Pac-12 Conference

2018-19 Men's Basketball Media Guide

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LARRY SCOTT PAC-12 COMMISSIONER WELCOME! On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, and everyone at the Conference and our 12 extraordinary universities, welcome to the Pac-12 Conference for the 2018-2019 academic year. This year, we expect to continue our tradition as the Conference of Champions, a tradition that was upheld yet again in 2017-18 when our Conference brought home 12 NCAA championships, more than twice as many as the next Confer- ence. We have led the nation in NCAA titles for 13 straight years, 17 of the last 18 years, and 52 of the past 58 years. And our success extends across a wide spectrum of sports. Indeed, nine of the past year's titles were in women's sports. Our commitment to that broad range of sports will once again be reflected in the exposure we provide our student-athletes. This coming year, Pac-12 Networks will broadcast and live stream more games, including more women's and Olympic sports events, than any other Conference network. I think you'll find a wealth of great stories about our teams and our individual student-athletes, not only on the field and court, but also in the classroom and the community. Our member uni- versities are committed not only to athletic excellence but much more importantly, to academic achievement and education of the whole person. This year, once again, the Pac-12 Football Championship Game will be held at Levi's Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers. This year, that venue takes on added luster, as it will be the site of the championship game in the College Foot- ball Playoff. In the spring, the Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament will return to Las Vegas, where for the first time it will be joined by the Pac-12 Women's Bas- ketball Tournament – a great setting for thrilling events and wonderful memories for our student-athletes, coaches, and fans. Leadership is important to the Pac-12 off the field as well, from unique initiatives in environmental sustainability, to groundbreaking research in student-athlete health and safety. As part of the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Health and Well-Being Initiative, we have formed a task force of leading doctors on our campuses in the area of mental health to advance best practices, conduct and apply important research, and serve as a collective resource to all the college athletics administra- tors who are caring for our student-athletes every day. We are addressing brain injury by funding research as part of a Brain Trauma Task Force of doctors and researchers on our campuses, employing new technologies across our athletic programs, and taking a leading role in the CARE consortium – the largest concus- sion study in history. We see an exciting and limitless future that extends around the world. Our Pac- 12 Global initiative continues to grow. This year's Pac-12 China Game will feature California vs. Yale, and our athletic, academic, and cultural programs will extend from Cuba to Australia and beyond. The world of college athletics, and the media environment that has become such an important component of it, continue to change at an almost dizzying pace. At the same time, new technologies like virtual reality – which we are partnering on with Google -- provide opportunities to enjoy sports in entirely new ways. Wherever these trends lead, I am confident that the Pac-12 will remain in the forefront -- bold and Western in spirit, committed to innovation and excellence, on and off the field. Always, the Conference of Champions. Sincerely, Commissioner Larry Scott

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