TRACKING THE ZAGS: 1

Vegas provides bustling backdrop for WCC’s first ‘neutral’ hoops tournament

Gonzaga will Track the Zags throughout the West Coast Conference and NCAA basketball tournaments with reports directly from the sites. We hope to give readers a sense of the aura surrounding the tournaments and a behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening on and off the court..

By Dale Goodwin
LAS VEGAS (Friday, March 6) – For the first time in the 23-year history of the West Coast Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, the league’s 16 teams will be playing on an even playing field. A conference school has hosted the past 22 (Gonzaga’s lone “home” tournament was in 2006). 

This year’s tournaments, which began today, are at The Orleans Arena, an 8,900-seat facility that was built just five years ago.

The Gonzaga men’s and women’s teams both won their conference championships and are the top seeds into their respective tournaments. Both have byes into semifinals on Sunday when the women play at noon and the men tipoff at at 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2). The women’s championship is at noon Monday (ESPN2), and the men’s title game is at 6 p.m. (ESPN).

In today’s first round of the women’s tournament, No. 5-seed Saint Mary’s meets No. 8 Santa Clara at noon, and No. 6 San Diego meets No. 7 San Francisco at 2:30 p.m. On the men’s side today, No. 5 San Diego plays No. 8 Loyola Marymount at 6 p.m., and No. 6 Pepperdine plays No. 7 San Francisco at 8:30 p.m.
League officials decided last year to try a new neutral site, and The Orleans appears to be a natural.

“We asked ourselves, ‘Where would people want to go?’ ” said Gonzaga Athletic Director Mike Roth. “We knew we needed at least 6,000 seats, but didn’t want to be in an 18,000-seat arena either. We needed to be in a destination city where people would want to go the first week in March.

“The Orleans recently popped onto our radar scene,” Roth said. “There are lots of things to do here, from golfing to entertainment, to amusement rides and gaming for those who are inclined. This is a very nicely kept venue. Their staff has been incredibly accommodating.”

The tournament is sold out. The Orleans Hotel’s 2,000 rooms are sold out.

The Orleans complex, which is less than one mile off the Strip, offers 18 movie theaters, a casino, 70 bowling lanes, a recreation center, 14 restaurants and snack stops, and lots of entertainment options.

The weather today is sunny with a high expected around 70 degrees. Shirt sleeves and shorts are the apparel of choice, it appears. Already, at 11 a.m., The Strip is bustling with activity.