Comments about ‘MWC officials continue discussion of Las Vegas problem’

It's all about the $$$, just like the moronic TV deal. Fair competition, comprehensive TV coverage and national exposure all go out the window in favor of making a few extra bucks. I'm sure Vegas is greasing the wheels to keep the tourney there...

Craig Thompson is to the MWC what Isiah Thomas was to the Knicks.

I don't know how they can move it to a non-MWC destination and not lose money on the deal. Still, giving Las Vegas home court advantage every year isn't fair to the rest of the league.

My suggestion? Move it to Reno or Phoenix. Having lived in Reno for awhile I know the tournament would be welcomed with open arms. Phoenix would also be a good choice. Both are easy to get to and offer a lot of amenities. The only place I wouldn't want to see the tournament go is California. Why? If BYU failed to make the tournament the Mountain West wouldn't draw very many locals. Nothing looks worse on TV than half empty arenas.

The first item of business should be to fire Craig Thompson. He has taken the MWC from an OK conference, to an irrelivant conference in the matter of a few years. This is mostly due to the disasterous tv deal. Does Mr. Thompson have no accountability?

Ah, heck, let's have it in St. George.

Yeah, it's a ridiculously stupid to hold it in an arena that only seats 5,000, but it's a warm climate--that's all the reason Craig Thompson needs. So crazy he might just do it.

Let's not forget about the hotel rooms that normally go for 60.00 - 100.00 a night mid-week, that were going for 175.00 - 300.00 per night. One thing about Vegas is, they want it all!

There needs to be more of a reward for winning the regular season than a first round bye. How about hosting the tournament?? Yeah, there are better places to be in March than Laramie or Ft. Collins, but it makes more sense than giving UNLV the home-court advantage every year.

Or, you could out a perverse spin on it and let the last-place team host the tournament. They'd need the home-court advantage even more. We'd be even more likely to end up in Ft. Collins, but we'd also have a better chance of ending up in San Diego.

I go to UNLV and all the UNLV fans say that the site doesn't matter, but they would be crying as loud if the tourney was at the Marriot center. The thing that upsets me the most is UNLV hasn't won an outright league title for a long time but they are rewarded every year by having the tourney on their home court.

Why don't these schools that try to preach fairness in their places of learning take a page from the dictionary and find out what fairness actually means. These people who are supposed to be so educated are making a lot of uneducated decisions that are ruining their school programs, except the one school that is benefitting from it. Wake up and smell the postum,and I am speaking of the two schools in the state of Utah. Yes, you are making rules and sign contracts that make the dollars, but you are not being FAIR to those students who you go out and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to recruit. Fairness is as fairness does. Good luck.

Anaheim is the best choice, for weather, attractions, and family-friendly venues. Disneyland across the street, Sea World 1.5 hours away, Magic Mountain 1 hour away, the beach 15 minutes away, Universal Studios 40 minutes away, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, you just can't find anywhere else in the west that offers so much for families within such a short distance. Oh and did I mention, a neutral court? Forget AZ, there's nothing to do there.

I don't know what it is going to take for MWC officials to see that having the tournament in Las Vegas is NOT working. Having UNLV get home court advantage with lunatic, out-of-control fans is an embarrasement to the league. OH WAIT ... the MWC is already an embarrasment....OK keep the tourney in Vegas baby!

What is wrong with holding the tournament in Anaheim at the Honda Center? There is entertainment value that is more family oriented and also fun for all ages. It's a neutral court and venue. And there is plenty of hotel options in that area. I mean... you must be a complete idiot to not hold the tournament there.

The tourney is a money maker for the conference, so it should be wherever the $$$ potential is greatest. Why have it in a city or stadium that will not maximize profits? If UNLV gains from that, so be it. We'll just have to be that much better to beat them.

I know this is irrational and probably not a real solution but, just get out of the MWC. The TV deal is a joke and now this basketball tourney. If BYU and either Utah or TCU threatened to leave I think a lot of things would change. Good luck to the MWC getting UNLV vs San Diego St on national TV. Bottom line is BYU, Utah, and TCU own this conference and if they got together some good things could happen.

