Vegas remains hoops hotbed amid pandemic

How do we know Las Vegas is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic? Just look at the men’s college basketball schedule.

Las Vegas will host five postseason tournaments in March. But in the coming months, the city will be a basketball Mecca with early-season tournaments and neutral-site games filling arenas around the city.

T-mobile Arena, Michelob Ultra Arena, Orleans Arena and South Point Arena will host early-season tournaments, including two tourneys at Orleans on the same day.

The highlight of the schedule will occur Thanksgiving weekend as two of the nation’s top teams, Duke and Gonzaga, meet at T-mobile Arena.

Here’s the schedule, which will even include two UNLV games.

Roman Main Event at T-mobile Arena

Semifinals, Nov. 19

Arizona vs. Wichita State, 7 p.m., ESPNU

UNLV vs. Michigan, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2

Finals, Nov. 21

Championship, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Consolation game, 9 p.m., ESPN2

Maui Classic at Michelob Ultra Arena

Quarterfinals, Nov. 22

Texas A&M vs. Wisconsin, 11 a.m., ESPN2

Butler vs. Houston, 1:30 p.m., ESPN2

Oregon vs. Chaminade, 6 p.m., ESPNU

Saint Mary’s vs. Notre Dame, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2

Semifinals, Nov. 23

Quarterfinal winners, 2 p.m., ESPN

Quarterfinal winners, 5 p.m., ESPN

Consolation Semifinals, Nov. 23 Quarterfinal losers, 11:30 a.m.,

ESPN2

Quarterfinal losers, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU

Finals, Nov. 24

Championship, 2 p.m., ESPN 3rd/4th Place, 11:30 a.m., ESPN2 5th/6th Place, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 7th/8th Place, 6 p.m., ESPNU Good Sam Empire Classic

Nov. 22 at T-mobile Arena

UCLA vs. Bellarmine, 5 p.m., ESPN+

Gonzaga vs. Central Michigan, 8 p.m., ESPNU

Nov. 23 at T-mobile Arena Central Michigan vs. Bellarmine, 4 p.m., ESPN+

Gonzaga vs. UCLA, 7 p.m., ESPN Las Vegas Invitational at Orleans Arena

Semifinals, Nov. 25

New Mexico vs. UAB, 4 p.m., FS1 San Francisco vs. Towson, 6:30 p.m., FS1

Finals, Nov. 26

Championship, 8:30 p.m., FS1 Consolation, 6 p.m., FS1

Las Vegas Classic at Orleans Arena

Semifinals, Nov. 25

San Diego vs. South Alabama, 10:30 a.m.

UIC vs. Hawai’i, 1 p.m.

Finals, Nov. 26

Championship, approx. 1 p.m. Consolation, 10:30 a.m. Continental Tire Challenge at T-mobile Arena

Nov. 26

Duke vs. Gonzaga, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

UNLV at the Mandalay Bay I Dec. 8 at Michelob Ultra Arena Seattle at UNLV, 7 p.m.

UNLV at the Mandalay Bay II Dec. 11 at Michelob Ultra Arena Hartford at UNLV, noon

CBS Sports Classic

Dec. 18 at T-mobile Arena

UCLA vs. North Carolina, noon, KLAS-8

Kentucky vs. Ohio State, 2:30 p.m., KLAS-8

Pac-12 Coast-to-coast Challenge

Dec. 19 at T-mobile Arena

Texas vs. Stanford, noon, KTNV13

Las Vegas Showcase

Dec. 22 at South Point Arena Saint Louis vs. Drake, noon