Today

Games involving Southland teams in ESPN’s Bracket Buster men’s basketball event:

Long Beach State (12-11) at Manhattan (16-8), 10 a.m. -- Jibril Hodges, who had 17 points in Wednesday’s win over Fullerton, moved into 10th place on the team’s all-time scoring list (1,167). Jaspers’ Coach Bobby Gonzalez, now in his sixth season, is coaching his 200th game at Manhattan today.

*--* BRACKET BUSTER GAMES

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Eastern Washington (12-12) at Cal State Fullerton (11-11), 2 p.m. -- Eastern Washington has a four-game winning streak but has lost its two previous meetings with the Titans. Fullerton welcomes the Bracket Busters break from conference play, having lost six of its last eight Big West contests.

Southeast Missouri State (6-18) at UC Riverside (3-19), 4 -- Something has to give. Southeast Missouri hasn’t won since Jan. 5, losing 11 in a row. Riverside’s current slide stands at four games.

UC Santa Barbara (11-11) at San Jose State (6-18), 4:30 -- Santa Barbara is on a season-high four-game winning streak and is 7-5 in nonconference games. San Jose State is in a rut, having lost four of its last five.

Cal State Northridge (10-12) at Boise State (12-12), 6:30 -- Northridge, which held off UC Davis on Tuesday, is playing the fourth of five straight road games before finishing the regular season at home. Boise State has lost its last three games, and is currently seventh in the Western Athletic Conference.

Drake (12-15) at UC Irvine (14-11), 7 -- This is the third trip West for the Des Moines school; Drake has already faced Nevada Las Vegas and San Jose State. Irvine’s win against Riverside on Wednesday guaranteed the Anteaters a top-two seeding in the Big West tournament.

*--* TELEVISED GAMES * Bucknell at Northern Iowa, 9 a.m., ESPN2 * Buffalo at Iona, 9 a.m., ESPN360 * Butler at Kent State, 9:30 a.m., ESPNU * Missouri State at Wisconsin Milwaukee, 11 a.m., ESPN2 * Northern Arizona at Western Kentucky, 11:30 a.m., ESPNU * Marist at Old Dominion, 1 p.m., ESPN2 * Louisiana Tech at Southern Illinois, 3 p.m., ESPN2 * George Mason at Wichita State, 5 p.m., ESPN2 * Samford at Ohio, 5 p.m., ESPN360 * Northwestern State at Utah State, 7 p.m., ESPNU * Fresno State at Creighton, 9 p.m., ESPN

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*--* OTHER GAMES

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MEN

West Coast Conference

No. 5 Gonzaga (21-3,10-0) at Loyola Marymount (11-13, 8-2), 3, Channel 7 -- Gonzaga has been virtually untouchable in conference play; the closest call was a 62-61 decision over St. Mary’s on Feb. 6. LMU is the second-highest scoring team in the WCC (80.3), trailing only Gonzaga (81.6).

Portland (8-16, 2-8) at Pepperdine (7-15, 3-7), 7 -- Pepperdine, trying to end a three-game skid, remains unsure when leading scorer Michael Gerrity (left foot stress fracture) can return. Portland seniors Pooh Jeter and Darren Cooper are the WCC’s top scoring backcourt, averaging a combined 36.7 points in conference play.

WOMEN

Pacific 10 Conference

USC (15-9, 9-6) at UCLA (15-9, 10-5), 1, FSNW, 570, 1540 -- USC last swept the season series from UCLA in 2001-02. For the Trojans to do so this season they will have to do what only one team has done -- beat the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion. UCLA’s only home loss was to Brigham Young in November. Five Bruin seniors -- Nikki Blue, Ortal Oren, Brittany Ringel, Emma Tautolo and Lisa Willis -- are playing their final home game.

-- MIKE TERRY