Day are USC’s top offensive players.

* Men’s basketball, Pepperdine at San Diego, 7 p.m. Saturday: The Waves have the momentum of some major wins, the latest against then-No. 13 Gonzaga. After playing at Santa Clara on Thursday, Pepperdine faces this tricky Brad Holland-coached team that took USC to overtime in December.

* Baseball, San Diego at UC Irvine, 7 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday: Irvine plays its first games since the program was dropped after 1992 because of financial cutbacks. The Anteaters, coached by former USC assistant John Savage, will host the Toreros in their renovated stadium.

Eric Stephens