The West Coast Conference men's and women's basketball tournaments "will remain at the Orleans Arena" in Las Vegas for the "next three years," according to Jim Meehan of the Spokane SPOKESMAN-REVIEW. The last 11 tourneys have been staged at the same venue and have been a "hit at the turnstiles." Meanwhile, the WCC also partnered with brand strategy firm Legend Labs to unveil a "new logo and branding to better reflect the conference's mission and goals" (Spokane SPOKESMAN-REVIEW, 3/13). The WCC was the "first conference to bring a neutral site tournament to Las Vegas, signing up to play at Orleans Arena" in '09 (Provo DAILY HERALD, 3/13).
GOOD WHILE IT LASTED: Tuesday's Northern Kentucky-Wright State Horizon League men's basketball final marked the end of the tourney's four-year tenure at Little Caesars Arena, as it will move to Indianapolis next year in a three-year deal. In Detroit, Tony Paul notes the conference "initially committed to five years" in the city, and "hoped the run would last much longer." But a "complicating factor" was the Pistons' "decision to move from Auburn Hills" to LCA in '17. That created a "scheduling nightmare." For the league, the building rental fee "skyrocketing with the move" from Joe Louis Arena was an "insurmountable hurdle." Attendance for the tourney "peaked at 30,288 for Year 3, up from 29,240 in Year 2." Horizon League Commissioner Jonathan LeCrone said that there were "about 12 serious contenders" for the tourney's new host, with Farmers Coliseum "winning the host bid." Indianapolis also is the "home city of the league offices" (DETROIT NEWS, 3/14).
