The Pac‑12 Conference is set to reclaim the glitter of the Las Vegas Strip for its basketball championships, bringing the marquee events back to the iconic MGM Grand Garden Arena.
A Strategic Return to the Strip
The 2027 and 2028 editions of the men’s and women’s tournaments will unfold between March 9 and March 13, employing a play‑in ladder that includes all nine participating schools, while the top two seeds enjoy double‑byes that propel them straight to the quarterfinals.
This revival comes as the conference has been reshaped by a wave of new members — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State — who join the holdover institutions of Oregon State and Washington State, forming a refreshed competitive landscape.
Meanwhile, the Mountain West Conference will continue its own basketball narrative at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus, preserving a long‑standing tradition that has defined the regional scene for years.
Commissioner Teresa Gould expressed enthusiasm for the move, highlighting the synergy between the Strip’s entertainment pulse and the conference’s athletic ambitions.
The shift also marks a symbolic homecoming, recalling the Pac‑12’s recent tenure at T‑Mobile Arena from 2017 through 2024 and the last women’s tournament held at the same MGM venue in 2024.