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Los Angeles • As the Pac-12 began what is almost certainly the last men's conference basketball tournament at the Staples Center, the biggest question Commissioner Larry Scott faced in a wide-ranging news conference Wednesday afternoon was no surprise.
Where will this thing be held in future years?
Multiple media outlets reported this week that the conference has settled on the MGM Grand Garden Arena as the site of the 2012 and 2013 tournaments, but Scott said that was not the case.
"We have multiple cities in our footprint that have bid for the tournament very aggressively," Scott said. "So, we have some tough decisions to make going forward and we've narrowed the process."
Salt Lake City submitted a bid as a host city, but officials said this week they had not heard from conference leaders in nearly two weeks.
A conference spokesman told The Salt Lake Tribune on Monday that the Pac-12 planned to make an announcement in seven to 10 days.
Scott confirmed that the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is a candidate. One issue with Las Vegas is the fact the West Coast, Western Athletic and Mountain West conferences already hold tournaments in Sin City.
"There are other tournaments going on that week," Scott said, "so obviously we would be up against other leagues if we were there."
Beavers get by with little from Cunningham
If there's been one consistent piece for Oregon State's men's basketball team this season — and there very well may have been just one — it's been Jared Cunningham.
The junior guard entered Wednesday's Pac-12 Tournament matchup with ninth-seeded Washington State leading the conference with 18.4 points per game.
The Beavers, the No. 8 seed, beat the Cougars 69-64 after seeing a 16-point first-half lead disappear.
The most astonishing thing about the comeback? Oregon State did it largely without an offensive contribution from its best scorer.
Cunningham finished with just three points on 1-of-8 shooting, leading to the quote of the day from Oregon State coach Craig Robinson.
"If you told me before the game started that that would be his line and we'd still win," Robinson said, "I would wonder what you had to drink before we got started."
Oregon State will play top-seeded Washington at 1 p.m. MST Thursday at Staples Center.
Twitter: @oramb