UCI MEN’S BASKETBALL

Who: Pacific at UC Irvine

When: Tonight, 7

Where: Bren Events Center

Breakdown: The Anteaters can bolster their clam as Big West Conference contenders with a conference victory over visiting Pacific ... UCI enters 4-11, 2-1 in conference and has won three of its last five after a 1-9 start ... Pacific is 9-5, 2-1 and part of a three-way tie for second place behind Long Beach State, which is 4-0 in the Big West Conference ... UCI is led by 6-foot-5 freshman Eric Wise (13 points and 5.8 rebounds a game) as well as 6-8 senior Kevin Bland (11.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg) ... UCI junior point guard Michael Hunter averaged 17.5 points in road games last week against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to up his season average to 10.2 ... Chad Troyer, a 6-4 senior guard, paces Pacific scorers at 11.2 per contest ... It’s the first of three straight home games for UCI, which is 1-4 at the Bren Center this season after going 11-1 there last season ...The series, in which UOP holds a 35-33 lead, reunites best friends and former UOP teammates Pat Douglass, in his 12th season at the UCI helm, and Bob Thomason, the dean of Big West coaches in his 21st season guiding the Tigers ... UOP has three straight road wins.

— Barry Faulkner