Las Vegas was chosen to be the site of the first two post-
season basketball tournaments of the expanded 16-team WAC, league
officials announced Monday.  The deal is for two years with an
option for a third.  Las Vegas, which guaranteed the conference
$1M per tournament, beat out Dallas, Denver and Albuquerque.  WAC
Commissioner Karl Benson: "The guarantee eliminates the question
of whether the event will be financially successful."  The events
will be held at the 18,500-seat Thomas & Mack Center (Steve
Davis, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/2).

     Michigan State football coach Nick Saban and basketball
coach Tom Izzo have agreed to separate five-year deals with
Reebok that will include $1M worth of free Reebok products for
the MSU Athletic Department.  Izzo, who succeeds Jud Heathcote,
will receive "at least" $110,000 from Reebok during his first
year, while Saban, who is replacing George Perles, will receive
$55,000 (DETROIT NEWS, 4/30).

     The Univ. of Minnesota is hoping to lure fans back to
football games with promotions such as pre-game rock concerts for
students, greens fees at the university golf course and discounts
on extension classes.  Students are the "main marketing thrust"
of the ticket drive.  The U has not sold more than 10,000 student
season tickets since '69.  Last year, only 1,858 were sold.  MN
Asst. AD Pat Forciea:  "There's a tremendous amount of respect
for basketball and hockey.  We're trying to get football at that
level."  The U also plans to market the team ot the public as a
"door opener" for the rest of the university.  Forciea:  "One of
the things we can do that the Vikes or the Wolves can't is, if a
person wants to learn Spanish, we can teach them Spanish" (Jerry
Zgoda, Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/30).