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The Big West didn't hold it in Nevada, instead using their traditional venue, the Honda Center in Anaheim. Among the others, the Big Sky was the only one not to hold it in Vegas, holding it in Reno. Somehow, I think there was room in Vegas if necessary for the other two, especially since the WCC ends early in the week. The MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay is still possible 4X.

What's the issue, no other place out west can draw?
No other place has near the supply of decadence and escorts, to charge to the university travel accounts. 03-thumbsup


As an aside: I see that Nevada won the MWC tournament. I thought Nevada had a really good program back in the WAC, but seems they've been down in the MWC?
These things go in cycles.
Well for mid-majors, the cycle seems to be: "don't have a good coach, for some time -- don't win, for some time" then "hire a great coach -- win" then "some bigger school hires away the great coach"
(03-12-2017 12:06 PM)_C2_ Wrote: [ -> ]The Big West didn't hold it in Nevada, instead using their traditional venue, the Honda Center in Anaheim. Among the others, the Big Sky was the only one not to hold it in Vegas, holding it in Reno. Somehow, I think there was room in Vegas if necessary for the other two, especially since the WCC ends early in the week. The MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay is still possible 4X.

What's the issue, no other place out west can draw?

When the Big Sky put their tournament up for bids, Las Vegas didn't have an opening. That has changed, as the T-MOBILE Arena got built, which will host the new NHL team. The PAC12 moved their tournament there, creating an open arena for that weekend. The Big Sky will take in bids again for the 2019-21 tournaments, and Las Vegas will submit one this time. Billings and Spokane got support, but Reno bid was much higher.
(03-12-2017 12:06 PM)_C2_ Wrote: [ -> ]What's the issue, no other place out west can draw?

No place out west can draw like Vegas, anyway. Vegas exists for this sort of thing. I'm not even just talking about gambling and hookers--it's an incredible geographic concentration of hotel rooms and entertainment experiences, in a city whose economy is built entirely around hotels and entertainment experiences. Concerts, restaurants, shopping, nightclubs, a half dozen roller coasters, helicopter rides to see Grand Canyon & Hoover Dam--Vegas provides a wide variety of things to do either in walkable distance or with a short cab ride, and plenty of cabs.

"First mover effects" are also in play. EVen if Portland or Sacramento or Phoenix or Denver put some effort into becoming a year-round 3-4 day party/convention destination, they're doing it in the shadow of Las Vegas. So unless you're Comic-Con in San Diego, it's a real uphill climb.

There's plenty to do in Los Angeles, (Disneyland, Hollywood sightseeing, clubs & bars) but it's a lot more spread out and you need a rental car to get to it, because there's an actual city in the way.

San Francisco has potential for tourism, but I don't think they've made it a major economic focus.

EDIT: Remember how much Jim Boeheim likes going to Greensboro? That.
San Francisco doesn't have an arena, at least not for another couple years.
Las Vegas is providing financial incentives to conferences, which helps a lot. I doubt that anyone in downtown LA comped hotel stays and other expenses when the Pac-12 tournament was played there.

There might be other tournament locations that provide incentives or freebies, but I'd guess that even the WAC and WCC get far more of that in Las Vegas than they could get anywhere else. Good deal from the perspective of the hosting casino property (Orleans Casino/Hotel for both WAC and WCC) because they're bringing a few thousand more people through their casino every day for a week or so.

And not only will Vegas entertain people but it's relatively inexpensive (except for however much you lose in the casinos). Fans, who don't get comped, will get relatively inexpensive hotel rooms in Vegas, whereas if you play your tournament in the Bay Area, New York, or DC, your fans get gouged by the hotels.

(03-12-2017 12:36 PM)johnbragg Wrote: [ -> ]EDIT: Remember how much Jim Boeheim likes going to Greensboro? That.

Yeah, this is another reason why decision makers - presidents, ADs, conference office staff - prefer a few days in Vegas to a conference tournament hosted by one of their members.

Some conferences in the east might be more geographically compact so that almost everyone can drive or bus to a central tournament location, but in the west you're going to put everyone on a plane anyway, so would you rather fly to Las Vegas for the WCC tournament, or to Spokane?
The Big West has 9 teams. 5 are in the LA Basin. 2 (UCSB and Cal Poly) are within a 4-hour drive.

UC-Davis is a bit of an outlier. And, well, Hawaii they are REALLY REALLY an outlier.

An LA/Orange County tournament locale makes sense for the Big West. I tend to doubt they'd ever change.
Let's put together a list, roughly going down the pecking order

BCS Conferences:
Big East MSG
Big Ten Washington DC
ACC Brooklyn
PAC Vegas
SEC Nashville
Big 12 KAnsas City.

Multibid Leagues
A-10 Pittsburgh
American Athletic Conference Hartford
WCC: Las Vegas
Missouri Valley: ST Louis Arch Madness

Big Sky: Reno, NV
Big South: Winthrop U, Rock Hill SC
Big West: Honda Center, Anaheim CA
Colonial: North Charleston, SC
C-USA: Birmingham, AL
Horizon League: Detroit, MI
Ivy League: Palestra, Philadelphia
MAAC: Albany, NY
MAC: Cleveland, OH
MEAC: Norfolk, VA
Mountain West: Las Vegas, NV
Ohio Valley: Nashville, TN
SoCon: Asheville, TN
Southland: Katy, TX
Summit League: Sioux Falls, SD
Sun Belt: New Orleans
SWAC: Houston TX
WAC: Las Vegas

Las Vegas: PAC, Mountain West, WAC,
Nashville: SEC, OVC
NYC: Big East, ACC

On Campus Sites: America East, Atlantic Sun, Northeast Conference, Patriot League.
(03-12-2017 01:16 PM)Wedge Wrote: [ -> ]Las Vegas is providing financial incentives to conferences, which helps a lot. I doubt that anyone in downtown LA comped hotel stays and other expenses when the Pac-12 tournament was played there.

