Pac-12 made smart play with move to T-Mobile Arena

You knew this was coming.

You knew the Pac-12 would be moving its men’s basketball tournament from the MGM Grand to the big glass and copper drum across the street, just as soon as T-Mobile Arena opened its doors.

You sensed it Wednesday afternoon, when you saw sports writer pals from the Pac-12 newspapers you hadn’t seen in a year. They asked how you were, and then they asked what were the chances for moving the tournament to the big glass and copper drum across the street.

You sensed it Thursday night, too, between rousing semifinal games, when you asked Bill Walton if he had a minute to talk about moving the tournament, and he gave you five.

“This has been a phenomenal experience for everybody involved with the Conference of Champions,” the great UCLA Bruin redhead turned grayhead turned colorful broadcast analyst said after signing his name to an admirer’s tie-dyed Pac-12 tournament T-shirt. “But Scott Sibella, MGM (president), and Larry Scott, Pac-12 (commissioner), they’re going to figure it out. They’re the smartest guys, and they’re going to do what’s best.”

Walton went on from there, and he mentioned a lot of things, and he mentioned the Eagles, Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Fleetwood Mac, whose pictures you see walking through tunnels on the way to courtside at the Grand Garden.

He didn’t mention the MGM Grand Tournament Pool Party, which he always raves about on TV. So you almost knew that something was up. And then MGM spokesman Scott Ghertner came up and down the media rows to say there would be a news conference Friday.

That’s where the smart guys — Larry Scott, who is a Harvard grad, and arena and local tourism officials — put the speculation to rest.

They confirmed the Pac-12 would be moving its men’s hoopsfest, which this year sold out for the first time, to the big glass and copper drum across the street, where the hope is it will become even more popular.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce to you all tonight that we’ve decided we are going to move starting next year, as part of a three-year agreement to play the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament at the T-Mobile Arena,” commissioner Scott said.

“Ultimately, we were convinced that the move to T-Mobile Arena would be an exciting and natural next step and progression for this event.”

Or he could have just said this: The Pac-12 is a big boy league, and the T-Mobile is a big boy arena. That’s why you knew this was a marriage that was bound to happen.

Before the announcement I spoke to fans on the Grand Garden promenade, some of whom already had game faces on, and a couple of whom were Washington State supporters, about the potential move.

Marvin Cassler, who teaches third grade in North Salt Lake City but was wearing an Arizona Wildcats Viking helmet, said the tournament should be in the big glass and copper drum, no doubt about it. But when it was mentioned that would be the end of having everything under one roof — basketball, food, drink, shopping, lodging, discounted monorail tickets, live girls direct to your room, etc. — he wavered a little, as his beloved Wildcats had against Colorado.

“This is my third year here, and the thing that makes it so much fun is just the interaction with all the other teams’ fans,” he said. “Vegas has so much to offer; it’s just such an exciting atmosphere.”

That was the reaction of most Pac-12 fans: That maybe they’ll miss the everything-under-one-roof convenience, but so long as the tournament is staying in Las Vegas, all is right with the world.

“If it packs the house, I think everybody will be happy with it,” said Washington Huskies fan Jordan Slesk of Bellingham, Washington.

His pal Sean said hooping it up at the MGM has been great, because you can “watch basketball and drink and gamble and get high” all in the same place.

I think he has the Grand Garden confused with the Pepsi Center in Denver.

“It’s a good time around here (with) all the games in one constricted area, and you’ve got a lot of emotion going on with beverages and a casino,” Sean from the U-Dub said.

But all of that with the exception of the casino will be available at T-Mobile, too. In lieu of a casino, there will be a two-acre plaza out front with easy access to multiple casinos.

The smart guys, as Bill Walton called them, probably will set up one of those fan experiences where supporters of the teams can shoot free throws against each other, and they’ll probably invite the Oregon and Southern Cal cheerleaders to dance around and shake their pom-poms and what have you.

And the big glass and copper drum will be so big and fantastic and semi-orgasmic that Pac-12 basketball fans may forget all about having everything under one roof at the MGM Grand, though they probably will never forget the pool party.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski