I’m not a Vegas guy, overall, but maybe I’ll have to make my first trip to the WCC Tournament next year just to see the last hurrah. I just hate the current structure so much. And it’s actually bad for the conference which would benefit more from a bid-stealer than protecting its top seeds (which have been autobid recipients most years for the last decade), despite what the GU AD claims. But all academic until someone actually beats SMC and GU to get there…
I wonder if moving to semi-neutral territory in Sacramento would be feasible. I would guess that a lot more WCC fans would make it out, plus the CA schools could organize fan buses, etc. I’m sure that the league likes the “legitimacy” of a Vegas tournament, and I think it’s best that we don’t rotate through on-campus sites anymore. But something more in range of the “dedicated but not obsessive” fans could sell a few more tickets.
There was a stretch mid/late 90’s where SCU hosted for several years in a row. Attendance wasn’t terrible, varied from game to game, half full for many of the games is what I vaguely recall. More than half full when two Bay Area schools matched up.
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I assume the league wants to look “big” so would prefer to host in a neutral site and Vegas has that gravity pull.
Henderson is a possibility, but if there was a ballroom at a Strip hotel it would be better. Not attractive in the least to be out in the boondocks. Maybe put the court on the stage at the Sphere? LOL.
Depending on the conference shake-up, it’s likely a USF-SCU-LMU-USD/UCSD rotation in the future.
I asked Co-Pilot for some help here…
Sure! Here are some of the top venues in the Las Vegas area that have hosted basketball events, along with their seating capacities:
- T-Mobile Arena: This state-of-the-art arena on the Las Vegas Strip has hosted numerous high-profile games, including the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament and the NBA Summer League. It has a seating capacity of approximately 20,000 [1].
- Thomas & Mack Center: Located on the UNLV campus, this venue is a staple for basketball events, including the Mountain West Basketball Championships. It has a seating capacity of around 18,000 [2].
- Michelob Ultra Arena: Home to the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, this arena also hosts college basketball tournaments. It has a seating capacity of about 12,000 [2].
- MGM Grand Garden Arena: This venue hosts various basketball events, including the College Basketball Crown tournament. It has a seating capacity of approximately 16,800 [3].
- Orleans Arena: This arena hosts several college basketball championships, including the WCC Basketball Championship and the WAC Basketball Tournament. It has a seating capacity of around 9,500 [3].
These venues offer a range of experiences for basketball fans in Las Vegas. Are you planning to attend any upcoming games or events?
References
[1] Las Vegas Basketball Events | Exciting Games & Tournaments
[2] Here are the top five venues to watch basketball in Las Vegas
[3] Las Vegas Basketball Mayhem | Sportsbooks & Watch Parties
Yes, there are several smaller venues in Las Vegas that can host local basketball games:
- Cox Pavilion: Located on the UNLV campus, this venue is often used for smaller basketball events and has a seating capacity of around 2,500 [1].
- Durango High School Gymnasium: This high school gym is frequently used for local basketball games and tournaments. It has a seating capacity of approximately 1,500 [2].
- Las Vegas High School Gymnasium: Another popular venue for local basketball events, with a seating capacity of about 1,200 [2].
- Faith Lutheran High School Gymnasium: This gym hosts various local basketball games and has a seating capacity of around 1,000 [2].
These venues provide a more intimate setting for local basketball games. Are you looking to attend or organize a specific event?
References
[1] The 16 Best Small Venues for Rent in Las Vegas, NV | Tagvenue
[2] 36 Best Small Party Venues for Rent in Las Vegas, NV - Peerspace
[3] Top Rated Small Event Spaces in Las Vegas - VegasNews.com
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Let’s take it to Scottsdale. Neutral site, warm and we can golf before watching the Broncos battle the Waves in the evening.
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Or Palm Springs. Similar appeal, and that Acrisure Arena seemed nice on tv.
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I’m in, just tough to get to.
The MAAC hosts it at a concert hall on the NJ Boardwalk, it looks visually incredible.
Can’t think of an indoor space like that on the west coast, but I think Tahoe would be an awesome destination for it. 4600 capacity for basketball where the minor league hockey team plays.
@TheWeave The Little Man and I went to the Bahamas a couple of years back to watch SCU play a couple of games. That tournament was literally played in a grand ballroom at one of the resorts. There was even a stage! It was weird.
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San Jose Civic Auditorium??? SCU-SJS games there were battles.
