Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is definitely entertaining the idea.
Scott has been relentlessly upbeat about this game and has said he feels vindicated by his decision to have the team with the better record host it, as opposed to playing it at a neutral site. "An empty stadium looks awful on TV," he says. He has faced that problem with the conference’s postseason basketball tournament, which has been played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to less than packed houses; the conference is strongly considering moving the tournament to the MGM Grand (MGM) in Las Vegas. "People will travel to Las Vegas," Scott says.
Staples Center in Los Angeles seems like one of the most attractive venues to play basketball, but it is virtually one of the worst places in the country to stage a college basketball tournament. It's in a location that's highly unaccessible in a place that is generally apathetic to most sporting brands not called the Lakers or the Dodgers. It's also highly dependent on UCLA having a good team.
Vegas only makes too much sense. Everyone will travel to the tournament from every part of the West Coast, because who doesn't want to spend a weekend in Vegas watching hoops and spending the rest of the time enjoying themselves? It would be another savvy move from one of the savviest minds in college athletics.
To discuss Pac-12 basketball further, head to Pacific Takes.