Las Vegas Clash featuring Arizona-Indiana & UNLV-Washington State on Dec. 10 at MGM Grand announced

LAS VEGAS – Arizona will face Indiana for the first time and UNLV will battle Washington State in the “Las Vegas Clash” on Saturday, Dec. 10, at MGM Grand Garden Arena, bdG Sports announced today.

The Arizona-Indiana game will tip at 4:30 p.m. PT and be televised by FOX, in a rare East Coast, prime-time college basketball game on a broadcast network during the regular season. UNLV-Washington State will tip at 1:30 p.m. PT and air on FS1.

“Playing a high-level opponent like Indiana in Las Vegas will be a great opportunity for us and our fans,” said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd. “It will be a strong test against one of the preseason favorites from the Big Ten in an outstanding atmosphere. It’s one of those games that will have a special feeling around it and we are looking forward to it.”

Pac-12 powerhouse Arizona is no stranger to Las Vegas as the Wildcats won last year’s Roman Main Event at T-Mobile Arena which helped propel the program to a top-5 ranking and a No. 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Coach Lloyd has reloaded quickly after having three players selected in the first 33 picks of the NBA Draft. Arizona will be led by returning First Team All Pac-12 honoree Azuolas Tubelis and fan favorite Kerr Kriisa in addition to Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year Pelle Larsson with Oumar Ballo anchoring the post. Arizona’s new faces will include high-impact transfers Courtney Ramey and Cedric Richardson along with newcomers like five-star prospect Kylan Boswell, Dylan Anderson, Filip Borovicanin and Henri Veesaar.

Excitement is just as high in Bloomington where coach Mike Woodson has reinvigorated the Hoosiers program. IU All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis tested the NBA waters before announcing his return to the Hoosiers. The third-team All-American will be the third-leading returning scorer in college basketball next season after averaging 16.9 points per game last season. The Hoosiers finished 21-14 in 2022 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. The Hoosiers also advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2013 after knocking off Michigan and top-seeded Illinois.

“Our program is thrilled to have the opportunity to play Arizona in Las Vegas,” said Woodson. “We have fans throughout the country who are looking forward to making this trip between Thanksgiving and Christmas and I love the fact that two programs that have won a national championship will meet for the very first time. It should be one of the top non-conference matchups prior to conference play starting.”

bdG has worked for many years with UNLV to create attractive doubleheaders on the famed Las Vegas Strip when the Rebels are displaced from its own arena each December due to the rodeo.

“This is another step in helping Coach Kruger rebuild the great brand of UNLV basketball by creating a national event to showcase Runnin’ Rebels basketball,” said Brooks Downing, founder and CEO of bdG Sports. “All eyes will be on Grand Garden Arena for this doubleheader; it will be a tremendous crowd, national television and the talk of the sport that weekend.”

UNLV is coming off a successful 2021-22 season, which marked the first under head coach Kevin Kruger. The Runnin’ Rebels compiled 18 wins – its most in four years – and recorded 10 Mountain West victories, exceeding preseason expectations in the league standings. UNLV will be bolstered by the addition of transfers Isaiah Cottrell (West Virginia), Luis Rodriguez (Ole Miss), Jackie Johnson III (Duquesne), Eli Parquet (Colorado), Shane Nowell (Arizona) and EJ Harkless (Oklahoma).

“We are excited to be a part of the Las Vegas Clash doubleheader and to have the opportunity to face a strong Pac-12 team in Washington State on the Las Vegas Strip,” said Kruger. “The MGM Grand Garden Arena is a great venue for college basketball and we are looking forward to our fans joining us while the Thomas & Mack Center hosts the rodeo.”

Washington State continues to rise under coach Kyle Smith. The Cougars won 22 games last season in Smith’s third year at the helm and earned the school’s first postseason berth in more than a decade finishing the season in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York. WSU will be led by returning starters TJ Bamba and Mouhammed Gueye and a top-40 recruiting class.

“We are excited to participate in the Las Vegas Clash,” said Smith. “This is an opportunity for us to go on the road and compete against a quality opponent in Las Vegas. It will give our kids a good prep for our conference tournament. With our strong finish last year and our growth as a program, we have made a commitment to playing in nonconference events that will get us ready for the Pac-12 and NCAA. The Las Vegas Clash is a perfect fit for our philosophy. To be associated with storied programs like UNLV, Arizona, and Indiana in a high profile event is a tribute to the hard work that our players have put into the program.”

