BYU is no stranger to playing sporting events in Las Vegas.
Could the novel coronavirus pandemic lead to the Cougars playing their conference basketball games in Vegas, though?
CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported Sunday that the West Coast Conference will decide in the next 2-3 weeks if the league, which includes BYU, will play its conference games in a bubble environment in Las Vegas, much like the NBA hosted its bubble at Disney World earlier this year.
This comes two days after The Oregonian’s John Canzano first reported that the conference was looking into creating a bubble.
The WCC plays its annual conference tournament at the Orleans Arena in Vegas.
“It does seem like everybody is really, really committed to push forward with whatever we can make of this season. That’s a really positive thing. We’re trying to do it as safely as we possibly can,” BYU coach Mark Pope told the Deseret News this past week about playing amid the pandemic.
The Cougars opened practice Oct. 14, and the college basketball season tips off Nov. 25.
The league recently released its men’s and women’s conference basketball schedules. Among the highlights for BYU are games against WCC powerhouse Gonzaga scheduled, right now, for Feb. 6 in Spokane and Feb. 27 in Provo in the regular-season finale.
Also on Sunday, Rothstein reported that a previously announced home-and-home series between BYU and San Diego State is still a go, with the first game set to be played in mid-December at SDSU’s Viejas Arena. The second matchup is scheduled for the 2021-22 season in Provo.