ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - The Board of Directors of the Western Athletic Conference today approved the University of Nevada as the host of the 2005 Western Athletic Conference Men and Women’s Basketball Tournament, it was announced by Board Chairman and SMU President Dr. Gerald Turner.
The tournament will be played on March 8-12 in Nevada’s 11,200-seat Lawlor Events Center, located on the university’s campus, and was awarded as a result of a joint bid by Nevada and the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority. Although it will be Nevada’s first WAC Tournament since it joined the conference prior to the 2000-2001 academic year, it has twice been the host of the WAC’s Indoor Track Championship and will host the 2002 WAC Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
As a member of the Big West Conference, Nevada also served as that conference’s tournament host on five occasions from 1996-2000.
"The University of Nevada has a tremendous basketball facility, and the Reno-Lake Tahoe area provides a great destination for fans," said WAC Commissioner Karl Benson.
This year’s WAC Tournament will be played March 11-15 on the campus of the University of Tulsa. Fresno State recently was announced as the site of the 2004 tournament.