Pac-12 Basketball Tournament: How Does It Work?

how does the pac 12 basketball tournament work

The Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament, also known as the Pac-12 tournament, is an annual tournament concluding the NCAA college basketball season for the Pac-12 conference. The tournament was first held in 1987 for the Pac-10 conference, and since 2012 it has been held in Las Vegas, currently at the T-Mobile Arena. The tournament winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Characteristics Values
Frequency Annual
Participants 12 schools
Location T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Format Single-elimination tournament
Seeding Based on winning percentage in conference play with tiebreakers for identical records
Bye Top four teams receive a bye to the quarterfinals
Tiebreakers Head-to-head results, won-lost percentage against teams in regular-season standings, won-lost percentage against Division I opponents
Champion Receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament
Previous Names Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), Pacific-10 Men's Basketball Tournament
Previous Locations School sites (1987-1990)

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The tournament's history

The predecessor conference of the Pac-12, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), began playing basketball in the 1915–16 season. The PCC was split into North and South Divisions for basketball from the 1922–23 season. The winners of the two divisions would play a best-of-three series of games to determine the PCC basketball champion. The first Pac-12 tournament, then known as the Pac-10 Men's Basketball Tournament, was held in 1987. It ended after four seasons, in 1990, due to academic concerns, opposition from coaches, poor revenue, and poor attendance. The tournament was restarted in 2002.

The tournament was held at different school sites from 1987 to 1990. UCLA won the inaugural tournament, which was held at their school, and the Arizona Wildcats hosted and won the 1988 tournament. The Wildcats also won the 1989 and 1990 tournaments.

The 2011 championship game attracted only 12,074 paid attendees, less than two-thirds the capacity of the Staples Center. As a result, bids were reopened from other cities to host the tournament. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Seattle submitted bids for consideration. In March 2012, the tournament was officially moved to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for a three-year term. The tournament moved to the T-Mobile Arena once it opened during the 2016–17 basketball season. The tournament has been held in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena in recent years, including in 2022 and 2024.

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Format and rules

The Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament is the annual concluding tournament for NCAA college basketball in the Pac-12. The tournament takes place in Las Vegas, with the 2022 edition held at the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The tournament was previously held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas from 2012 until the 2016-17 basketball season.

The modern tournament format began in 1987 as the Pacific-10 Men's Basketball Tournament. The first incarnation of the tournament ran from 1987 to 1990, hosted at different school sites. UCLA won the inaugural tournament, which was hosted by the Bruins. The tournament was dropped after 1990 due to opposition from coaches, poor revenue, and poor attendance.

The Pac-12 tournament was restarted in 2002. The predecessor conference of the Pac-12, the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), began playing basketball in the 1915–16 season. The PCC was split into North and South Divisions for basketball starting with the 1922–23 season. The winners of the two divisions would play a best-of-three series of games to determine the PCC basketball champion. If two division teams tied, they would have a one-game playoff to produce the division representative.

The 2022 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament was held from March 9–12, 2022. All 12 schools were scheduled to participate, with seedings determined by the winning percentage of the teams in conference play. Tiebreakers are in place to seed teams with identical conference records. The top four teams receive a bye to the quarterfinals.

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Venues

The Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament, also known as the Pac-12 tournament, is an annual tournament held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament takes place at the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.

The tournament was previously held at different school sites when it first began in 1987 as the Pacific-10 Men's Basketball Tournament. UCLA hosted and won the inaugural tournament, and the Arizona Wildcats hosted and won the 1988, 1989, and 1990 tournaments. However, due to opposition from coaches, poor revenue, and poor attendance, the tournament was dropped after 1990.

In 2011, the championship game attracted only 12,074 paid attendees, which was less than two-thirds of the capacity of the Staples Center. As a result, commissioner Larry Scott reopened bids from other cities to host the Pac-12 Tournament. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Seattle submitted bids for consideration.

On March 13, 2012, the Pac-12 Tournament was officially moved to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for a three-year term. The tournament moved to the T-Mobile Arena during the 2016-17 basketball season, and the hosting contract between the Pac-12 and the arena ran through 2020.

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Winners

The Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament, also known as the Pac-12 tournament, is the annual concluding tournament for NCAA college basketball in the Pac-12. The tournament takes place in Las Vegas, with the 2022 and 2024 iterations held at the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.

The modern tournament format began in 1987 as the Pacific-10 Men's Basketball Tournament, hosted at different school sites. UCLA won the inaugural tournament, with the Arizona Wildcats hosting and winning the 1988 tournament. The Wildcats also won the 1989 and 1990 tournaments. However, the tournament was dropped after 1990 due to academic concerns, opposition from coaches, poor revenue, and poor attendance.

The tournament was restarted in 2002, and the 2012 edition was officially moved to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, for a three-year term. The tournament moved to the T-Mobile Arena during the 2016-17 basketball season.

The winners of the Pac-12 tournament receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In 2022, the Arizona Wildcats won the tournament, while Oregon emerged victorious in 2024, claiming its sixth conference title. Notably, the 2024 tournament witnessed Oregon State and Washington State as the lone remaining members of the rebuilding Pac-12.

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Attendance

The Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament, also known as the Pac-12 tournament, is an annual event held in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the T-Mobile Arena. The tournament was previously held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for a three-year term starting in 2012.

In 2022, the Pac-12 tournament drew more than 76,000 fans across six sessions at the T-Mobile Arena, ranking sixth out of 32 men's basketball conference tournaments. The tournament is a popular event, with fans and supporters flocking to Las Vegas to cheer on their favourite teams and players.

The Pac-12 tournament has a rich history, with the first tournament held in 1987 for the Pac-10 conference. It ended after four seasons due to academic concerns, poor revenue, and poor attendance. The tournament was restarted in 2002, and since then, it has become an anticipated event in the college basketball calendar.

The tournament format typically involves all 12 schools participating, with seedings determined by the winning percentage of the teams in conference play. The top four teams receive a bye to the quarterfinals. The winning team of the Pac-12 tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, a prestigious opportunity for the teams involved.

Frequently asked questions

The Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament is the annual concluding tournament for the NCAA college basketball in the Pac-12, taking place in Las Vegas.

The tournament started in 1987 as the Pacific-10 Men's Basketball Tournament.

The seedings are determined by the winning percentage of the teams in conference play. There are also tiebreakers in place to seed teams with identical conference records.

The tournament is held in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was previously held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena but moved to the T-Mobile Arena during the 2016-17 basketball season.

The predecessor conference of the Pac-12 is the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC), which began playing basketball in the 1915-16 season.

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