TONIGHT

WOMEN

PACIFIC 10 CONFERENCE

UCLA (16-10, 10-7) vs. USC (17-9, 11-6), 2 p.m., Sports Arena, KMPC (1540), Fox Sports Net -- The seedings for next week’s Pac-10 tournament will be sorted out after today’s games. USC is tied for second with Oregon, Arizona and Arizona State. UCLA is sixth and can finish no lower than that. Beyond the usual drama in any Bruin-Trojan game, the teams need to win for different reasons. The Trojans haven’t beaten an above-.500 team since defeating Oregon at home Jan. 2. The Bruins are still searching for the kind of rhythm they had when they won their first five conference games.

Mike Terry

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MEN

BIG WEST CONFERENCE

UC Riverside (9-16, 4-11) at UC Santa Barbara (9-15, 6-9), 4 p.m., FSNW2, KIST (1340), KPRO (1570) -- A 22-point loss to last-place Cal Poly San Luis Obispo kept Riverside behind Long Beach State for the final Big West tournament berth and allowed Cal Poly back into the mix. At forward, Riverside’s David Jobe and Klaus Schille have been erratic in place of injured star Vili Morton. At guard, Brett Ost and Justin Bell combine to average only eight points and four assists.

Long Beach State (7-19, 4-11) at Idaho (8-19, 6-10), 5 p.m. -- Long Beach’s four-game winning streak ended at Utah State, but the team remained in a tie for eighth place when Riverside lost. Point guard Kevin Houston isn’t a starter but the sophomore played his fifth consecutive strong game, making six of 10 shots against the Aggies for 12 points to go with seven assists. Idaho has lost eight of nine in falling from third place to seventh.

UC Irvine (13-11, 6-9) at Utah State (20-7, 11-5), 6 p.m., KUCI (88.9), KWRM (1370) -- Irvine’s overtime victory over Idaho pulled the Anteaters into a tie for fifth with UC Santa Barbara. Little-used forward Andrew Bruckner gave them a big spark with eight points and five rebounds, career highs, in 15 minutes. Center Greg Ethington, a 24-year-old senior who spent two years on a Mormon mission, is shooting 52% and is averaging a team-high six rebounds. Utah State reached 20 wins for the sixth consecutive season and is 12-1 at home, its only loss coming in the final seconds to Pacific.

Cal State Fullerton (16-8, 10-5) at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (5-19, 3-12), 7 p.m. -- At one point, Fullerton was 3-4 in conference play and mired in a three-game funk after losing one of its leaders, senior power forward Hardy Asprilla, to a season-ending knee injury. Since, the Titans have won eight of nine. Senior Ralphy Holmes has five double-doubles and ranks third in the league in scoring (16.1) and second in rebounding (7.9). Cal Poly’s win over Riverside was its second victory since Dec. 30, a span of 15 games.

Cal State Northridge (15-10, 11-4) at No. 19 Pacific (22-2, 15-0), 8 p.m., ESPN2 -- Pacific has already clinched the regular-season title, but Northridge still has a lot to play for. The Matadors are a half-game above Utah State in the fight for second place. Guard Joseph Frazier scored a team-leading 18 points in their 68-65 victory last week at Fairfield. Pacific beat Northridge, 75-73, in the Big West tournament final last season, and 66-62 at Northridge Jan. 27. The Tigers have won 18 in a row.

WEST COAST CONFERENCE

Loyola Marymount (11-15, 3-10) at Pepperdine (15-13, 5-8), 7 p.m., FSNW2, KXLU (88.9) -- The teams will play on the opening day of the conference tournament next week. With a win, Pepperdine can wrap up the No. 5 seeding and guarantee a third meeting with the Lions in the first round. Loyola has lost five of six since ending a 13-game losing streak to the Waves. Pepperdine has gone 3-3 since its season-low 46-point performance in that game. It is the final home game for forward Glen McGowan, who needs 13 points to pass Dwayne Polee for 19th place on the school’s all-time scoring list.

-- Eric Stephens