Wichita State will play in Las Vegas for the first time in 15 years when it takes part in the 2021 Roman Main Event, Nov. 19 and 21 at T-Mobile Arena.
 
The four-team tournament includes WSU, Arizona, UNLV and Michigan.
 
"We're looking forward to competing in the Roman Main Event next fall," head coach Isaac Brown said. "It's a fun and easy trip for our fans and a great early-season test for our team against three of the most-storied programs in college basketball."
 
WSU last competed in Las Vegas on Dec. 22-23, 2006 as part of the Las Vegas Invitational.
 
The Shockers are 3-1 all-time against UNLV. WSU twice upset nationally-ranked Runnin' Rebel squads at Charles Koch Arena in 2011-12 and 2015-16 as part of the Missouri Valley-Mountain West Challenge Series.
 
WSU is 2-1 against Arizona. The teams split two games in the early 1950s. The Shockers won the rubber match in the first round of the 2016 NCAA tournament in Providence, upsetting the sixth-ranked Wildcats, 65-66.
 
WSU is 3-3 against Michigan. The teams last met in the second round of the 1984 NIT in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines also ousted the Shockers from the 1976 NCAA tournament.
 
Since launching in 2014, the Roman Main Event has blossomed into one of the premier early season tournaments in college basketball. And for 2021, the event welcomes a new title sponsor in Roman, an American telehealth company that diagnoses patients and subsequently prescribes and delivers treatments.
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Roman on board as our new title sponsor," said Brooks Downing, President and CEO of bdG Sports, the event owner and operator. "As this tournament has matured into one of the best early season events in all of college basketball, our partners at Roman recognized the value in the high-quality teams we've been able to attract to our destination location in Las Vegas." 
 
Michigan is expected to once again be a top-5 program next season with two Top-10 incoming freshmen (No. 7 Caleb Houston and No. 8 Moussa Diabate). Michigan currently sits at 19-3 and earned the regular season Big Ten Championship.
 
"We are always looking to challenge ourselves during the non-conference to prepare us for the Big Ten," said Michigan's Juwan Howard. "The Roman Main Event is not only going to be a fun and exciting environment; it is going to give all four teams the opportunity to really test themselves early on in November."
 
UNLV will be looking to win its second Main Event championship belt after winning the tournament title in 2017. 
 
UNLV men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger said "We are looking forward to competing in next season's Main Event. The field is tremendous and we feel fortunate that it is right here in our own backyard at T-Mobile Arena."
 
Wichita State has been one of the surprise programs of the college basketball season this year. After a tumultuous off-season, the Shockers currently sit at 15-4 and won the regular season American Athletic Conference title. Interim coach Isaac Brown earned the permanent promotion to head coach three weeks ago and has a program that critics expect will make a deep run this postseason. 
 
Arizona, 17-9 this season, rounds out the field. The Wildcats' fan base, one of the best in college basketball, is no stranger to Vegas as 'Zona fans regularly pack T-Mobile Arena for the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament. Coach Sean Miller's squad boasted 11 freshmen and sophomores this year and is expected to contend for a Pac-12 title next season.
 
Tickets for the two-day tournament range from $29-$129 per day and two-day packages are available from $49-$209 (prices are inclusive of tax and facility fee). Tickets can be purchased at www.tmobilearena.com or www.axs.com. First-round games will be played Friday, Nov. 19 with the consolation and championship games tipping Sunday, Nov. 21. Tickets will allow access to both games on the given day. Pairings and game times will be announced soon and the event will be nationally televised. 
 
The tournament benefits Coaches vs. Cancer, an initiative spearheaded by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (www.nabc.com) and the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org). Veteran Las Vegas promoter bdG Sports is managing the event, as well as Duke vs. Gonzaga on Nov. 26 at T-Mobile Arena. Other bdG properties in Las Vegas include the Korn Ferry Tour's MGM Resorts Championship at Paiute in April. 
 
Complete tournament information can be found at www.romanmainevent.com and on social media at @VegasMainEvent. Tournament hotel rates are available now via the website. Rates are available for ARIA, Park MGM, MGM Grand and New York-New York. All resorts are a short walking distance to T-Mobile Arena.