LAS VEGAS — With 9 minutes 15 seconds to go before Arizona’s Pac-12 Tournament opener against Colorado, a robust “U-of-A” chant broke out inside T-Mobile Arena.
For those wondering if “McKale North” would transfer from MGM Grand Garden Arena to the new home of the NHL’s soon-to-debut Vegas Golden Knights, the answer was an emphatic yes — even if the crowd was a bit light Thursday.
In arguably the venue’s highest profile sporting event — T-Mobile Arena has played host to preseason NBA basketball and hockey, major college basketball, even the Ronda Rousey vs. Amanda Nunes UFC 207 fight — the new Pac-12 Tournament home was clearly adorned with red and blue.
Wildcats fans coursed through New York-New York Hotel, the tournament’s de facto home base, their numbers far exceeding those of UCLA, Utah and Oregon. As usual.
“The opportunity to get to see a new arena, to see Arizona out here, seemed like an opportunity I couldn’t miss,” said Benjamin Ciranowicz, a 2010 UA grad who’s attending his first Pac-12 Tournament this week. “It’s almost like a tradition, where Arizona fans come out and settle in for a long weekend. MGM was ‘McKale North’ — it’s time to make T-Mobile the same.”
At times, it felt like the Vegas of old. A Kadeem Allen to Chance Comanche alley-oop dunk brought a loud cheer. An Allen 3-pointer soon after got the fans on their feet. Later, an Allonzo Trier layup on a 3-on-1 fast break caught everyone’s attention, as much for the bucket as Parker Jackson-Cartwright’s assist that led to it.
This game, from the sound of it, could’ve been played in Tucson.
Take Noe Fraijo, for example. Born and raised in Tucson, Fraijo now lives in Gilbert, where, he said, “I see the ASU flag wherever I go.”
But, he added, “I still represent (UA) no matter where I go.”
On Thursday, that meant sporting a blue painted facial hair, a floppy top-hat with a Block A on the front, and a giant foam finger. The outfit all started with the foam finger in 2013, the Pac-12’s first time in Las Vegas after an 11-year run at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
But that wasn’t enough.
Fraijo also wore a bold red, white and blue Uncle Sam suit with a Wildcat decal attached to the back.
“I have a cousin who is a seamstress,” he said. “I got all the material together, gave her the plans …”
Anything to stand out in the crowd, which was mostly red on Thursday.
That’s the thing about the Pac-12 Tournament: It might as well be an Arizona alumni get-together. It’s a surprise no one molds Rice Krispies treats in the shape of Lute Olson’s head.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this an 8 or 9,” Fraijo said. “I love coming here for the entertainment, for representing. But when you have a sea of red around you, it makes it that much more enticing.”
For Arizona fans from Las Vegas, the tournament served two purposes: to check out their favorite team and to see the new arena that is just another step in Clark County’s push to be a sports destination. The NHL is coming, and the NFL’s Raiders might follow.
“First of all, every seat here is a great seat,” Las Vegas resident Jon Clarich said. “It’s very wide on the concourse, they have all different kinds of restaurants and bars and lounges. It’s kind of remarkable, really. This is what this town is all about. You have fans who come from all around, and where else would you want to watch a game? Especially a big game? You want to come to Las Vegas.”
Mainly, though, it was about the party.
“This is like a home game for Arizona,” Clarich said. “Even just walking the hallways, and not here but the casinos, you see everyone saying ‘Bear Down’ and high-fiving.”
