TODAY

WOMEN

No. 25 UCLA (11-6 overall, 5-3 in Pacific 10 Conference) at California (8-9, 2-6), 3 p.m., FSNW -- A game does not make a season, but this may be UCLA’s most important game to date. The Bruins have lost three straight, most recently a 25-point pounding by Stanford. They have lost their best player, Noelle Quinn, to an injury, and they need increased production from their reserves to support top flight starters Nikki Blue and Lisa Willis. They face a Golden Bear squad that is also struggling; Thursday’s loss to USC was Cal’s fourth straight and fifth in the last sixth games. But Cal is 7-2 on its own floor.

USC (13-4 overall, 7-1 in Pac-10) at No. 5 Stanford (16-2, 7-1), 7 p.m. -- This will be the Trojans’ toughest test since DePaul on Nov. 20. USC is better prepared now to challenge a powerhouse opponent on its home floor. The Cardinal has won seven straight, but so have the Trojans. The teams are tied for the Pac-10 Conference lead. Both teams are big, strong, fast and deep. Stanford has the edge in experience, but USC is playing with the freedom of no expectations.

-- Mike Terry

MEN

UC Riverside (6-9 overall, 2-4 in Big West Conference) at Utah State (12-5, 3-3), 6 p.m. PST, KPRO (1570) -- The Highlanders, who have yet to win a road game, will be trying again where they have never won, although they took the Aggies to overtime last season before falling. Freshman Jaycee Carroll has been an offensive spark all season for Utah State. Carroll leads the Aggies in scoring (15.9) and is shooting 55.9% from the field and 51.1% from three-point range.

Cal State Northridge (8-8 overall, 6-2 in Big West) at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (3-12, 1-6), 7 p.m., FSNW2 -- What was once a critical two-game trip to the central coast comes down to a must-win game tonight for Northridge after its loss Thursday to UC Santa Barbara. The defeat left the Matadors two games behind league-leading Pacific. Cal Poly is in free fall. The Mustangs have lost six in a row.

Long Beach State (2-14) at UC Davis (7-9), 7 p.m. -- The woeful 49ers take a break from Big West play but playing Davis won’t be easy. Davis, which won’t become a full-fledged Big West member until 2006-07, already has beaten Riverside and Cal Poly. The Aggies are led by forward Ryan Moore and guard Fowzi Abdelsamad. Forward Shawn Hawkins, Long Beach’s leading scorer, has a tender knee and played only nine minutes Thursday in a loss to UC Irvine.

Pacific (13-2 overall, 8-0 in Big West) at UC Santa Barbara (7-8, 4-3), 7 p.m., KTLK (1340) -- Everything is going right for Pacific. The Tigers are among the Big West leaders in scoring, rebounding, shooting and three-point shooting. Meanwhile, determined Santa Barbara isn’t letting its injury-depleted roster stand in the way of winning. The Gauchos have won three in a row, but guard Derek Rasp bruised a lung recently and will not play for another week. Rasp joins an injured list that includes starters Casey Cook and Cecil Brown.

Cal State Fullerton (8-6 overall, 3-3 in Big West) at Idaho (6-11, 4-2), 7 p.m. -- Fullerton is feeling the impact of the season-ending injury to starting power forward Hardy Asprilla. Without Asprilla and center Lloyd Walls, who has been sidelined all season because of multiple concussions, the Titans’ weakness inside has been exposed. Idaho is 5-2 at home this season.

St. Mary’s (16-5 overall, 3-1 in the West Coast Conference) at Loyola Marymount (9-9, 1-4), 7 p.m., KXLU-FM (88.9) -- Already without injured starting guard Brandon Worthy, Loyola lost starting forward Daryl Pegram for the next two weeks because of a sore left knee. St. Mary’s bounced back from a one-sided home loss to Santa Clara by defeating Pepperdine for the first time in Malibu since 1997.

Santa Clara (9-9 overall, 3-1 in WCC) at Pepperdine (12-8, 2-3), 7 p.m. -- The Waves will try to end their three-game losing streak against a team with some experience in that department. Santa Clara lost six of seven in December, started conference play with a four-point loss to Gonzaga and has won three in a row since. Pepperdine center Jesse Pinegar will be out two more weeks with a dislocated left ankle.

-- Eric Stephens