The Pac-12 is bringing its conference tournament to Las Vegas, and Gonzaga’s new road to a league title will look a lot like the old one - just with a different backdrop.
The league announced that its men’s and women’s tournaments will be played at the MGM Garden Grand Arena in 2027 and 2028 under a two-year agreement with the venue. The events are scheduled for March 9-13, which is a week later than Gonzaga was used to during its WCC years.
That setup also keeps the door open for a bigger move later. The Pac-12 can negotiate for T-Mobile Arena to host the tournament beginning in 2029, when its current deal with the Big Ten runs out.
For now, the conference is leaning into a format that should feel familiar to anyone who followed the WCC. The top two seeds will get a double-bye into the semifinal round, while the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds will advance straight to the quarterfinals.
That matters for Gonzaga. The structure rewards teams that finish near the top of the standings, and the Zags are projected to do exactly that in the new league. The Pac-12’s lineup includes Gonzaga, Oregon State, Washington State, Texas State from the Sun Belt, and five former Mountain West programs: San Diego State, Utah State, Boise State, Colorado State and Fresno State.
The league will play a balanced 16-game schedule, with each team facing every other opponent once at home and once on the road.
Gonzaga’s path to the top looks clearer because of some major changes elsewhere in the league. San Diego State is dealing with a massive roster overhaul for Brian Dutcher, and Utah State has a new head coach in Ben Jacobson.
Finishing in the top two would let the Zags skip the early tournament minefield and reduce the chance of a damaging late-season loss that could hurt their NCAA tournament seeding. It would also all but secure the conference’s automatic bid.
The move ends Gonzaga’s long run with the Orleans Arena, which had hosted the WCC Tournament every year since 2009. Still, the Bulldogs already know the MGM Garden Grand pretty well.
They played there last season in the Players Era Festival, beating Alabama and Maryland before falling to eventual national champion Michigan in the title game. Gonzaga’s only other game at the arena came in 2023-24, when it beat USC 89-76 in the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational.
The Pac-12 tournament will air on USA Network through the semifinals, with the championship game set for CBS.
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Graves arrived there after two seasons as a graduate assistant under Todd Golden at Florida, and before that he logged stops at Gonzaga, Lane Community College and Southern Oregon. Portland State coach Jase Coburn singled out Graves basketball knowledge and player development work in announcing the move, a sign the Vikings are adding a young coach with a broad enough background to keep climbing. [Read more 🡒]