Tickets for the doubleheader go on public sale on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. PT at www.axs.com. Tickets start at $49 (prices are inclusive of tax and facility fee) and are good for both games. Complete event information can be found at www.lasvegasclash.com and on social media at @VegasMainEvent.

UNLV Men’s Basketball to player in Henderson for the first time versus Hawaii at The Dollar Loan Center

HENDERSON, NEV. – For the first time in its illustrious history, UNLV will play a game in Henderson when the Runnin’ Rebels face Hawaii on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at The Dollar Loan Center. The game will be played during the week when the rodeo takes over Thomas & Mack Center for its annual run.

“We are excited to welcome another premier basketball event to the court at The Dollar Loan Center,” said Kerry Bubolz, CEO of the Foley Entertainment Group, which operates The Dollar Loan Center. “UNLV fans who haven’t had a chance to see our new arena will really enjoy it, and the Henderson community will appreciate the chance to cheer on the Rebels. Hawaii fans were a noticeable presence in the arena at the Big West Basketball Championships and we look forward to welcoming them back for this compelling regular-season matchup.”

The Dollar Loan Center opened in March as home to the Vegas Golden Knights’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. A product of a public-private partnership between the City of Henderson and a group of investors led by Bill Foley, the 5,567-seat arena is operated by the Foley Entertainment Group. The Dollar Loan Center, also home to the Indoor Football League’s Vegas Knight Hawks, NBA G League’s Ignite, Big West Basketball Championships and the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame, sits in the heart of Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas which has grown to become Nevada’s second largest city with more than 330,000 residents.

The UNLV-Hawaii game, which will be included in the UNLV season ticket package, will offer a unique experience for fans with the Runnin’ Rebels playing in the intimate venue.

“We appreciate our partnership with bdG Sports and to have the opportunity to play so close to home at the beautiful new The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson,” said UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger. “With the Thomas & Mack Center hosting the rodeo during that time, we are excited to play in front of our Runnin’ Rebel fans at a new home away from home.”

Hawaii fans are no strangers to Las Vegas or the new arena. Hawaiians affectionally call the Valley the “Ninth Island” and the Rainbow Warrior fans were out in force in March when Hawaii advanced to the semifinals of the Big West Championships, which also relocated to The Dollar Loan Center.

“We’re thrilled to make another visit to The Dollar Loan Center to face a quality program in UNLV,” said Hawaii coach Eran Ganot. “We enjoyed our experience there in last season’s Big West Tournament  and this game allows our team to get acclimated to it for a return visit next March. We can’t wait to compete and we look forward to seeing all our Rainbow Warrior fans supporting us in the ‘Ninth Island’ come this December.”

Tickets for the game will go on-sale at a later date.

Drake’s, VisitLEX announced as presenting sponsors of Big Blue Bahamas at Baha Mar

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky men’s basketball team may be playing in the beautiful blue waters of the Bahamas next week, but the games of its summer foreign tour will have a “Big Blue” familiarity when the Wildcats take the floor. Drake’s, a Lexington-based restaurant known for its popular beer, burgers and sushi selection, will serve as the title sponsor of the 2022 tour while VisitLEX, the Lexington Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, will serve as the presenting sponsor. The four-game, seven-day tour will be officially known as Drake’s Big Blue Bahamas at Baha Mar presented by VisitLEX with the Wildcats training at the beautiful Baha Mar Resort in Nassau from Aug. 8-14.

“Drake’s is proud to be a part of bringing the Big Blue Nation to the Bahamas,” said operating owners Bruce Drake and Brian McCarty. “If Cat fans can’t make it to Nassau, Drake’s is your game-day headquarters.”

Kentucky will play the Dominican Republic National Select Team on Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. ET, Tec de Monterrey (Mexico) on Aug. 11 at 7 p.m., Carleton University (Canada) on Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. and The Bahamas National Team on Aug. 14 at noon. All four games will be broadcast live on SEC Network.

“We are thrilled to have our friends at Drake’s and VisitLEX partner with the Wildcats for these four games this summer,” said Brooks Downing, president and founder of bdG Sports, the local organizer for the event. “Both entities understand the value of their association with the Wildcats and viewership for this new edition of the Wildcats promises to be extremely popular on the SEC Network.”NCAA rules allow for a foreign tour by an intercollegiate team once every four academic years. Drake’s Big Blue Bahamas at Baha Mar presented by VisitLEX is managed by bdG Sports, a Lexington-based event marketing firm which annually manages more than two dozen games at Baha Mar each November.

