Week ahead

EWU Eagles

Saturday: at Portland State, 7:05 p.m.

Outlook: After a 0-2 start to conference play, the Eagles need a road break, but the Vikings need the win more desperately because the defending regular-season champions also lost two on the road. Scott Morrison, a 6-foot-11 sophomore, is the Vikings’ key, averaging 13.6 points when they win, 7.8 when they lose. Senior guard Jake Schroeder leads the team in scoring (11.9). PSU could be without sophomore point guard Ryan Sommer, who injured a hamstring in the Big Sky opener. Sommer averages 11.7 points and 4.1 assists. Senior off guard Josh Neeley filled in capably. PSU won all seven conference home games last year.

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Saturday: vs. Pepperdine, 8:30 p.m., at the McCarthey Athletic Center (ESPNU)

Monday: vs. Loyola Marymount, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

Outlook: The sixth-ranked Bulldogs (12-3 overall, 2-0 in the West Coast Conference) will try to keep their conference record unblemished Saturday against a young and injury-riddled Pepperdine team (5-9, 1-1) that has struggled mightily against non-conference opposition. The Waves are expected to be without the services of promising freshman forward Chris Oakes, who has missed the last nine games with a strained ligament in his knee. Meanwhile, 7-foot sophomore center Russell Hicks has yet to work back into game condition after missing 11 games with a broken foot suffered in preseason workouts.

Loyola Marymount (5-11, 2-0) provides the opposition Monday. The Lions opened WCC play last week by edging San Diego and San Francisco. First-year LMU coach Rodney Tention has four players averaging double figures, but his most consistent performer is 6-8 junior forward Matthew Knight, who is averaging 16 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

Idaho Vandals

Tonight: at Nevada, 7

Saturday: at Utah State, 6

Outlook: The Vandals (3-9, 0-2 WAC) will be heavy underdogs against two opponents expected to contend for the WAC title. First up is Nevada (11-3, 1-1 WAC), which was ranked as high as No. 17 in early December but has lost two of its last three games. Junior forward Nick Fazekas averages 21.7 points and 8.9 rebounds. He had a career-high 37 points in an overtime loss to Hawaii last week. The Wolf Pack are 6-0 at home this season, and they rank second in the WAC in attendance (8,054).

Utah State (9-4, 1-2 WAC) has played all of its conference games on the road, including two of the WAC’s tougher venues (Hawaii and Fresno State). Forward Nate Harris leads the conference in field-goal percentage (62.5) and averaged 28.5 points in two games last week. USU is 104-9 at home, including a loss to Idaho in 2003, over the last nine seasons.

Washington State Cougars

Today: at UCLA, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday: at USC, 5 p.m.

Outlook: The Cougars (9-3, 2-1 Pac-10) are looking to extend their stay in the conference spotlight after knocking off then-No. 10 Washington on the road last week. A win tonight against UCLA (13-2, 3-1), considered by many to be the conference favorite, would do just that and probably more. The Bruins are hurting, with big men Michael Fey and Ryan Hollins questionable and small forward Josh Shipp out. Point guard Jordan Farmar and shooting guard Aron Afflalo have also played hurt.

WSU then goes to play USC (11-4, 2-2) in the first Pac-10 matchup between Dick Bennett and first-year head coach Tim Floyd. Floyd said this week that Bennett is one of five coaches he decided he never wanted to face while at Iowa State.