The Big West men's basketball race is intensifying as only two weeks of regular season games remain.  Teams are scrambling for Big West Tournament seeding position as the separation in the standings between third and seventh place is merely one game.  Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge enter the week tied for first place.  
   
Seeding position is vital based on the Big West Tournament format.  The top two seeds receive automatic byes to the semifinals and need to win two games to become tournament champion and clinch the Big West's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Seeds three and four earn an automatic bye to the quarterfinals and require three victories to punch their NCAA Tournament ticket.  The bottom four seeds face the daunting challenge of playing four games in four nights to reach the Big Dance.
   
As a result, the remainder of these regular season contests likely will mirror the tension-filled tournament atmosphere that teams will experience when they hit the court at the Anaheim Convention Center Mar. 11-14.
   
The featured game of the week will be televised on PRIME TICKET Saturday at 3:00 p.m. when first place co-leaders Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge tangle in The Matadome.  The 49ers claimed the first meeting, 74-68, on Jan. 17.  However, the Matadors have won five of the last six home matchups against LBSU.  After starting out Big West play 5-0, the 49ers have won just three of their last seven games but also have been hampered by the loss of star player Donovan Morris to a foot ailment.
   
Cal State Northridge has lost two straight on the heels on a six-game win streak, but has dealt with losses of its own.  Starting point guard Josh Jenkins is out indefinitely due to injuries he suffered in a car collision on Feb. 14, and the Matadors are also without the services of starting off-guard Deon Tresvant.  Still, the Matadors have won five straight at home and possess an 8-2 record in The Matadome this season.
   
Whether both teams remain in first place for Saturday's tip depends on the outcomes of action earlier in the week.  CSUN hosts UC Santa Barbara Wednesday, while LBSU entertains UC Irvine Thursday.
   
A big rivalry game is on tap for Wednesday when UC Davis travels to northern California neighbor Pacific.  Both the Tigers and Aggies are tied for third at 7-6 in the league standings.  The Tigers hope to complete a series sweep of the Aggies and gain a key tournament tiebreaker seeding advantage.  Pacific won 80-65 in Davis on Jan. 31.  On Saturday, the Tigers travel to Cal Poly while the Aggies sojourn to Cal Poly.
     
It's a crucial game for Cal State Fullerton, which currently sits in fifth place at 7-7, when the Titans trek up the 91 Freeway to UC Riverside Thursday.  The Titans have only two conference games remaining, compared to the Highlanders which are also .500 (6-6) in league play but have four games remaining.  CSF has lost three Big West games by three points or less.  On the flip side, UCR is 8-1 this season in games decided by five points or less, including a 4-1 mark in Big West play.  UCR also plays at UCI on Saturday.
   
The Anteaters stand in seventh place at 6-7, but a couple of wins this week could vault them to as high as a tie for third.
   
UCSB owns a season-best four-game winning streak, playing its final road game with Wednesday's CSUN tilt.  The Gauchos then close out with three straight at home.  Cal Poly is clinging to its Big West Tournament hopes, but needs to win its final three conference games to have any shot at making the eight-team field.