The Big West men's basketball standings are as jumbled and unpredictable as ever with this week marking the midpoint of the league race.  Five teams are within two games of Big West leader Long Beach State.  In a sign that no one is free from vulnerability, the road teams have a winning record (16-14) in conference play.
   
Look no further than UC Riverside's victory at Long Beach State last Saturday as evidence of the topsy-turvy nature of Big West play.  The Highlanders had lost three straight.  The 49ers had won five straight.  LBSU was 7-1 at home.  UCR entered the game on a 21-game conference road losing streak.  A no-brainer for Long Beach State to move to 6-0 in Big West play.  Right?
   
Final score: UC Riverside 64, Long Beach State 55.  LBSU 5-1 in the Big West.  UCR 3-3.
   
And so there's no telling what might happen this week.  
   
Three schools - Cal State Northridge, UC Davis and Pacific - are tied for second in conference play at 4-3.  The trio trails LBSU by a game and a half.
   
The Matadors make dual television appearances this week when they travel to UC Santa Barbara (ESPNU, 8:00 p.m. on Thursday) and Cal Poly (PRIME TICKET, 6:00 p.m. on Saturday).  The Matadors and Gauchos were picked to finish one-two in both the preseason media and coaches polls, respectively.  CSUN is just 2-8 on the road, but both road wins have occurred during the league schedule.  The Matadors won an 88-84 thriller in Santa Barbara last year.
   
Injuries have hampered UCSB and forced the Gauchos to put three freshmen in their starting lineup.  The Gauchos have lost five of their last seven and seven of their last 10 games, sitting in a tie for eighth place at 2-5 in the Big West.  UCSB owns a hefty 27-9 advantage in the all-time series with CSUN, including a 10-5 record in the head coach Bob Williams era.
   
Entering last week, Cal Poly looked to be on shaky ground with its chances of making the Big West Tournament in March.  The Mustangs started Big West play 0-5, had lost seven in a row overall and traveled to two of the toughest road venues in Pacific and UC Davis.  Cal Poly won both to reenter the tournament picture, securing their first Big West road sweep since the 2006-07 season.  The Mustangs have lost seven of the last 10 meetings to the Matadors, but two of their wins occurred at Mott Gym.
   
UC Davis attempts to end a long drought to northern California nemesis Pacific when the two teams battle on Saturday in Davis.  The Aggies have dropped 45 straight meetings since the 1940-41 season, including last year’s two games as a first-time full-fledged Division I member.  This game marks the end of a three-game homestand for UCD and the start of a three-game roadtrip for Pacific.
   
Long Beach State attempts to maintain its grip on first place, hosting Cal State Fullerton and traveling to UC Irvine.  The 49ers are coming off a season-low tying scoring total versus UCR, but meet a Titan team that averages the most points allowed in conference play (79.6 ppg).  On the other hand, CSF is playing well on in conference road games (3-1) while struggling at home (0-3).
   
UC Irvine and UC Riverside, both tied for fifth at 3-3, square off in the Student Rec Center Thursday.  The Highlanders are 7-1 at home this season and also host Cal State Fullerton Saturday.