UC Santa Barbara and sophomore Orlando Johnson are gunning for the Big West regular-season crown and a perfect home record this week.

UC Riverside and junior Alyssa Morris will try to hold onto the top seed in next week's Big West Tournament while attempting to lock up their first Big West regular-season title since 2006-07.

Big West Field Player of the Week Steve Tinoco and Long Beach State will host a pair of Pac-10 opponents this week in USC and Washington.

Just one week until the Big West Men's & Women's Basketball Tournament descends upon Anaheim, March 10-13, 2010.  Both the men's and women's hoops races are coming down to the wire, making every game count.  Meanwhile, all the spring sports are in action, with baseball and softball getting into the thick of non-conference action while men's and women's tennis see conference matches ramping up.

Baseball

***UPDATED Sunday, March 7 - The final day of the Coca-Cola Classic in Surprise, Arizona has been canceled due to rain, ending the Cal Poly and UC Riverside weekends.***

***UPDATED Saturday, March 6 - The Cal Poly vs. Oregon State game scheduled for Sunday at the Coca-Cola Classic has been moved up to an 8:00 a.m. PT start due to impending weather.***

***UPDATED Friday, March 5 - Long Beach State has moved up its game against Washington on Saturday to a 12 noon PT start in anticipation of rain. More info here.***

***UPDATED Thursday, March 4 - Pacific has added an extra day to its series against Seattle University.  The Tigers and Redhawks will now begin on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. PT.  Click here for more information.***

***UPDATED Wednesday, March 3 - UC Irvine has adjusted its game times against Saint Mary's this weekend in anticipation of expected showers in the Southern California area.  The teams will now play a double-header on Friday beginning at 3:00 p.m. PT, with the second game starting no earlier than 6:00 p.m.  The Saturday game remains unchanged, but in the event of a rainout, the teams will play on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.  The schedule below has been adjusted accordingly.  For more information, click here.

The UC Davis vs. Stanford game scheduled for Wednesday has now been postponed until Thursday due to weather.  Game time will be 2:00 p.m. PT for the Aggies and Cardinal.  For more info, click here.***

Tough home and road games face Big West teams in their third week of action.  The first half of the week sees some difficult opponents at home, including Cal State Fullerton hosting San Diego, Long Beach State facing USC, and UC Davis welcoming Stanford.  Some teams will face stiff competition on the road as UC Irvine travels to Pepperdine, and UC Santa Barbara pays a visit to Loyola Marymount.

Weekend home series include Long Beach State squaring off against Washington, UC Irvine hosting St. Mary's, and Cal State Northridge meeting Connecticut.  Cal Poly and UC Riverside will spend Friday through Sunday on the road at the Surprise Tournament in Surprise, Arizona.

The Cal State Fullerton game against San Diego on Tuesday will be broadcast FREE OF CHARGE on BigWest.TV, but it will mark the final no-cost game this season for the Titans.  Select baseball games will be aired this season by Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara, and Pacific this season via the BigWest.TV platform.

Baseball Weekly Release #2

Men's Basketball

The final week of play has many questions to answer, with the Big West regular-season conference championship on the line as well as seeding for next week's Big West Tournament.  Two television games will provide the stage for two important showdowns.  Thursday on ESPNU, Pacific travels to Fullerton to take on the Titans in a match-up between teams entering the week in second and third place, respectively.  The Tigers are looking to wrap up a top-two seed and a bye in the the tournament semifinals, while the Titans still have a shot at moving into that second slot.  On Friday, UC Riverside heads to Long Beach to face the 49ers on Fox Sports West.  The Highlanders are fighting for their spot in the tournament, while Long Beach State is seeking at least a fourth-place finish and a first-round bye.

The Big West Tournament is scheduled for March 10-13, 2010 at the Anaheim Convention Center.  For more information, click here.

All Big West home and conference games this season are scheduled to be shown live on the Internet via BigWest.TV with the exception of games on the ESPN or Fox Sports networks.

