Big West tournament begins at Anaheim Convention Center

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First Round, Wednesday

At Anaheim Convention Center

No. 5 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 8 Cal State Northridge, 6 p.m. — Northridge won last year’s tournament as the top-seeded team. But without four of last season’s five top scorers, it enters this year as the last-seeded team. Fullerton, the 2008 tournament champion, is led by three senior forwards — Gerard Anderson, Aaron Thompson and Jer’Vaughn Johnson — who have combined to average 33.9 points and 18.4 rebounds. These teams split the season series, which included a 113-112 win by Fullerton in overtime.

No. 6 Cal Poly vs. No. 7 UC Irvine, 8:30 p.m. — Cal Poly San Luis Obispo missed the tournament last year, but is back on the shoulders of first-team All-Big West guard Lorenzo Keeler, who averages 16 points, and center Will Donahue, who averages 11.8 points and 8.8 rebounds. Forward Eric Wise and guard Michael Hunter led Irvine to the 2009 title game, and they’ll aim to repeat that this year. Wise is averaging 16.4 points and Hunter 14.0. The Anteaters and Mustangs split their season series, with the winning team in each game scoring at least 90 points.

— Baxter Holmes

Rest of tournament schedule: Thursday — No. 3 Long Beach vs. lowest remaining seeded team, 6 p.m.; No. 4 vs. highest remaining seeded team, about 8:30 p.m. Friday — No. 1 Santa Barbara vs. lowest remaining seeded team, 6:30 p.m.; No. 2 Pacific vs. highest remaining seeded team, 9 p.m. Saturday — championship, 5 p.m.