Four major conference tournaments are being played in Las Vegas this week. They are the West Coast, WAC, Mountain West and Pac-12. As a matter of fact, 5% of Division I schools tipped off games in Vegas in one 9 hour period. Great sports action in a town that thrives on action. This week, Las Vegas is the college basketball capital of America.
A lot of the credit for this goes to retired UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian who earned a place in the Vegas Hall of Fame with his UNLV Runnin’ Rebels back in the 80’s and early 90’s. Tark is generally credited with the remaking of Las Vegas into a college basketball capital in the 21st century.
It could be that the NCAA might be a little nervous about college basketball being played in such close proximity to glitzy casinos and thriving sports books……not to mention the strip clubs and all the other attractions that have made Las Vegas into what it is today. However, Mark Emmert and company have a lot on their plate right now without having to worry about such a small thing as their college basketball players walking through the lobby of the MGM Grand on their way to a tournament game.
Basketball took root in Vegas years ago because of Jerry Tarkanian and the Runnin’ Rebels. Tark’s teams were an extension of the town itself……bold, flashy and carefree. Nowadays, Vegas residents and regulars still have basketball fever every March. “Tark the Shark” could have probably been elected mayor if he had wanted the job. Tarkanian was an outspoken critic of the NCAA and had some legendary clashes with the association over the years. He also collected the largest settlement in the history of the NCAA in the end.
Las Vegas also hosts the NBA summer league events as well as the US Olympic Team and FIBA….right there in sin city…..drawing such famous spectators as Pat Riley, Danny Ainge and many others.
UCLA’s Ben Howland said of the Pac-12 tournament, “I think it needs to stay here for the next 100 years”. The Pac-12 tourney was moved to Vegas after several years at the Staples Center in Los Angeles where interest was never high. Howland predicts that tickets for the Pac-12 tourney in Las Vegas will be one of the hardest tickets in the country to get your hands on next year.
