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BIG WEST CONFERENCE

UC Santa Barbara (10-16, 7-10) at Long Beach State (6-11, 9-19), 5 p.m., 1340 -- The 49ers seemed destined for an early off-season after losing 10 of their first 11 conference games. But after winning six of their last seven, they may be a team that can cause trouble in the early rounds of the conference tournament. The Gauchos, devastated by injuries, may now be the first-round foe everyone wants to play. Santa Barbara’s Derek Rasp has averaged 15 points over the last three games.

No. 17 Pacific (24-2, 17-0) at UC Riverside (9-18, 4-13), 7 p.m. -- Pacific is looking to become the first Big West team to go undefeated in conference play since Utah State went 16-0 in 1999-2000. And Riverside has lost five of its last six games. Even if the Highlanders had a competitive team, the Tigers’ frontline of European imports -- Christian Maraker and Jasko Korajkic of Sweden, and Guillaume Yango of France -- have been more than any conference team has been able to handle.

Cal State Northridge (17-11, 12-5) at Cal State Fullerton (17-9, 11-6), 7 p.m., 1570 -- The winner of this game is the third-seeded team in next week’s Big West tournament. Northridge has won five of its last six games, its only loss being to first-place Pacific. Fullerton’s four-game winning streak ended Thursday, when Pacific held on for a 92-88 road victory. The Titans have relied almost entirely on their starting five. Their bench has combined to score only 52 points in the last nine games.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (5-21, 3-14) at UC Irvine (14-12, 7-10), 7 p.m., 88.9, 1370 -- Irvine’s Ross Schraeder, who suffered a broken nose in January, shook off a recent slump, scoring 21 points in a victory over Santa Barbara on Thursday. He had shot 26% from the field in his previous four games.

-- Chris Foster