WCC MEN’S TOURNAMENT PREVIEW CAPSULES

FIRST ROUND, TODAY

Game 1 -- No. 8 Loyola Marymount (11-16) vs. No. 5 Pepperdine (16-13), 5:30 p.m., 88.9: The teams know each other well, especially after playing six days ago, an 82-76 Pepperdine victory in Malibu. The Lions won their share of close games during a successful nonconference run, but WCC play has been a different story. Six of their 11 league losses were by single digits, including the last five to end the regular season. To advance, the Lions will need another strong performance from point guard Charles Brown and a better effort inside from leading scorer Matthew Knight. In winning three of its last four, Pepperdine has flourished with a three-guard lineup.

Game 2 -- No. 7 Portland (15-14) vs. No. 6 San Francisco (15-12), 8 p.m., ESPNU: San Francisco won both meetings this season by slim margins, 74-70 in overtime at home and 58-56 at Portland on Tyrone Riley’s bank shot with 19 seconds remaining. The Dons have beaten the champions of four leagues -- Gonzaga (WCC), Pacific (Big West), St. Joseph’s (Atlantic 10) and Pennsylvania (Ivy). They also lost in the final seconds at Gonzaga and were beaten in triple overtime by second-place St. Mary’s. Portland’s record is its best in the four seasons it has been coached by former UCLA player and assistant Michael Holton.

QUARTERFINALS, SATURDAY

Game 3 -- Loyola-Pepperdine winner vs. No. 4 San Diego (15-12), 5:30 p.m.: San Diego made the NCAA tournament in 2003 but graduated nearly everyone and finished a woeful 4-26 last season. This season’s resurgence was led by senior forward Brandon Gay, a first-team All-WCC selection who averaged a team-leading 16.9 points, and averaged nearly 20 points a game during conference play.

Game 4 -- Portland-San Francisco winner vs. No. 3 Santa Clara (14-15), 8 p.m., ESPNU: Santa Clara has been erratic but could be the dark horse on its home court. The Broncos made noise early with a shocking win over North Carolina followed by an upset of Stanford, but then lost to Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo and UC Irvine and Yale at home. Senior guards Doron Perkins and Kyle Bailey combined to average 30 points and make 110 three-pointers.

SEMIFINALS, SUNDAY

Game 5 -- Game 3 winner vs. No. 1 Gonzaga (23-4), 6 p.m., ESPN2: Gonzaga has to worry only about seeding on Selection Sunday because the 12th-ranked Bulldogs put together another strong season, winning their fifth consecutive regular-season championship after posting early-season wins over Georgia Tech, Washington and Oklahoma State. Senior forward Ronny Turiaf battled ankle injuries but still averaged 16.6 points and 9.3 rebounds and was named the league’s top player.

Game 6 -- Game 4 winner vs. No. 2 St. Mary’s (24-7), 8:30 p.m., ESPN: Fourth-year Coach Randy Bennett has completed an impressive rebuilding job after taking over a program that won two games in 1999-2000. Senior guard Paul Marigney averages 16.9 points on 49.8% shooting; Daniel Kickert, a 6-10 junior forward from Australia, averages 16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and shoots 54.8% from the field, 46.7% on three-pointers. The Gaels have a Ratings Percentage Index rank of 29 but may need to get to the final to lock up an NCAA at-large berth.