There might be other tournament locations that provide incentives or freebies, but I'd guess that even the WAC and WCC get far more of that in Las Vegas than they could get anywhere else. Good deal from the perspective of the hosting casino property (Orleans Casino/Hotel for both WAC and WCC) because they're bringing a few thousand more people through their casino every day for a week or so.

And not only will Vegas entertain people but it's relatively inexpensive (except for however much you lose in the casinos). Fans, who don't get comped, will get relatively inexpensive hotel rooms in Vegas, whereas if you play your tournament in the Bay Area, New York, or DC, your fans get gouged by the hotels.

(03-12-2017 12:36 PM)johnbragg Wrote: [ -> ]EDIT: Remember how much Jim Boeheim likes going to Greensboro? That.

Yeah, this is another reason why decision makers - presidents, ADs, conference office staff - prefer a few days in Vegas to a conference tournament hosted by one of their members.

Some conferences in the east might be more geographically compact so that almost everyone can drive or bus to a central tournament location, but in the west you're going to put everyone on a plane anyway, so would you rather fly to Las Vegas for the WCC tournament, or to Spokane?



Spokane, but I bet I am in the minority02-13-banana
For much of the 90's the Big West Tournament was played outside California, when UNLV and Nevada were members. The last time it was outside SoCal was 2000 in Reno, which was NMSU's and Nevada's last year in the conference.

The only way it leaves Anaheim is either Hawaii hosting, or UNLV and/or Nevada returning.
(03-12-2017 02:20 PM)jdgaucho Wrote: [ -> ]For much of the 90's the Big West Tournament was played outside California, when UNLV and Nevada were members.

But as you know, the Big West of the last 15 or so years and the Big West prior to that are basically two completely separate conferences.

The history of the Big West prior to the early 2000's is basically inapplicable to the current day Big West.
(03-12-2017 12:12 PM)MplsBison Wrote: [ -> ]No other place has near the supply of decadence and escorts, to charge to the university travel accounts. 03-thumbsup

Travel expense voucher reconciliation:

Hookers and blow Alumni entertainment <--- Yeah, yeah, "entertainment".
(03-12-2017 03:07 PM)MplsBison Wrote: [ -> ]
(03-12-2017 02:20 PM)jdgaucho Wrote: [ -> ]For much of the 90's the Big West Tournament was played outside California, when UNLV and Nevada were members.

But as you know, the Big West of the last 15 or so years and the Big West prior to that are basically two completely separate conferences.

The history of the Big West prior to the early 2000's is basically inapplicable to the current day Big West.

Utah State and Idaho stuck around for a few years after it dropped football. So by your definition they were part of the current BW.
(03-12-2017 12:36 PM)johnbragg Wrote: [ -> ]EDIT: Remember how much Jim Boeheim likes going to Greensboro? That.

On this topic again:

NIT tournament committee for the win. Syracuse's first-round NIT opponent is UNC-Greensboro. 03-lmfao
(03-12-2017 12:12 PM)MplsBison Wrote: [ -> ]No other place has near the supply of decadence and escorts, to charge to the university travel accounts. 03-thumbsup


As an aside: I see that Nevada won the MWC tournament. I thought Nevada had a really good program back in the WAC, but seems they've been down in the MWC?

Oh the escorts lol....why I look forward to DEFCON every year.
(03-12-2017 03:35 PM)jdgaucho Wrote: [ -> ]Utah State and Idaho stuck around for a few years after it dropped football. So by your definition they were part of the current BW.

Would it have mattered if I said 2006 - onward? That's still 10+ years of history, where the Big West has been entirely different than the history before that.

You got the point.
(03-12-2017 12:30 PM)NoDak Wrote: [ -> ]
(03-12-2017 12:06 PM)_C2_ Wrote: [ -> ]The Big West didn't hold it in Nevada, instead using their traditional venue, the Honda Center in Anaheim. Among the others, the Big Sky was the only one not to hold it in Vegas, holding it in Reno. Somehow, I think there was room in Vegas if necessary for the other two, especially since the WCC ends early in the week. The MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay is still possible 4X.

What's the issue, no other place out west can draw?

When the Big Sky put their tournament up for bids, Las Vegas didn't have an opening. That has changed, as the T-MOBILE Arena got built, which will host the new NHL team. The PAC12 moved their tournament there, creating an open arena for that weekend. The Big Sky will take in bids again for the 2019-21 tournaments, and Las Vegas will submit one this time. Billings and Spokane got support, but Reno bid was much higher.

I doubt Las Vegas submits, it would cost them more in incentives then they would make in attendees. Though, I guess if they do bid they could go cheap and host it in a HS gym. Watching the BSC championship game this year, my guess was about 500 actual butts in the arena.

Spokane, SLC or Billings would be the best sites the BSC could move to if they want someone to actually attend the event.
It is tough for the far flung western conferences to hold tournaments that are well attended. That is why the neutral site tourneys in Nevada work better than most any alternative.

For the Big Sky, we have tried many different approaches on campus sites - limiting the number of participants, having it at the regular season champ (too difficult to make last minute plans, especially if you don't know if your team is going to make the tourney), having it preset at LAST Year's Regular Season champ, etc.

Neutral site is the best overall bet. Spokane would be the best location, as drivable for EWU, PSU, Idaho, Montana - with doable driving for Weber/ISU/MSU.

For the Pac 12, Vegas is perfect - drivable from the biggest traveling fan bases (Arizona then UCLA, plus easily drivable from ASU, USC and Utah).
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