BYU Basketball: The WCC reaches a 3-year extension with Orleans Arena in Las Vegas

The West Coast Conference has announced a three-year contract extension with Boyd Gaming, the corporation that owns Orleans Arena, to keep the WCC tournament and championship game in Las Vegas through 2019. This applies to BYU's men and women's basketball team, as well as the other WCC schools that compete in The West Coast Conference.

With this new contract extension Orleans Arena plans to make several upgrades. From the release:

As part of the new agreement for the tournament, The Orleans will make several venue enhancements, highlighted by the installation of a new center-hung high-definition video board. The arena will also install new LED lighting which will complement upgrades made over the past year, including three-sided shot clocks and LED lighting for the backboards. At The Orleans Hotel, attached to Orleans Arena, WCC fans will be offered affordable room rates in the newly renovated 1,885-room hotel through 2019.

The Orleans Arena is a rather prestigious venue and will allow BYU and the rest of the WCC to reach a large audience of viewers just in time for The NCAA Tournament. Given BYU's large fanbase in Vegas, keeping the tournament there bodes well for BYU fan's ability to travel, and make their presence felt at the important postseason tournament.