BYU to headline MGM Grand Main Event basketball tourney in November
Alabama, BYU, Saint Louis and Valparaiso make up the Heavyweight Bracket of the third-annual MGM Grand Main Event tournament, which will be played November 21-23 at the MGM Grand Garden.
Former UNLV associate head coach and interim head coach Todd Simon will make his return to Las Vegas in the Middleweight Bracket, as the head coach of Southern Utah. Also in the Middleweight Bracket is Ball State, Coastal Carolina and Coppin State.
In the Heavyweight Bracket, BYU will be the local favorite coming off a 26-win season that landed the Cougars in the NIT semifinals. Valparaiso knocked off BYU before losing in the championship game, but new coach Matt Lottich takes over a program that won a school-record 30 games last year.
Saint Louis will be led by new coach Travis Ford, who won the inaugural Heavyweight championship with Oklahoma State in 2014. Coach Avery Johnson will try to better Alabama in his second season, after the Tide went 18-15 and lost in the opening round of the NIT.
Tickets for the event start at $25 per session and are scheduled to go on sale Wednesday, Aug. 17 at noon. Tickets can be purchased at the MGM Grand box office, MGMGrand.com, AXS.com, MGMGrandMainEvent.com or by calling 888-9AXSTIX.
SCHEDULE
MIDDLEWEIGHT BRACKET
Monday, Nov. 21
12:30 p.m. – Ball State vs. Coppin State
3 p.m. – Coastal Carolina vs. Southern Utah
Wednesday, Nov. 23
12:30 p.m. – Ball State vs. Southern Utah
HEAVYWEIGHT BRACKET
Monday, Nov. 21
6:30 p.m. – Saint Louis vs. BYU
9:00 p.m. – Alabama vs. Valparaiso
Wednesday, Nov. 23
6:30 p.m. – Consolation Game
9:00 p.m. – Championship Game (ESPN2)
