LAS VEGAS — It is a difficult task to get fans of 12 different programs in the same place for four days, but if there were ever a deal sweetener that could draw in folks from across seven states, Las Vegas would be it.
The everything at once, sensory overload, swimming in intoxicants, happy fun-time capital of the country, Sin City added some much needed pep to what had been a drab atmosphere surrounding the men’s basketball Pac-12 Tournaments of years past.
Staples Center in Los Angeles was the prior venue to Las Vegas and lacked the fan attendance and spectacle that has been present here at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
As far as a central location for the spread out conference, Vegas makes sense geographically. A neutral site (as Nevada has no Pac-12 school), this year’s venue at its furthest is around 900 miles from Pullman, Wash., and 750 from Boulder, Colo. The closest teams hail from Los Angeles, which is over 250 miles away and Tempe, Ariz., at 300. In the past, some fans took exception to home crowds for UCLA and USC in LA.
Fan attendance in the arena has been up and down dependent on the teams playing, but there has been a presence from every Pac-12 program, even if small. Arizona and UCLA brought in the most in person viewers as the schools with the most clout in the conference packed the arena full when they played each other in Friday’s semifinal.
For the other 10 schools, attendance from students has varied due to school schedules. For the final round, it was almost all red in the stands as the Arizona faithful vastly outnumbered Oregon fans.
At its core, the action on the basketball court has been as exciting as ever, with seven of the 12 games played thus far ending with a final score of six points or closer. Three overtime battles, multiple comeback victories, an injury to a star player and a couple of upsets have made for a dramatic span.
Off the court, it has been a who’s who of famous journalists, former athletes and celebrities that have milled about the MGM complex. Players have had the opportunity to relax poolside and take in all Vegas has to offer during off time.
Possibly the biggest boon for the tournament that doesn’t require fans to be on hand has been Bill Walton’s commentary. The eccentric and encyclopedic former UCLA player has delivered some verbal color that sounds like a Saturday Night Live sketch.
Some of his best token words of wisdom include:
— “Shot clock not a factor, refs inconsequential; players soaring like eagles here over the desert sky.”
— “All it is, is these little guys dribbling incessantly, aimlessly, without purpose, only to draw attention to themselves. Please save us.”
Walton also added a Ray Lewis limousine joke, shamelessly plugged Southwest Airlines despite not having an endorsement deal with them and joked that no one would send Arsalan Kazemi back to Iran for missing shots.
Bottom line is no matter who is crowned champion in the final round, the Pac-12 came up the bigger winner with this move to Las Vegas.