LV should get bid to host MWC tourney

Steve Carp

Thursday, April 8, 1999 | 10:54 a.m.

It appears UNLV's homecourt edge in its conference postseason tournament will remain intact.

The Thomas & Mack Center is expected to host the inaugural Mountain West Conference tournament next March 8-11, according to the league office.

"It's a little premature at this point to say the tournament's going to Las Vegas, but Las Vegas is the favorite at this point," MWC commissioner Craig Thompson said. "Just about everyone I've talked to would like to see it stay in Vegas."

Las Vegas is not alone in its desire to host the tournament. Denver, San Diego and Albuquerque have expressed interest and have submitted bids.

The WAC has played its postseason tournament at the T&M the past three years and Las Vegas Events, which was the driving force behind bringing the WAC tourney to town, is looking to maintain its relationship with the Mountain West, a new league consisting of eight former WAC schools.

"We're working on it," LVE president Kirk Hendrix said. "We've had several conversations with Craig Thompson and we've made our intention clear that we're serious."

The Mountain West will be hosting its first all-inclusive meeting of its eight- team membership at the end of the month in San Diego. The hope is to have a deal locked up with Las Vegas Events at that time.

"I think that's a realistic timetable," San Diego State athletic director Rick Bay said. "We've had great experiences in Las Vegas with the bowl game (Las Vegas Bowl) and the WAC tournament. "I think we'll get it done shortly."

Colorado State AD Tim Weiser said he had no problems with Las Vegas continuing to host the tournament.

"What we've heard from our fans and our players is that they enjoy making the trip (to Las Vegas)," he said. "My experiences there have been positive."

Wyoming's Lee Moon concurred.

"We have a good relationship with Las Vegas that I'd like to see us keep," he said. "I'd like to see us stay there and build on it."

The hope is that the Mountain West would receive a deal similar to the one the WAC had with Las Vegas Events. The WAC earned $1 million in each of the past three years for holding the tournament at the Thomas & Mack.

"I would certainly hope so," UNLV athletic director Charles Cavagnaro said of the $1 million payout. "But we need to get going on this and get it done."

One holdup may be the Las Vegas Bowl. The Mountain West would like to tie both events together and be part of the football game. However, the WAC's commitment to this year's Las Vegas Bowl is being honored, and the Mountain West may have to send its football champion elsewhere.

One possible scenario is for the MWC champ to go to the Liberty Bowl and play the Conference USA winner on ESPN. That would leave the MWC runner-up to play the WAC champ in the Las Vegas Bowl.

But the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority may opt to keep the other half of the Las Vegas Bowl open for an at-large team from another conference, such as the Big Ten or Big 12 or Pac-10. At least for this year.

"That might be the one hangup in getting the basketball deal done," Cavagnaro said.

The other major agenda item is the new league's attempt to obtain an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Normally, a new league has to wait five years before earning an automatic. But the MWC has petitioned for a waiver and the NCAA staff already has given its interpretation on the request, saying the Mountain West qualifies for exempt status.

The management council meets Monday to discuss the matter.