The 2017 Little Caesars “Motor City Madness,” again hosted by Olympia Entertainment, will feature both the Horizon League men’s and women’s basketball tournaments running concurrently March 3-7 with 18 games over a five-day span. In March of 2018, both tournaments will move to the new Little Caesars Arena currently under construction.

Tournament atmosphere

“Having it in downtown Detroit at Joe Louis Arena makes it a true tournament atmosphere and is going to generate a lot of fun and excitement,” said Oakland University Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jeff Tungate. “Being able to play both the men’s and women’s tournaments together is really going to help the fans make a full weekend of it.”

Tungate said that Olympia was a “first-class operation” about which he heard great things from last year’s tournament participants. “Their willingness to bring in the women’s tournament says a lot about their commitment to both men’s and women’s basketball.”

‘Worth the effort’

Adding the women’s tournament doubles the number of games played, to 18. Four games are scheduled for each of the first four days and the two championship games on Tuesday, March 7. Challenges such as practice times and locker room availability are worth the effort, said John Ciszewski, vice president of sales for Olympia Entertainment.

“Having both tournaments at the same time and site will be great not only for the student-athletes, but for the community and for the fans of the respective schools,” Ciszewski said.

All-session and single-session tickets for the 2017 Little Caesars “Motor City Madness” will go on sale Thursday, December 29, at MotorCityMadness.HorizonLeague.com, the Joe Louis Arena Box Office and Ticketmaster.com.