Early look at college basketball tournaments coming to Las Vegas

By BEN GOTZ LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

8 years ago

Arizona forward Lauri Markkanen (10), of Finland, and Southern California guard De’Anthony Melton (22) battle for a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Gus Ruelas/AP)

In this Jan. 5, 2017, file photo, UCLA guard Lonzo Ball goes for a fast break past California’s Jabari Bird during an NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles. The freshman ranks as one of the nation’s assist leaders for the third-ranked Bruins. (Michael Owen Baker, File/AP)

UCLA guard Lonzo Ball, left, shoots while defended by Kentucky’s Wenyen Gabriel (32) during the first half on Saturday in Lexington, Ky. Ball scored 14 points, had seven assists and six rebounds and UCLA upset No. 1 Kentucky 97-92. (James Crisp/AP)

Gonzaga guard Nigel Williams-Goss, right, drives while defended by Portland guard Andre Ferguson (11) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017. (Young Kwak/AP)

Arizona forward Lauri Markkanen (10), of Finland, gets over Southern California forward Chimezie Metu (4) for a basket during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Gus Ruelas/AP)

Gonzaga forward Johnathan Williams, right, goes up for a dunk in front of Saint Mary’s guard Emmett Naar during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. (Young Kwak/AP)

Prepare for college basketball to dominate Las Vegas when the calendar turns to March.

In the first two weeks of the month seven conference tournaments will be held in three local arenas, with the West Coast Conference, Mountain West, Pac-12 and Western Athletic Conference all crowning champions within city limits.

Plenty of college basketball’s stars will be on display, including UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball, who ranks second in the nation with 8.2 assists per game. Ball appeared on the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason list on Monday, for the awared annually given to the national player of the year.

Gonzaga junior guard Nigel Williams-Goss, a Findlay Prep product who is averaging 15 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, also made the list, along with Arizona freshman Lauri Markkanen.

Markkanen, who already made an appearance in town during the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational in November, is averaging 17 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

With about five weeks remaining until March Madness infects the town, here’s how each conference Las Vegas will host is shaping up so far this season:

WCC Men’s (March 2-7, Orleans Arena)

No. 3 Gonzaga (19-0, 7-0), the lone unbeaten team in the Associated Press Top-25 poll, could be seeking to solidify a No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament at the event after a spectacular early-season run. The Bulldogs score 85.1 points per game and allow 62.9 thanks to a well-rounded team that boasts few stars.

No. 21 Saint Mary’s (Calif.) (17-2, 7-1) has the potential to challenge Gonzaga and ensure the conference receives two NCAA bids for the first time since 2015. The teams met on Jan. 14 and the Bulldogs won 79-56.

WCC Women’s (March 2-7, Orleans Arena)

There is currently a two-way tie atop the conference standings, with Brigham Young (12-7, 6-2) and Gonzaga (15-4, 6-2) fighting for supremacy.

Junior guard Cassie Broadhead of the Cougars leads the league in scoring with 18.4 points per game. One of her teammates, senior forward Kalani Purcell, is also incredibly close to averaging a double-double every night, scoring 12.7 points and grabbing 9.9 rebounds per game.

Gonzaga redshirt sophomore Jill Barta, who averages 17.4 points per game, is also a player to watch for.

Mountain West Women’s (March 6-10, Thomas & Mack Center)

The conference looks fairly competitive at the top, with Wyoming (15-3, 7-0) leading the way. Colorado State (14-5, 6-1) is not far behind the Cowboys and New Mexico (9-9, 5-3) had a horrible start to the year before rebounding in league play.

UNLV (13-6, 4-3) looked like it would be a factor in the tournament early in the season, after starting the season 8-1. Injuries have taken a toll on the team since then, keeping it in the middle of the league pack.

Also, despite San Jose State’s poor record (6-13, 3-4), Spartans senior point guard Dezz Ramos has the potential to light up the tournament scoreboard. The league’s leading scorer had a career-high 40 points against UNR on Dec. 29.

Mountain West Men’s (March 8-11, Thomas & Mack Center)

The winner of the tournament looks like it will be the conference’s only NCAA Tournament team, as none of the league’s teams even received votes in the latest AP poll. UNR (16-4, 5-2) is tied atop the standings, but all other teams in the league have at least six losses so far.

The closest team to the Wolf Pack is Boise State (12-6, 5-2). Preseason favorite San Diego State (11-7, 3-3) has perhaps been the most disappointing team, with a bogged down offense leading to its poor record.

UNLV (10-10, 3-4) doesn’t look like it’ll stick in the tournament long, even with it being played at its home arena.

Pac-12 Men’s (March 8-11, T-Mobile Arena)

No. 8 UCLA (19-2, 6-2) has been one of the stories of the college basketball season, with Ball leading the team to a big win over Kentucky on Dec. 3.

The Bruins have been displaced as conference favorites though after a 96-85 loss to No. 7 Arizona on Jan. 21. The Wildcats received a huge boost in that game with sophomore guard Allonzo Trier returning after serving a 19-game suspension for taking a banned substance.

With Trier back on the court, Arizona added another player to an already strong rotation. The team’s next biggest test will be on Feb. 4 at No. 11 Oregon (18-2, 7-0), which is looking to return to the Elite Eight behind junior forward Dillon Brooks.

WAC Women’s (March 8, 10-11, Orleans Arena)

The conference is not enjoying a strong season with New Mexico State (13-6, 5-0) leading the way. The only other team undefeated in league play is Seattle (7-12, 4-0), which struggled greatly in the non-conference portion of its schedule.

The Aggies led the conference in several key categories after its first four league games, including scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, three-point defense, turnover margin and defensive rebounds. The team is also on a six-game winning streak, but one thing that could come back to haunt the team is its 1-3 record in neutral site games.

Those three losses all came in the Play for Kay Shootout in Las Vegas in December.

WAC Men’s (March 9-11, Orleans Arena)

New Mexico State (18-2, 5-0) has easily stood out from the pack this season, and the team is currently riding a 16-game winning streak. Aggies sophomore Eli Chuha ranks third in the conference in rebounds per game with 8.7, while teammate Jemerrio Jones is fourth at 8.5.

The league’s other teams are far behind New Mexico State, with second-place Grand Canyon (13-7, 3-1) and Cal State-Bakersfield (12-7, 3-1) each having seven losses. However, Grand Canyon, despite boasting a conference player of the year candidate in redshirt senior guard DeWayne Russell, will not be eligible for the tournament until next season.

Contact reporter Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.