Las Vegas hosts basketball’s Thanksgiving Madness

Las Vegas Review-Journal

5 years ago

Colorado guard Tyler Bey, center, loses control of the ball after UC Irvine guard Evan Leonard, ... — Colorado guard Tyler Bey, center, loses control of the ball after UC Irvine guard Evan Leonard, right, attempted a steal as UC Irvine forward Tommy Rutherford covers in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado guard Tyler Bey pulls in a rebound in front of UC Irvine forwards Austin Johnson, back left, and Tommy Rutherford the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 18, 2019, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado guard Tyler Bey, right, pulls in a rebound as San Diego center James Jean-Marie defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/Cliff Grassmick)

UNLV isn’t the only college basketball team playing in Las Vegas this week.

The city is welcoming several men’s and women’s basketball events across a plethora of venues before and after Thanksgiving. A handful of players with Las Vegas ties are returning to their old stomping grounds, and some of the best teams in the country are here, too — including national runner up Texas Tech.

Here are the details.

MGM Resorts Main Event

Heavyweight bracket

When: Sunday, Tuesday

Where: T-Mobile Arena

No. 23 Colorado squares off against Wyoming at 5 p.m. Sunday, and Texas Christian and Clemson follow at 7:30. The losers will play a consolation game at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The winners play for the championship at 8:30.

Middleweight bracket

When: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

Where: Clark High School

Detroit meets UC-Irvine at noon Sunday, then Louisiana at 1 p.m. Monday. UC-Irvine and Louisiana conclude the event Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Continental Tire Classic

When: Wednesday

Where: Orleans Arena

Oregon State and San Jose State play ahead of the eight-team Continental Tire Invitational.

Continental Tire Invitational

When: Thursday, Friday

Where: Orleans Arena

Tennessee State and Cal Poly open play Thursday at 11 a.m., followed by North Florida and LIU-Brooklyn at 1 p.m. National runner up and No. 12 Texas Tech plays Iowa at 5, and Creighton tangles with San Diego State at 7:30.

The losers of the first two games play a consolation game at 11 a.m. Friday, and the winners play at 1:30 p.m. The winners of the third and fourth games play for the championship at 5, and the losers play a consolation game at 7:30.

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Women

Thanksgiving Shootout

When: Friday, Saturday

Where: South Point Arena

Ten teams from across the country congregate for two games apiece. Sacred Heart opens Friday against Detroit Mercy at 11 a.m., and Tennessee Tech and Northern Illinois follow at 1:15 p.m. South Dakota and Ohio State play at 3:30, Southern California and Nebraska play at 5:45, and Northern Iowa and Alabama conclude the first day at 8.

Detroit Mercy plays Tennessee Tech at 11 a.m. Saturday, and Northern Illinois and South Dakota play at 1:15 p.m. Nebraska meets Sacred Heart at 3:30, Ohio State and Northern Iowa play at 5:45, and Alabama and Southern California conclude the event at 8.

Lady Rebel Round Up

When: Saturday, Dec. 1

Where: Cox Pavilion

UNLV hosts Elon at 11 a.m. Saturday, and St. John’s plays Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis at 1:30 p.m. The losers meet Sunday at 11 a.m., and the winners play for the championship at 1:30 p.m.

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.