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Cox Pavillion on UNLV campus does look nice but it’s sooo small!
Sacramento- ugh.
WCC does need to think how to get more students to the tourney. It’s not really a college basketball game without the students
I’d have it at the Chase Center.
I get the geographic bias, the weather, and the cost to fans… but none of those stop the Big East from having their Tournament at Madison Square.
We have some of the most beautiful geography in the country in our conference - why settle for being one among several conferences playing in soulless arena in the desert?
Attendance would be great, certainly better than LV. Tarp off the upper deck if needed.
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Good point. I hadn’t considered that the BE tourney is where St. John’s plays home games. Chase wouldn’t be a bad spot. Or maybe breathe some life back into Oracle? Yeah, easier for the greater Bay Area schools, but that’s almost half the league going into 2027 as it stands.
A three or four day tournament at a venue closer to the schools will make a big difference in getting the other teams’ fans there.
The challenge with any arena, particularly pro arenas, is the cost. For a league whose fans don’t travel*, if the finances of the Orleans don’t pencil out, then places like SAP or Chase won’t either.
*One of the reasons fans in this league don’t travel is that there has been no hope of advancing in the tournament due to Gonzaga and SMC’s dominance (which has also been driven by lack of investment by the other schools). I decided not to go this year after the second loss to SMC (although was on the brink after the OSU loss). Saw the writing on the wall.
Once the Zags leave and the Woffords of the league have a chance to punch a ticket, there might be an uptick. But it still won’t fill the bottom of Chase and make financial sense.
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Exactly - we’re talking about how folks don’t travel, the finances don’t pencil, etc., and there’s a wonderful NBA arena that is accessible by public transit with an easy hop from three of the schools in the league, with a fourth not too far away.
An SCU student could literally walk to the Cal Train; an enterprising USF student could ride their bike to the arena. SMC alumni and fans need only get to the Orinda BART station. I’d wager that the balance of the WCC schools have decent alumni pools in NorCal, too.
Oracle is probably available and far less expensive.
I get there’s lots of flights to Vegas, and it appeals to others… but if the WCC Tourney had been in SF the last 10 years, I would have gone to many of them. In Vegas, I’ve gone to zero. It just has never fit the “vibe” of the WCC, to me.
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Hadn’t thought about Oracle. It would indeed likely be cheaper than Chase or SAP since the latter two aren’t desperate for events. The tourney would also not compete with NBA and NHL events. Including Pacific, that’s four schools within driving/transit distance.
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Oracle would be fine . It’s also right by the airport for fans/teams flying in. Chase is hard to get to outside of SF. Caltrain stops early. -so won’t work for late games.
I think another reason non-zag fans don’t go - you have to buy the whole strip of games ($300) when it’s likely your team might lose in an early round.
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The WCC has a difficult choice for where to host the tournament once Gonzaga departs. To me it’s not fans don’t travel to Vegas it’s that many of these schools simply don’t have fan bases of any significant size. You have 5 WCC schools, Portland, Pacific, Pepperdine, Loyola and San Diego that routinely draw less than 1k fans for home games. The Broncos only topped 2k for 3 home games this season: USF, SMC & GU.
Oracle would be a convenient choice for me personally. But the optics of 3k to 4k fans in Oracle isn’t what the WCC wants.
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Maybe what would be best (assuming 8 teams in WCC, and assuming no byes):
First round (1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 seeded games) held on a Wednesday or Thursday: higher seed hosts at home court; lower seed travels
Semifinals/Finals: Friday/Sunday or Saturday/Monday games at some neutral site. Or make them consecutive game days. Whatever.
This model is kinda like what the NIT does (obviously more rounds than what I’m proposing).
The idea is that no one has to show up to a neutral site on a Thursday and (possibly) stay until Tuesday. The neutral site tourney games for 4 teams is over in 2 or 3 days.
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The real problem with the WCC tournament is the complete lack of intrigue.
Gonzaga just won for the 20th time under Few. They’ve been every year he’s been the coach.
The next most successful school, who is almost always their finals opponent, is the smallest in the league by students and likely total alumni. There just aren’t that many Gaels in the world.
The last legitimately interesting result of a WCC Tournament was… 2008 when USD won, and beat UConn in round one?
Why on earth would a fan of Pepp, Pacific, LMU, etc drop the money to go - the same thing always happens.
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