Pac-12’s Las Vegas tournament plan could be big news for Gonzaga

Gonzaga has made themselves plenty comfortable in Las Vegas over the last decade

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Emmanuel Innocenti (5). | Photo by Myk Crawford

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are accustomed to winning basketball games pretty much wherever they play them, but outside of Spokane there aren't a lot of cities more familiar to the Zags than Las Vegas.

Gonzaga has played at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas as part of the WCC Tournament each of the past 17 seasons, appearing in the championship game every single one of those years and winning it a whopping 13 times.

Additionally, Gonzaga has played multiple neutral site games in Sin City over the years, including three this season at MGM Garden Grand as part of the Players Era Festival, where the Zags went 2-1 with wins over Alabama and Maryland and a loss to Michigan.

Other recent trips to Las Vegas include an 89-76 win over USC in 2023, an 83-63 win over UCLA in 2021, and Gonzaga's final two games of the 2023 NCAA Tournament - an epic 79-76 win again over UCLA followed by an 82-54 loss to UConn.

Point is, the Zags are familiar - and comfortable - playing in the desert. And it sounds like that could serve them well in their move to the Pac-12.

The Pac-12 is in negotiations with MGM about hosting their basketball conference championships in Las Vegas starting in 2027, according to reporter and radio host John Canzano.

The specific location, as well as the dates, are yet to be determined.

The old Pac-12 held the men's tournament in Las Vegas every year starting in 2013, while the women's event moved to Sin City in 2019. The tournament was at MGM Garden Grand Arena from 2013-2016 and at T-Mobile Arena from 2017-2024, outside of 2020 when it was cancelled due to COVID-19.

However, T-Mobile Arena is occupied for the next two years by the Big Ten, and with the Orleans still hosting the WCC and WAC, that likely leaves the Pac-12 deciding between the MGM Garden Grand Arena and the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay.

The Garden Grand Arena seats 16,800 while the Michelob ULTRA Arena is a bit smaller at 12,000 - both significant upgrades over the Orleans which seats 9,500.

Gonzaga routinely draws 5,000-6,000 fans for the WCC Tournament, and there's little reason to expect that to change starting in 2027 when the Zags are in the new league. They'll have more competition for tickets, with fans from San Diego State, Boise State, Utah State, Colorado State, and Fresno State all familiar with annual trips to March - having played at Thomas and Mack Arena on UNLV's campus for the Mountain West Tournament every year since 2007.

Still, the increased competition level, bigger arena, and higher profile opponents should make for a fun atmosphere wherever, and whenever, the tournament lands in Sin City.