West Coast Conference has a future in Las Vegas if it wants it

LAS VEGAS — There’s one more year of Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference. Which means one more year of coming to Vegas in March.

The Orleans Arena, which has hosted the WCC Tournament each year since 2009, will be the site of the 2026 event coinciding with Gonzaga’s final year in the league.

We know the Zags are bailing on the WCC for a reconstituted Pacific 12 which is still looking for an eighth football-playing member school in order to be in the FBS mix. And no, Gonzaga has no intention of bringing back football. But the Pac-12 is more than happy to have Gonzaga as a basketball-only member.

The WCC, which is all about hoops, is not only going to have to replace Gonzaga, it also will have to fill in the blanks left by Washington State and Oregon State, which came over for a couple of years before going back to the new Pac-12. To that end, Seattle University is coming over next year and commissioner Stu Jackson said the league is looking to eventually get to 12 schools.

“Those discussions are going on every day,” he said Monday of replacing Gonzaga, which will once again face Saint Mary’s for the WCC tournament championship Tuesday night at the Orleans Arena. “I’ve said it before, our presidents are committed to expanding the conference by one to three teams though there is no timetable.

“But we’re going to be very strategic in who we add. They have to bring value to our league and we want to remain a multi-bid league.”

Such will be the case Sunday when the NCAA Tournament’s 68-team field is announced. Jackson, who happens to serve on the selection committee, will have both Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga in the event. And he’s right about filling in those blanks. Neither Washington State nor Oregon State were a threat to land a spot in the NCAA men’s tourney this year. And neither figures to make it next year. The OSU women face Portland Tuesday afternoon for the WCC tournament title.

So finding teams that fit the WCC’s profile and are good enough to go dancing in March isn’t that easy. Jackson thought he had the answer with Grand Canyon. Except the Antelopes had second thoughts and ultimately decided to join the Mountain West.

Maybe the WCC looks to poach a team or two from the Big West or Big Sky. Bringing Seattle, a private Catholic institution which was a WCC member from 1971-1981, back into the fold appears to be a good move. It will keep the conference’s presence in the state of Washington after Gonzaga, which is located in Spokane, and Washington State, which is in nearby Pullman, go to the Pac-12.

But whether or not the WCC stays in Vegas beyond ’26 is going to be an interesting dynamic. When then-commissioner Mike Gilleran decided to move the WCC Tournament to a neutral site at the Orleans, it was a calculated risk. Would people travel? Would playing in a casino be frowned upon by the NCAA or the conference’s presidents? How would it look having the games on the board in the Orleans’ sports book?

It turned out to be a genius move. The fans showed up. The books kept the games off the boards early on though the last few years it has been business as usual. And the atmosphere inside the arena has been spectacular to where ESPN has been a mainstay in televising the semifinals and the title game.

“Over the past 15 years my view is Las Vegas has been a hub for basketball,” Jackson said of his decision to come back to the Orleans. “It’s a place our fans want to come to. It makes good sense for us.”

It makes good dollars too. So we’ll see if the absence of Gonzaga and its traveling troupe of supporters makes it worthwhile returning to Vegas come 2027. The Orleans could downsize the arena if need be. Or the WCC could move to Henderson at Lee’s Family Forum and play there before the Big West comes in.

Hopefully, the WCC decides to stay in Vegas beyond next year. It has become part of the city’s March tradition and it gives the economy a nice little boost.

As for Gonzaga, my guess is the Bulldogs won’t mind not visiting Vegas in 2027 as long as they can get here in 2028. In case you forgot, we’re hosting the Final Four that year over at Allegiant Stadium. And you know Mark Few would love to be here for that.