LAS VEGAS ([FOX5](http://fox5vegas.com/)) — FOX5 Sports reporter and “Reb Zone” host Paloma Villicana said Las Vegas is in the middle of its most active stretch of the sports calendar, with March Madness underway at the Thomas & Mack Center alongside Golden Knights hockey, Raiders offseason activity, and the Las Vegas Aces.
“It is March. March Madness. Honestly, the busiest week here in Las Vegas,” Villicana said. “It’s a hoops town.”
Runnin’ Rebels
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The Runnin’ Rebels are in the National Invitational Tournament, or NIT, after finishing the regular season with a 17-16 record. Villicana described new head coach Josh Pastner as a departure from the typical coaching mold.
“He is unhinged, full of energy. He says whatever he wants. He’s not your typical coach who’s kind of coach talk — he’s all out there,” she said.
Villicana added that both Pastner and UNLV football head coach Dan Mullen previously worked at ESPN, which she said makes her job easier.
“I don’t have to tell them anything. They come into the studio and they’re ready to roll,” she said.
Las Vegas as a sports market
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Villicana, who moved to Las Vegas in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, said she has watched the city’s sports landscape expand rapidly since her arrival.
“I really got to see Allegiant Stadium go up. The Raiders move here. The Aces win their championships. The Golden Knights winning their Stanley Cup,” she said. “It’s been a fast surge of success here in Las Vegas.”
She said the city’s infrastructure and economy have made it attractive to additional franchises and major events.
“Now other teams like the A’s and the NBA look at Las Vegas and say it’s cheap to move a team here — much cheaper than New York or San Francisco or L.A.,” Villicana said. “Everyone wants to host their draft, their championship, go to the Sphere.”
Villicana said she believes Las Vegas could host the Super Bowl on a regular rotation.
“It is just easy to do things here, do it at a high level,” she said.
NIL and the transfer portal
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Villicana was hired specifically to cover college football and college basketball. She said the transfer portal and name, image and likeness rules have fundamentally changed that beat.
“Right now in college athletics, there’s not a lot of regulation. I feel like athletes can kind of do what they want right now,” she said. “College athletics is like the wild, wild west. You have players transferring mid-season. We saw that at UNLV last year.”
She said the instability creates challenges for programs trying to build consistency.
“You’re building a brand new football team every single year,” Villicana said. “Every team I work with here in Las Vegas, it is a brand new team every year.”
Villicana said she hopes the NCAA moves toward more structure.
“I’d like to see the NCAA decide to maybe just create a little bit more stability, keep players out of school for two years, at least,” she said.
Life on the road
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Villicana said she travels from August through March Madness each year, describing a schedule that often leaves her home in Las Vegas only twice a week.
“It’s a blessing, but it’s also a life on the road,” she said. “Sometimes you’re in the middle of the Northwest and the snow, but it’s also grueling — you’re constantly working.”
She said the pace becomes clear to students who shadow her on an assignment.
“I love when UNLV students shadow me, and they see just how fast — final score, game is over, boom, I’m on TV,” Villicana said. “I got to be ready to roll.”
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