The MWC needs to select 3-4 arenas that are near its fan centers and rotate the tournament around every year. Every student at a MWC school should have the chance for an easy road trip to the tournament at least once in a four-year cycle. My suggestions:
1: SLC / ESA (Close to BYU and Utah)
2: Denver/Pepsi Center (AF, CSU, Wyo)
3: Anaheim/Honda Center (UNLV, SDSU)
4: Dallas/AA Arena (TCU, UNM)
Get those four arenas on a regular rotation, and make everybody happy. Even though some arenas are still close to campus, nobody gets home-court more than once in four years.

Why not just do it the way the WAC used to do it: By giving home court advantage to the team that won the regular season championship. That gives importance to the regular season, and lowers the possibility of two league champions (which typically lowers the NCAA seeding for both champion teams).

I know it would make it harder for the MWC to sell tickets in advance, but I don't think that would necessarily translate into less tickets sold.

-If the championship is held in Salt Lake or Provo, you know that local fans will sell out games.

-If the tournament is held in San Diego, fans will show up for the warm weather and attractions.

-If its held in Las Vegas, then at least UNLV earned it.

-New Mexico is warm(er than the intermountain west), plus its a centralized location and everyone should attend a game in The Pit at least once in their life.

-Boulder CO is sort of centralized.

-Dallas would be a little far away but let's face it, TCU isn't going to win the MWC any time in the near future

-Laramie and Ft. Collins...okay, that would be a tough sell.

How difficult is this? This article makes it sound like these guys are trying to land a spaceship on Mars or create a new energy source. Come on. We're talking about trying to get a new venue for playing a basketball tournament.

The Thomas and Mack is a joke. For the past two years it has been a nightmare. I was there this year and it really was a disaster. The Vegas fans are hideous and the home court is ridiculous. It's amazing that it has taken these AD's, Conference Admins, etc this long to figure it out. Wow. Good thing they don't have real jobs that are driven by results and profits.

Get on the phone, make a few calls, and get it on the schedule. Phoenix seems to make the most sense - big city, warm climate for Craig and his golfing buddies, plenty to do, easy to get to, etc. If not, then how about S. Cal. Given the criteria that is outlined those are the only choices.

Make it happen.

But when considering this is the same group who came up with The Mtn., their incompetence is not surprising.

That is a good idea. UNLV fans have shown over and over how classless they are. Get the tourney out of there. What MWC team wouldn't love to go to CA? Play on USC's homecourt or somewhere, just NOT the Fakers court where Phil Jackson lives.

The fact is, UNLV would rarely make it out of the first round if the tourny was played at the Marriot Center or the Huntsman Center.
Although, they FINALLY have a coach in Lon Kruger. That guy puts all the past unlv coaches to shame.

Vegas is a great spot to have it because it makes money and is pretty central to everybody and it has great weather and other good entertainment. The homecourt whining is a joke. If any team is a legitimate tournament team they should be able to win anywhere. Last time I checked Utah or BYU won't be playing any NCAA tourney games in Salt Lake or Provo, so playing in Vegas is a good tune-up. it being in Vegas can't be doing that bad because the conference keeps getting multiple bids and if the only reason UNLV gets into the tournament is because they have home-court, why do they actually win tournament games away from home? When Utah was a legitimate tourney team they could win mwc tournaments as well. Has anybody ever considered the idea that UNLV has a good team and the best coach in the conference?

First of all, this notion that the tournament is more successful in vegas is a red herring. About 5,000 people traveled to Denver. About 5,000 people travel to Vegas. It looks more successful because 10,000 UNLV fans have attended their games the last two years ... but you could get the same result in SLC, Provo, SDSU, or UNM.

Second, if the MWC really wants to fix the problem, why are tickets the same price for traveling fans as UNLV fans? If they want to fix the problem in the stands they should sell discounted tickets through booster clubs at every school except UNLV. They can offset the loss in revenue by raising public prices.

It's simple economics. Too many UNLV fans? Raise their cost. Not enough traveling fans? Lower their's. UNLV fans should pony up and pay more anyway, since they're saving on travel and hotel money anyway.