The new league announced its men’s and women’s basketball tournament dates and formats to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for its first two seasons
LAS VEGAS (July 1, 2026) – Ahead of its launch, the Pac-12, in partnership with MGM Resorts and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), announced details for its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, returning to Las Vegas and the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.
Set to tip off Tuesday, March 9, 2027, both men’s and women’s post-season events will take place on the same days as part of two eight-game tournaments held over five days. All nine teams for both sports will participate in the tournaments, beginning with a play-in game on the first day between the lowest two seeds, as set by regular season performance and any necessary tiebreakers. The tournaments will continue on day two with the first round featuring two games for both men’s and women’s, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship rounds. Formats for both tournaments will see the two highest seeds receive a double-bye into the semifinal round and the third and fourth highest seeds a bye into the quarterfinal round. For each day and round, the women’s tournament games will take place ahead of the men’s, all at MGM Grand.
Men’s & Women’s Basketball Tournament Formats
- All nine teams participate in both sports.
- 2027 tournaments take place March 9-13 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, with the women’s tournament games taking place ahead of the men’s each day.
- Both tournaments begin with a play-in game on day one between seeds No. 8 and No. 9, with all seeds determined by the regular season records.
- No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive a double-bye into the semifinals on Friday, March 12, while the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds receive a single-bye into the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 11.
- Both championship games will take place Saturday, March 13.
“Bringing the next era of the Pac-12 and our basketball tournaments back to Las Vegas and the MGM Grand Garden Arena is a testament to the strength of our teams and brands,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould. “With combined dates and new formats for both our men’s and women’s events, our rich basketball legacy meets transformation with exciting new energy. We look forward to creating all-new memories for our student-athletes and fans by continuing to work with great partners in MGM Resorts and the LVCVA.”
Pac-12 Basketball Tournaments Broadcast Information
As previously announced, the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament will see its first seven games and four rounds broadcast nationally on USA Network in partnership with USA Sports, ahead of the title game also being featured nationally via free-to-air broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+. The Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament will also feature nationally televised, free-to-air broadcast coverage on The CW for its semifinal round and title game, with broadcast information and details of the first five games and three rounds to be announced at a later date.
Dan Quinn, MGM Resorts’ Senior Vice President of Entertainment, Arena & Venue Operations, said, “We are proud to welcome the return of the Pac-12 Conference to the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the opportunity to continue our longstanding partnership. Bringing together both the men’s and women’s Conference basketball championships under one roof creates an exciting experience for the student-athletes and fans. We look forward to providing a world-class stage for the next chapter of Pac-12 basketball in Las Vegas.”
Pac-12 Basketball Tournament History in Las Vegas
The Pac-12 previously held its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in Las Vegas in partnership with MGM Resorts and LVCVA. The men’s tournament previously took place in Las Vegas for 12 seasons from 2013-24, including at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for four seasons from 2013-16. The women’s tournament was held in Las Vegas for six seasons from 2019-24, including at the MGM Grand Garden Arena twice in 2019 and 2024.
MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, U2, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also has been home to annual events including the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the Latin GRAMMY Awards, iHeartRadio Music Festival, Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Championship and Frozen Fury NHL pre-season games hosted by the Los Angeles Kings. For more information, visit GrandGardenArena.com.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Pac-12:
Josh Ishoo / Jordan Stepp
jishoo@pac-12.org / jstepp@pac-12.org
MGM Grand Garden Arena:
Scott Ghertner / Allyson Wadman
MGM Resorts International
