Pacific 10 Conference tournament

The tournament begins today through Saturday at Staples:

TONIGHT’S FIRST ROUND

California (15-14) vs. Washington (16-15), 6 -- Washington forward Jon Brockman, fifth in the conference in scoring (17.6) and first in rebounding (11.5), was on crutches Tuesday after suffering a sprained ankle late in last Saturday’s loss to Washington State. Huskies Coach Lorenzo Romar said that if this game had been Tuesday, Brockman would not have played. The Bears and Huskies split their regular-season games, each winning on the road. California Coach Ben Braun said center DeVon Hardin, who missed last Saturday’s 81-80 loss to UCLA because of a hip injury, would play against Washington and has practiced the last two days. The winner will play top-seeded UCLA on Thursday.

Diane Pucin

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Arizona (18-13) vs. Oregon State (6-24), 8:30 -- The Wildcats probably need at least one more victory to extend their 23-year streak of advancing to the NCAA tournament, the longest in the nation. Arizona has won only three of its last 10 games but will probably get leeway from the selection committee for the four games it played without leading scorer Jerryd Bayless and the seven without point guard Nic Wise, who returned last week from a knee injury. The Wildcats, who defeated Oregon State by 13 points in Tucson and by 36 points in Corvallis, Ore., are bidding to become the first sub-.500 Pac-10 team to receive an invitation to the field of 65. The Beavers are the first team to go winless in the Pac-10 since the conference expanded in 1978.

-- Ben Bolch

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THURSDAY’S QUARTERFINALS

USC vs. Arizona State, noon

UCLA vs. Washington

or California, 2:30 p.m.

Washington State vs.

Oregon, 6 p.m.

Stanford vs. Arizona

or Oregon State, 8:30 p.m.

FRIDAY’S SEMIFINALS

6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

SATURDAY’S FINAL

3:15 p.m.