LAS VEGAS — Moments after USC opened the Pac-12 Tournament with a win over Washington, Coach Andy Enfield let off a little steam.

“I think there’s an East Coast bias in the media,” Enfield began.

A reporter’s question struck a chord, when it was pointed out that the Trojans’ first-round game against the Huskies had tipped off after 8:30 p.m., near midnight along the East Coast.

Could it damage Pac-12 teams’ prospects for making the NCAA Tournament, as well as their seeding? Were any viewers even awake?

Faced with the premise, Enfield smiled and nodded along. Before arriving at USC in 2013, he spent two seasons at Florida Gulf Coast and five seasons as an assistant at Florida State before that. “East Coast bias” was real a phenomenon, he contended.

“I knew it then,” Enfield said, “but when you’re out on the West Coast, it’s very obvious. Our games start later. A lot of the media and the people that are bracketologists, they don’t even watch our games. They get the internet. They’re in bed by 10 p.m. East Coast time and our game’s just starting or maybe it hasn’t started yet.”

Of course, Enfield delivered his post-game rant after 2 a.m. eastern time, presumably well past many bedtimes.

“I’d probably be in bed by 10 p.m., too,” he said.

This season, USC has played 21 of its 33 games at 10 p.m. eastern time or later, including Thursday’s Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal against UCLA. Tip-off was 11:45 p.m. eastern time. The winner advances to a Friday semifinal that tips at 11:30 p.m. eastern time.

The exposure, or the limited exposure, for teams emerged as a topic of conversation at the tournament the following day.

Some shrugged.

“Andy must have a lot more time to think about things than I do,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said.

Altman later added, “We can’t change the time zone we’re in.”

As far as selection for the NCAA Tournament, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott didn’t see the late tip-offs as having much effect.

Last season, it saw seven of its 12 teams make the tournament, including the Ducks, who were a No. 1 seed.

When Scott took over with the 2009-10 season, only two of the league’s teams made the field, as was the case two seasons later. That March, Washington, which finished atop the standings in the regular season, missed out entirely.

“Think about that,” Scott said.

The conference, he reasoned, is healthier now, even though it might only send three or four teams to the tournament this season.

“To say late start times might be hurting Pac-12 basketball,” Scott concluded, “does not resonate from my perspective.”

ALSO

UCLA freshman TJ Leaf was named one of five finalists on Thursday for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. … Guard Shaqquan Aaron started a fourth straight game for USC in place of Elijah Stewart, who started the first 29.