The Orelans Arena will remain the home for the West Coast Conference tournament.
The West Coast Conference tournament will remain in Las Vegas and at the Orleans arena as the two sides h ave agreed to a three-year extension through 2019. The current deal was to end after the 2016 tournament.
“I am very excited the West Coast Conference and Orleans Arena will be continuing our partnership through the 2019 championships,” WCC commissioner Lynn Holzman said in a statement. “Our vision is to create an event which serves as a celebration of the West Coast Conference, its traditions and values while our student-athletes are on a national stage competing for a berth in the NCAA Championship.”
The Orleans is making some much-needed upgrades which include a brand new high-definition video board hanging from the center of the court, and also adding LED lighting around the backboards and a three-sided shot clocks to help officials and fans on buzzer beaters.
There was talk about the WCC moving to the MGM Grand which is now going to be vacant during championship week as the Pac-12 is leaving to the new T-Mobile Arena which opened up earlier this year.
A move to the MGM would have meant that the WCC would also move their tournament a week later and instead of wrapping up on the Monday or Tuesday the week before Selection Sunday, but rather be lost in the shuffle and end Saturday when most other major conferences wrap up their title game.
“Las Vegas is committed to hosting high-profile championship events each year, and the extension with the West Coast Conference through 2019 fulfills that vision,” said Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events. “The West Coast Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships bring both great energy and enthusiastic fans to our city. Through this partnership, Las Vegas will continue to work with the WCC to create a unique atmosphere for fans, while providing an outstanding venue for student-athletes to pursue excellence on the court.”
