The Mountain West Conference announced today enhanced security measures for its tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas "in a coordinated effort to ensure a secure environment" ... in other words, to keep the drunken UNLV fans from trampling the Brigham Young Cougars again.

The league said it will limit alcohol sales -- only two drinks per person, per transaction, and no sales after the 16-minute mark of the final game of each session -- and operate a text-messaging system that will allow fans to questions or requests to the arena security staff, in addition to other "behind the scenes" measures.

It also will allow fans to celebrate on the court after the championship game, something it stupidly tried to restrain last season by blocking most of the portals from the stands to the court. That created a bottleneck that resulted in the post-game melee between the UNLV and BYU fans that came perilously close to a full-scale riot.

"The Mountain West Conference is committed to creating a safe, comfortable and enjoyable experience for the student-athletes, coaches and fans," commissioner Craig Thompson said. "We believe these plans, in conjunction with the other security measures that will be implemented, will allow everyone to fully enjoy the spirit of competition that is synonymous with Mountain West athletics."