Men's Basketball Weekly Release #17

Women's Basketball

Along with the regular-season title, every spot in the Big West Tournament is up for grabs as the women's teams see their final week of action.  UC Riverside sits atop the standings, but has UC Davis and Cal Poly right on their heels.  The Highlanders and Mustangs each have one game remaining, while the Aggies will host two at the Pavilion.  One thing is for sure: there will be a new regular-season champion in the Big West after UC Santa Barbara won back-to-back titles in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

The middle of the pack is crowded as well, with Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara battling for the fourth seed in the Big West Tournament.  The Beach missed the tourney last year, while the defending champion Gauchos are looking for some momentum heading into the post-season.  Pacific has the edge on Cal State Northridge for the final spot in the tourney field.

The Big West Tournament is scheduled for March 10-13, 2010 at the Anaheim Convention Center.  For more information, click here.

As always, all home and conference games are scheduled to be shown on BigWest.TV.

Women's Basketball Weekly Release #17

Golf

Big West clubs hit the links hard as February moves towards March.  There's still plenty of golf to be played before the Big West Championships in April, but every stroke still counts.

March Golf News & Notes

Softball

***UPDATED Saturday, March 6 - Due to weather, there have been adjustments to the Matador Invitational schedule.  Cal State Northridge will now play twice on Sunday, against Santa Clara at 11:00 a.m. PT and St. Mary's at 1:00 p.m.  More information available here.***

***UPDATED Thursday, March 4 - Changes have been made in the schedule for the aTen Construction Tournament hosted by UC Riverside.  The Highlanders will now play two games on Friday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. PT.  Necessary adjustments have been made in the schedule.  For more, click here.***

***UPDATED Tuesday, March 2 - The Wednesday UC Davis at Cal game has been rescheduled due to impending weather conditions.  The teams will meet again on March 14, now as part of a double-header in Berkeley.  For more information, click here.

The scheduled Pacific vs. St. Mary's doubleheader on Tuesday has been postponed due to rain.  No make-up date has been announced.  For more, click here.***

The Big West rolls on with another torrid tournament weekend this week.  Teams will be spread across five tournaments, with Cal State Fullerton (DeMarini Invitational), Cal State Northridge (Matador Invitational) and UC Riverside (aTen Construction Tournament) hosting their own fields.  Northern California squads UC Davis and Pacific will fly south to Fullerton to be a part of the DeMarini Invitational.  Meawhile, Cal Poly will play in the San Diego Classic I, and UC Santa Barbara traveling to take part in the Wilson/DeMarini Invitational in Tempe, AZ.

Softball Weekly Release #3

Tennis

***UPDATED Sunday, March - The scheduled UC Santa Barbara at Cal Poly men's match has been postponed due to inclement weather.  It has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 31 at 2:00 p.m. PT in San Luis Obispo.***

***UPDATED Friday, March 4 - Long Beach State has been moved up its scheduled match on Saturday against UC Davis to a 9:30 am PT in anticipation of rain.  More information here.**

***UPDATED Tuesday, March 2 - The UC Davis vs. San Jose State match scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed due to rain.  The teams will meet on Thursday, March 11 at 1:30 pm PT.***

Women's tennis sees the thick of the conference schedule, with seven Big West matches on the schedule for the weekend.  Non-conference contests this week include UC Davis facing San Jose State and Long Beach State welcoming Eastern Washington.

After a pair of Monday conference matches, men's tennis sees the continuation of the difficult non-conference schedule with opponents such as San Diego, Marquette, UNLV, and Hawai'i on the schedule.  A Blue-Green Rivalry Series contest between Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara in San Luis Obispo will close out the week.

Tennis Weekly Release #7

Women's Water Polo

A slightly less-crowded schedule awaits the Big West this weekend, with teams playing single games or in smaller tournaments.  UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara stay home this week, while Cal State Northridge, Pacific, and UC Irvine hit road.  UC Davis will host the Aggie Shootout, and UCSB will play a pair of single home contests.  The Matadors and Tigers will take part in the Cal Lutheran Invitational, as the 'Eaters have a pair of tough contests at nationally-ranked Stanford and San Jose State.

Women's Water Polo Weekly Release #7