MOUNTAIN WEST
The Mountain West Conference "will sponsor a conference esports tournament along with its conference basketball tournaments in March at UNLV in Las Vegas," according to Sean Morrison of ESPN.com. The event, known as the MW eSports Showdown, is the "first of its kind to take place across multiple titles in conjunction with a traditional college sports tournament." Boise State and UNLV will "take part in the event and compete in Overwatch, League of Legends and Rocket League from March 8-10." The esports tournament will "feature show matches at the Strip View Pavilion from March 8-9, and the main event between BSU and UNLV on March 10 at Cox Pavilion." The competition will be "broadcast on Twitch throughout, and the show matches March 8-9 are free for ticketholders for the men's and women's basketball championships." Ticket pricing for the main event has "not yet been announced." Other conferences have "held similar events, but not in concert with a traditional sports tournament or across multiple esports" (ESPN.com, 2/12). ESPORTS OBSERVER's Angelos Anastasopoulos writes the MWC tourney is a "big deal for collegiate esports." Having the event held around March Madness also "shows the growth of the space" (ESPORTSOBSERVER.com, 2/14).
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