Preparations already being made for MWC Tournament

LAS VEGAS -- Mountain West Conference officials have been in Las Vegas since Monday morning in preparation for the conference basketball tournaments in March.

Though all the plans aren't laid out, it appears that the Thomas & Mack Center will have a different look and feel than past years.

The talk right now is that a number of the front rows, maybe four, will be eliminated.

It's meant to ease safety concerns, first of all.

UNLV fans stormed the floor after defeating BYU last year in a hotly contested tournament championship game. There were even a few computers that belonged to reporters which were stolen during the festival.

The other thought is that taking out the lowest seats (and making a six-foot jump for anyone trying to hop onto floor level, all around the arena) is that the UNLV fans won't be breathing down the necks of opposing teams.

More distance, so it's thought, means a more neutral feel.

It doesn't look plausible that a new floor will be installed, nor will different hoops be put in place.

But could this be a bit of a solution?

Obviously, UNLV playing on its home court has been an issue for the other eight MWC teams. This is the second year of a new four-year contract with the Thomas & Mack, a place the league returned to after a sleepy three-year stint in Denver.

The wish is that the MWC gets its postseason tournament into the new arena when it is finished in 2010. The city is also trying to lure an NBA team.

• Catch-up time: BYU's trip to Vegas gave some people a chance to talk with old friends. Jonathan Tavernari, who played his senior year of basketball at Bishop Gorman in town, greeted old teammate Marcus Lawrence and chatted for a minute. Same with Joe Darger, a former Riverton standout.

As always, it's a trip to watch BYU third-year assistant coach Dave Rice meander the Thomas & Mack Center. He has said years ago that he considered going into politics, and it would be hard to doubt his chances for success in this area. He might even beat Oscar Goodman for mayor.

The former UNLV player and longtime assistant spoke with numerous people -- school officials, fans, many others well before tip-off.

Though Rice tries to stay focused, there are always people who want a second to talk with him. And he tends to oblige.

TUESDAY'S BOX

UNLV 70, BYU 41

BYU (12-5)

Tavernari 1-9 0-0 3, Plaisted 2-3 1-10 5, Burgess 0-5 2-2 2, Murdock 2-5 2-2 6, Cummard 4-9 2-2 11, Loyd 0-1 0-0 0, Rose 1-1 0-0 2, Martineau 0-0 0-0 0, Fredette 1-2 0-0 3, Collinsworth 0-3 0-0 0, Miles 4-7 1-4 9. Totals 15-45 8-20 41.

UNLV (13-4)

Bailey 2-6 0-0 4, Darger 1-7 2-3 5, Adams 0-5 5-7 5, Rougeau 7-11 1-2 15, Terry 7-12 2-2 21, Rutledge 1-3 2-3 4, Wallace 2-4 0-0 5, Cage 0-0 0-0 0, Lawrence 1-2 1-2 4, Shaw 2-7 1-2 7. Totals 23-57 14-21 70.

Halftime--UNLV 39-21. 3-Point Goals--BYU 3-21 (Fredette 1-2, Cummard 1-4, Tavernari 1-5, Collinsworth 0-2, Murdock 0-3, Burgess 0-5), UNLV 10-25 (Terry 5-8, Shaw 2-4, Lawrence 1-1, Wallace 1-3, Darger 1-5, Bailey 0-1, Rutledge 0-1, Adams 0-2). Fouled Out--Burgess, Shaw. Rebounds--BYU 35 (Collinsworth 11), UNLV 38 (Shaw 8). Assists--BYU 5 (Burgess, Murdock 2), UNLV 16 (Shaw, Terry 3). Total Fouls--BYU 20, UNLV 19. A--13,074.