Utah fans that traveled to the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas were treated surprisingly well. Most probably booked just one or two nights, but Utah kept the fans in town by winning — not just one — but two games before it eventually fell to Oregon. Utah fans stayed longer than they imagined and got to watch some entertaining basketball in the process.
But was the Pac-12 Tournament the site of the best basketball in Vegas last week? The answer — unequivocally — is no. If Utah fans wanted to watch some really good basketball, they should have kept driving down Tropicana and pulled into the Thomas and Mack Center, which was hosting the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
Last week in Vegas was a shining example of how Utah’s fortune has changed with its move to the Pac-12. While Utah’s old MWC opponents were playing in Thomas and Mack on the UNLV campus, the Utes were playing in the MGM Garden Arena, normally the host of prize fights and premier concerts. Instead of stands filled with Albuquerque and Laramie residents, Utah was playing in front of Los Angeles’ elite.
These differences were clear and unmistakable, but they don’t signal Pac-12 superiority. Miami Heat president Pat Riley chose to watch the Pac-12 contests over the MWC, but Pat Riley doesn’t stand up and cheer during games.
Crowd atmosphere was easily the biggest difference between the tournaments. The crowds at both were big, but they were much bigger at the MWC games. While 18,500 fans packed into Thomas and Mack to watch the UNLV-New Mexico championship game, just 11,101 filled the MGM to watch Oregon beat UCLA for the conference title.
Not only did the MWC have larger crowds, it had rowdier ones. The immaculately primped crowd at MGM was gorgeous, but they were woefully quiet. Not surprisingly, the New Mexico fans had less makeup and larger waistbands, but they were far louder. Multiple schools — UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State — had a large group of traveling fans. Arizona’s was the only Pac-12 fan base that could contend.
There was a good reason for larger and more boisterous crowds to be at Thomas and Mack — Mountain West basketball is far better than the Pac-12’s. The coaches in the Pac-12 routinely recruit more talented high school students, yet they are unable to mold them into teams that are relevant on a national scale.
Let’s compare UCLA and New Mexico — the regular-season champs from both conferences. UCLA had three of the most highly touted freshmen in the country, and Shabazz Muhammad is considered by many to be a lottery pick. New Mexico has none of those things, but by being well-coached, they made up for the lack of talent and are now a No. 3 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
Consider this ­— Kendall Williams, the MWC player of the year, had just 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting in the final game. Bad news, right? Not with a team like New Mexico. Fellow guard Tony Snell picked up the slack with 21 points, and the Lobos played virtuoso defense. New Mexico held UNLV to 56 points and 34 percent shooting in the title game, and UNLV is more talented than any Pac-12 squad.
The Pac-12 is a conference on the rise, but if you want to see some truly great basketball in an awesome atmosphere next spring, opt for the Mountain West Tournament instead.