INDIANAPOLIS -- The Horizon League Executive Council has approved a revised bracket for the 2017 Little Caesars Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. In the new format, the women’s basketball championship will run concurrently with the men’s as “Motor City Madness” runs March 3-7, at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
The five days of games will feature men’s and women’s tournament contests on each day, beginning with the 8-9 and 7-10 games on Friday, March 3. The winners of those contests will play the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the second round, with the victors advancing to Monday’s semifinals. Sunday’s third round contests will see the 4-5 and 3-6 seeds play for a berth in the semifinals. Semifinal winners will meet on Tuesday, March 7, for the Horizon League title and automatic bid into the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tournaments.
“We’re excited to welcome the women’s basketball championship to the city of Detroit and Joe Louis Arena to build on the success we witnessed in our first season hosting ‘Motor City Madness,’” said Tom Wilson, President & CEO of Olympia Entertainment. “In conjunction with our Farewell Season at The Joe celebration, we look forward to once again providing an outstanding and memorable tournament experience for the schools, their fans and all participating student-athletes.”
2017 marks the final year the Little Caesars Horizon League Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will be contested at Joe Louis Arena before moving to the state-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena, currently under construction in downtown Detroit. After serving as the title sponsor for the 2016 men’s basketball championship, Little Caesars will return for the 2017 edition of the men’s and women’s tournaments.
“We are excited to add our women’s basketball championship to Motor City Madness,” said Horizon League Commissioner Jon LeCrone. “This new approach will help us build equity in the city of Detroit, strengthen our partnership with Olympia, and provide an outstanding experience for our students.”
The 2016 Little Caesars Horizon League Men’s Basketball Championship was carried across ESPN networks, culminating in Green Bay’s first conference championship in 21 years. Over 20,900 fans attended the four-day tournament, the first neutral-site Horizon League men’s basketball championship since 2003.
All-session and single-session tickets will go on sale Thursday, Dec. 29, at MotorCityMadness.HorizonLeague.com, the Joe Louis Arena Box Office and Ticketmaster.com.
The 2017 Horizon League men’s basketball championship game will keep its current Tuesday, March 7, slot on ESPN or ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET. Additional game times and network information will be announced at a later date.
