Pac-12 announces creation of Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge presented by MGM Resorts International
Oct 8, 2019
Inaugural 2020 event to feature marquee matchups against Big 12 opponents at T-Mobile Arena
SAN FRANCISCO - The Pac-12 Conference announced today the creation of the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge presented by MGM Resorts International, a men's basketball non-conference scheduling series, in partnership with the Oak View Group (OVG), Basketball Promotions & Events (BPE) and T-Mobile Arena.
The annual Challenge is slated to begin in December 2020 with three Pac-12 men's basketball programs facing three non-league opponents in T-Mobile Arena, followed by a rotation of Pac-12 programs into the Las Vegas facility and to neutral-site venues in marquee markets around the nation in subsequent seasons.
COLORADO will battle TCU, WASHINGTON will face Oklahoma, and OREGON will take on a to-be-determined Big 12 opponent at T-Mobile Arena in the inaugural matchups in 2020, with anticipated return games at American Airlines Center in Dallas in 2021.
ARIZONA, ARIZONA STATE and USC are committed to open Challenge play in Las Vegas in 2021, with return games in the New York City Metro area to occur in 2022, against opponents from a to-be-announced power conference.
"This first-of-its-kind conference Challenge will serve as a great opportunity for our Pac-12 schools to showcase their men’s basketball brands in high-profile, priority markets around the country against elite peer-conference competition, while also providing additional quality non-conference scheduling opportunities," said Jamie Zaninovich, Pac-12 Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer in charge of men's basketball. "We're thrilled to work with OVG and BPE in bringing this event to fruition in an effort to enhance the Pac-12's basketball brand nationally, and to continue to expand our strong relationship with MGM Resorts, T-Mobile Arena and Las Vegas."
"We are very pleased to partner with the Pac-12 in this unique basketball challenge around the country," said Dan Shell, President of OVG Collegiate. "These partnerships become successful due to the people behind them, and we are delighted to team with the Conference, BPE, MGM Resorts, and the other participating arenas to make this event just that."
George Kliavkoff, president of Entertainment & Sports, MGM Resorts, said, "We look forward to partnering with the Pac-12 Conference once again and the OVG Collegiate team for the first time on this new multi-year event. As longtime partners of the Pac-12, we are extremely familiar with the caliber of event they produce and have no doubt the annual Coast-to-Coast Challenge will be a marquee college basketball event fans will look forward to attending at T-Mobile Arena."
The event's dual-site rotation will continue into 2023 with an anticipated finish at an OVG Arena Alliance venue in 2024.
Additional matchups and event details, including game dates, times and television for the initial December 2020 contests, will be announced at a later date.
About the Pac-12 Conference
The Conference has a tradition as the “Conference of Champions,” leading the nation in NCAA Championships in 53 of the last 59 years, with 526 NCAA team titles overall. The Conference comprises 12 leading U.S. universities - the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Colorado, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Stanford University, the University of Southern California, the University of Utah, the University of Washington and Washington State University. For more information on the Conference’s programs, member institutions, and Commissioner Larry Scott, go to Pac-12.com/conference.
About Oak View Group
Oak View Group was founded in 2015 by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff to be a positive disruption in sports and entertainment. The company currently has offices in Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City, and London. OVG's business divisions include OVG Business Development, OVG Global Partnerships, OVG Collegiate, OVG Media and Conferences, OVG Facilities, Prevent Advisors, and the Arena and Stadium Alliance, which is a select group of top U.S. venues. OVG has recently been awarded the right to construct a world-class arena on the University of Texas Austin’s campus.
About Basketball Promotions & Events
Basketball Promotions & Events and its president Chris Spencer have been organizing and operating college basketball events since 1995. During this span BPE has coordinated more than 150 tournaments including the first multi-team event (MTE) in the City of Las Vegas in 2000.
About MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and retail offerings. MGM Resorts creates immersive, iconic experiences through its suite of Las Vegas-inspired brands. The MGM Resorts portfolio encompasses 30 unique hotel and destination gaming offerings including some of the most recognizable resort brands in the industry. Expanding throughout the U.S. and around the world, the company recently acquired the operations of Empire City Casino in New York and MGM Northfield Park. In 2018, MGM Resorts opened MGM Springfield in Massachusetts, MGM COTAI in Macau, and the first Bellagio-branded hotel in Shanghai. The 82,000 global employees of MGM Resorts are proud of their company for being recognized as one of FORTUNE® Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies®. For more information visit us at www.mgmresorts.com.