Las Vegas Hosts Post-Season Hoops, MLS Soccer

Sun, Feb 21, 2016

Las Vegas continues growing as a destination for NCAA and professional sports fans and competitors, with the inaugural Vegas 16 men’s NCAA basketball tournament slated at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in March, and a recent MLS scrimmage demonstrating an enthusiasm for professional soccer among Las Vegas locals, who might one day have an MLS franchise for which to root.

Las Vegas is joining the ranks of post-season NCAA men’s basketball tournaments with the inaugural Vegas 16 Tournament in March.

The tournament is scheduled from March 26-30 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, and joins the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), College Basketball Invitational (CBI), and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament as direct competitors to the annual NCAA March Madness national title run held each March.

Former UNLV Athletic Director Jim Livengood is among tournament organizers who much choose the field of 16 teams to compete in the inaugural tournament, which would compete more directly with the CBI and CollegeInsider tournaments for teams, but eventually wants to challenge the NIT as the nation’s second-most popular post-season basketball tournament.

The NIT is the nation’s oldest active tournament, with the final four played in the prestigious Madison Square Garden, where the finals have been held for more than 100 years. The NIT also offers a rewarding payout for tournament participants, many of whom also host tournament games.

The CBI and CollegeInsider tournaments, however, lack the prestige and monetary reward ensured by a deep run in the NIT, which also receives a significant amount of television coverage. Like those tournaments, however, Vegas 16 participants must pay an entry fee, which is $50,000 for the Vegas 16 tournament, in order to participate.

Vegas 16 organizers are betting the lure of Las Vegas and holding the tournament in a single venue during the same week will boost interest among spectators.

While an NCAA post-season tournament is coming to Las Vegas, the city also might one day host an MLS franchise to compete in professional soccer.

A recent scrimmage held at Cashman Field and pitting the Los Angeles Galaxy against the San Jose Earthquakes proved very popular among the crowd of about 7,500 spectators.

Event organizers said they were impressed with the numbers and enthusiasm of the crowd, and said they like playing in Las Vegas. But the city’s climate would require a dedicated soccer stadium, if Las Vegas ever hopes to land an MLS franchise.