Pac-12 takes show to Vegas

LAS VEGAS - Hoping to boost the Pac-12 tournament's appeal, conference Commissioner Larry Scott pushed to move it from Los Angeles to a more exciting destination that would draw from all over the West.

The bright lights of The Strip in Las Vegas should be a good fit.

"We wanted there to be vibrancy and energy to the venue and we felt with Vegas, fans can enjoy going there," Scott said.

The Pac-12 will open its first tournament in Las Vegas with four games today at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and continue until Saturday's championship game with an automatic NCAA tournament berth on the line.

The Pac-12 tournament had been held at the Staples Center for 11 years and one of the big complaints was all the empty seats that could be seen on TV, particularly if UCLA got knocked out.

The Grand Garden has primarily been used for boxing events, but did have a test run of sorts when Oregon State played San Diego there earlier this season.

While the capacity of the Grand Garden is only a few thousand less, it isn't nearly as cavernous as the Staples Center and has the allure of Vegas as an added attraction for fans.

The West Coast Conference concluded its tournament Monday night at Orleans Arena, where the Western Athletic Conference started its tournament on Tuesday. The Mountain West is also playing this week at the Thomas & Mack Center, UNLV's home arena.