Has to be a money thing.

I personally prefer Henderson, Nevada, because I have always thought that UC Irvine and Long Beach State has had an unfair home field advantage at the Honda Center. Plus, I enjoy playing in Las Vegas poker tournaments. :)

I also thought that the Honda Center was too large at 18,336 capacity. The Dollar Loan Center's capacity is 6019.

WCC and Pac12 have both played their tournaments in Vegas for with no Nevada teams.

Definitely making the trip

Frankly a more intimate venue near an entertainment hub like Vegas makes some sense. And as 69aggie noted, it's probably a better money deal for the conference.

agree. And it takes away any home crowd advantage for the LA schools

A buddy of mine lives on a piece of property in the Bay Area which his family traces back to Mexico. He says that when California ceased to be a Mexican territory land owners were required to prove up their titles in what was then the capital, Monterey. Easier for his ancestors than those who lived down south. I think that was the last time anyone in northern California had a home 'court" (Har!) advantage over anyone in the south.

The new arena is walking distance from the Green Valley Resort Casino, where we stayed once. Nice place. All the sudden the idea of going to the tournament sounds appealing to my wife!

Haha, I've gotta say it does make a trip to the tournament which I was already looking forward to sound just a little bit more appealing!