College Basketball Tonight

Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount

Gonzaga (13-5, 4-2 in West Coast Conference) takes on the Lions (13-6, 3-3) in a WCC match at 7 p.m. in the Gersten Pavilion and then swings over to Malibu to face Pepperdine (9-9, 2-4) Saturday at 7 p.m.

At a glance: As GU coach Dan Fitzgerald said, “Weekends are getting more and more important now.” This might have looked like a fairly non-combative two-game trip early in the year, but LMU already has scored wins over Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s and features one of the top players in the league. Six-foot-9 center Ime Oduok scores 14.2 points a game and leads the league in rebounding at 9.4. “LMU is experienced and may be the second-best team in the league,” Fitzgerald said. Pepperdine, meanwhile, opened conference play with four losses, but bounced back last weekend with wins over Santa Clara and Saint Mary’s. “It seems like Pep has really gotten an emotional jolt,” Fitzgerald said. Coach Tony Fuller resigned two weeks ago and the Waves are being handled by assistant Marty Wilson. Fitzgerald has to worry about the Bulldogs’ accuracy from the free-throw line, where faulty shooting last week helped doom them to a one-point loss to Portland.

Gonzaga: Paul Rogers, 15.6 ppg; Scott Snider, 7.9 rpg; Kyle Dixon, 5.3 apg. LMU: Ime Oduok, 14.2 ppg; Oduok, 9.4 rpg; Jim Williamson, 4.4 apg. Pepperdine: Gerald Brown, 18.8 ppg; Gavin Van Der Putten 6.2 rpg; Khary Hervey, 4.4 apg.

Radio: KJRB (790 AM) with Dick Wright 15 minutes before tipoff.

EWU at Montana State, Montana

Eastern Washington (2-14, 0-5 Big Sky) plays Montana State (12-6, 4-1) tonight in Bozeman. The Eagles then travel to Missoula for Saturday night’s game against Montana (13-5, 3-2). Both Big Sky Conference games begin at 6:35 p.m. PST.

At a glance: Montana State and Montana are each 10-1 at home this season, while EWU is winless in seven road games. The Eagles nearly won at Missoula in the final game of last season, but squandered a late lead and lost in overtime. Junior point guard Travis King has played well for EWU, which lost projected starter Eddie Neal to injury before the season. King had 19 points, six assists and three turnovers in recent home loss to Weber State. Through five Big Sky games, starting freshman forward Mike Sims (7.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) is averaging one free-throw attempt for every 58 minutes of playing time.

EWU: D’mitri Rideout, 12.0 ppg; Travis King, 11.6 ppg, 2.6 apg; Adam Dean, 10.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg. Montana State: Quadre Lollis, 16.4 ppg, 10.9 rpg; Scott Hatler, 5.5 apg. Montana: Shawn Samuelson, 16.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg; Shane Belnap, 7.1 apg.

Radio: KSBN (1230 AM) with Larry Weir. Pregame 25 minutes before tipoff.

Idaho at Montana, Montana State

Idaho (9-7, 3-2 Big Sky) encounters the preseason picks to win the conference - Montana (13-5, 3-2) in Missoula tonight and Montana State (12-6, 4-1) in Bozeman on Saturday. Both are 6:35 PST starts.

At a glance The Vandals can make a big move up - or down - in the standings this weekend. Two intriguing matchups against Montana: UI point guard Reggie Rose (51 assists, 61 turnovers) vs. Shane Belnap (127 assists, 64 turnovers), and Idaho forward Harry Harrison vs. Shawn Samuelson. The Grizzlies’ 13-5 record is inflated by having played 11 home games. High-scoring MSU has two candidates for Big Sky player of the year - forward Nico Harrison and center Quadre Lollis. UI’s Rose faces another challenge in heady Scott Hatler (105 assists, 38 turnovers). “Lollis can score inside, they can put three very good shooters on the floor at the same time and Harrison is probably the best all-around athlete in the league,” UI coach Joe Cravens said.

Idaho: Rose, 13.6 ppg, 3.3 apg; Jason Jackman, 13.1 ppg; 5.7 rpg. Montana: Samuelson, 16.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg; Belnap, 7.1 apg. Montana State: Lollis, 16.4 ppg, 10.9 rpg; Hatler, 5.8 apg.

Radio: KPRL (1400 AM) in Moscow; KVNI (1080 AM) in Coeur d’Alene.

George Fox, Pacific at Whitworth

Whitworth (13-4 overall, 5-2 Northwest Conference) hosts George Fox (8-9, 3-4) for a game tonight at 8 and then hosts Pacific (9-9, 5-2) for a Saturday night game at 8.

At a glance From here on out, every game is crucial for No. 8-ranked Whitworth. The Pirates, Pacific, Lewis & Clark and Linfield are tied for first place in the Northwest Conference, each with a 5-2 record. Two weeks back, Pacific defeated Whitworth 81-68; the Pirates rebounded with an 86-75 win over George Fox. Both of those games were on the road. Pacific has the league’s leading scorer in Brett Jeffries, who averages 20 points per game. George Fox’s Jared Gallop is right behind Jeffries, averaging 19.5 points. Whitworth’s Nate Dunham leads the Pirates in scoring at 16.9 points per game.

Radio: KSBN (1230 AM) with Chuck DeBruin.

, DataTimes