The pantheon of great ideas, which perhaps began with the light bulb, has expanded since to include, in no particular order, central air, remote control, pay at the pump and the mute button.

But if Debbie Antonelli's swing for the fence produces the requisite homer — in this case, the entire Sweet 16/Elite Eight round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament permanently moved to Las Vegas — she gets her own statue.

And now for the best news: There is momentum. It actually might happen. That's because Antonelli has the attention and imagination of a growing number of the intelligentsia, well beyond the women's basketball committee, whose members suffer from low thresholds for ingenuity.

Antonelli has parlayed her boundless energy, smarts, marketing background at Ohio State and Kentucky and the institutional knowledge of women's basketball that comes with her 28-year career as a television analyst.

What happens in Vegas ... should be women's hoops.

And to think her idea to "rebrand" the game by moving it to the neon desert was once mocked. Not so much anymore, what with NCAA president Mark Emmert saying last week that the NCAA is reconsidering its ban on postseason events in Vegas. Emmert knows as well as anybody else that the Pac 12 and West Coast Conference already hold their conference basketball tournaments there.

"We're trying to get people to look at the women's tournament in a different way," Antonelli said during a thoroughly entertaining phone conversation Monday morning. "Change the format, make it a destination type event the way softball (Oklahoma City) and baseball (Omaha) does. A chance to rebrand the game. Because I've got to tell you, the NCAA corporate partner thing is not in place for women's basketball."

The "NCAA Corporate Champion and Corporate Partner Program" develops marketing and promotional activities around championship events. The evidence suggests the corporate champions do not champion women's basketball, given that Antonelli's research found that of the 89 NCAA championship events, the women's basketball tournament is 89th among revenue.

"It's a financial drain," she said.

So why all 16 teams in Vegas? Forget about the allure of the city for a second. Vegas would allow and encourage legal gambling on women's basketball. Can you think of a better way to attract the almighty "18-35 male demographic?" Dismiss the 18-35ers all you want. Insult them. Mock them. But they're the ones who frame how sports are watched: mostly through gambling and fantasy. Imagine if they got a chance to bet the UConn women, the surest bet in sports since Mariano Rivera?

"We've never captured that demographic," Antonelli said. "It's the largest chunk. If there's a line on the game, that means someone wants to bet. That means interest. More people will start paying attention. In Vegas, it's legal. Vegas has the best safeguards. The strictest gaming."

We in Connecticut should volunteer to carry Antonelli's torch. We care about women's basketball more than anyone else. And we know that sporting events inside casinos don't scar the participants, fans or media for life.

Think about it. Mohegan Sun Arena is the home of the state high school basketball championships, providing the arena rent free, feeding the kids and giving them a professional venue for a lifetime of memories. There are college tournaments in Neon Uncasville. The Connecticut Sun. Professional lacrosse.

And what happens? We park free, eat, drink, shop and gamble if we so choose. Mohegan Sun is almost singlehandedly responsible for the societal 180 that now suggests casinos are not brothels with bright lights. Watching games in the arena does not encourage little kids to go home and shoot dice and make prop bets. It's just a place to go have fun, if that's allowed anymore.

I'm in. I'd be shocked if every other media member isn't, too. I'd be shocked if more media members didn't start covering women's basketball, at least in March, knowing there's a trip to Vegas waiting.

A permanent switch to Vegas, whose officials like the idea, would lift the burden on host cities that often lose money on the women's basketball regionals. It's a 16-team palooza. A party before the Final Four. A chance to open the game to people who heretofore would shut the blinds if women's basketball happened in their backyards. A new, bright, innovative idea that would legitimize women's basketball as never before.

You go, Deb.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.

Twitter: @BCgenius