The Pac-12 Conference today will introduce a first-of-its-kind rotating series of men's college basketball games that will pit its teams against teams from other conferences. The tripleheader event is called the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge and it will launch with three games in December '20 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. MGM Resorts Int’l has signed on to be presenting sponsor of the Coast-to-Coast Challenge. In the inaugural Challenge next year, Oregon will play a Big 12 team to be determined, Washington will face Oklahoma and Colorado will play TCU. Those same teams will play each other again in '21 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. The Challenge is essentially like creating a home-and-home series between the teams, except the games will be played at neutral sites. Also in '21, Arizona, Arizona State and USC will play their Challenge games in Las Vegas against three teams from the Big East. Those return games in '22 will be at a venue in the footprint of the Big East. The Pac-12 will continue to rotate its 12 teams through the Challenge with the first games played at T-Mobile and the return games in a market of the other conference. The Challenge is jointly owned by the Pac-12 and Oak View Group. Pac-12 Deputy Commissioner & COO Jamie Zaninovich took the lead on developing the unique concept for the conference and worked with OVG Collegiate President Dan Shell and Chris Spencer, a veteran basketball event promoter and operator. OVG sold the presenting sponsorship and is working to sell TV rights for the games. Zaninovich said the event is intended to create greater exposure for the Pac-12 nationally while also upgrading the conference’s strength of schedule.