This marks the third time the Wildcats have ascended on The Bahamas to serve as a tune-up for the regular season, and both previous times the Cats came away with positive results. UK first traveled to the island prior to the 2014-15 season which ignited a magical 38-0 run that ended with an undefeated regular season, SEC regular-season and tournament titles, and a trip to the Final Four. Kentucky earned a 4-0 mark in The Bahamas in 2018, prior to going 30-7 and reaching the Elite Eight in 2019.
This will be the Cats first trip to Baha Mar, a 2,300-room luxury resort of choice anchored by the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Hotel, complemented by the ultra-luxe SLS Baha Mar and exclusive Rosewood Baha Mar. The resort features a 100,000 square-foot casino, a new $200 million luxury water park Baha Bay, and Royal Blue, a Jack Nicklaus signature-designed golf course.

For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com. Fan also can follow @BahaMarHoops on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to follow the action from the tour.

FGCU, Toledo, Baylor and USF headline 2022 Gulf Coast Showcase men’s & women’s fields

ESTERO, Fla. – Celebrating its 10th year in Southwest Florida, the Gulf Coast Showcase men’s and women’s tournaments each feature loaded fields when college basketball returns to Hertz Arena in November. The two tournaments will take place on Thanksgiving week and feature FGCU and former tournament champ Toledo on the men’s side and six teams that competed in last season’s NCAA Tournament in the women’s field.

The action tips with the Gulf Coast Showcase men’s tournament on Nov. 21-23 at Hertz Arena. The eight-team tournament will be headlined by Toledo, the 2018 Gulf Coast Champion which has been the class of the MAC over the past two years, as well as FGCU looking to capitalize on last year’s 22-win campaign in new coach Pat Chambers first season at the helm. The men’s tournament starts on Monday, Nov. 21 with the following schedule:

  • 11 a.m. ET – Toledo vs. Kansas City
  • 1:30 p.m. ET – East Carolina vs. Indiana State
  • 5 p.m. ET – Drexel vs. UT Arlington
  • 7:30 p.m. ET – NKU vs. FGCU

“We’re excited to be playing in the Gulf Coast Showcase as it always brings great teams and matchups to Southwest Florida for fans to enjoy,” said new FGCU coach Pat Chambers. “It’s always a marquee event around the Thanksgiving holiday and we’re looking forward to being a part of it.”

Game times for Tuesday and Wednesday will be the same with semifinal games on Nov. 22 at 5:00/7:30. Wednesday’s championship game will tip at 7:30 p.m.

After a day-off on Thanksgiving, the women’s tournament tips on Friday, Nov. 25 headlined by six NCAA Tournament participants including 2016 Gulf Coast Showcase champion Baylor and South Florida making the short drive from Tampa. The women’s tournament is still considered by many as the premier women’s in-season event in all of college basketball. Past champions include UConn (2014 Gulf Coast Showcase champion), Stanford (2015), Baylor (2016), Notre Dame (2017), Texas (2018), Gonzaga (2019) and Iowa State (2021).

“This year’s Gulf Coast Showcase field is deep with six teams from last year’s March Madness field and some of the top coaches in the game,” said Women’s Tournament Director and CBS/ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli. “Nicki Collen is a rising star in coaching at Baylor and one that local fans may recognize from her days on staff at FGCU. The Bears may enter as the favorite but there are some great teams, led by some outstanding coaches in this year’s field, so several of the teams in the field could go home with the hardware on Sunday night.”

The first-round pairings for this year’s women’s tournament are as follows:

  • 11 a.m. ET – Baylor vs. Saint Louis
  • 1:30 p.m. ET – Belmont vs. Villanova
  • 5 p.m. ET – Michigan vs. Air Force
  • 7:30 p.m. ET – Georgia Tech vs. USF

Game times for Saturday and Sunday will be the same as the men’s tournament.

Ticket and Fan Travel Information

Fan travel information, including preferred hotel rates at the official tournament resorts, and ticket information can be found at the official event websites – www.gulfcoastshowcase.com and on social media at @GCShowcase.