Drive to Detroit: College Hoops Invades Little Caesars Arena
Lance Rinker
Drive to Detroit is a series that prepares fans for Motor City Madness. Each article will take fans behind the scenes of a team’s journey or preview what fans can expect when they arrive in Detroit. This installment previews the Hitachi Basketball Showcase, featuring Detroit Mercy and Oakland of the Horizon League and Michigan State and Michigan of the Big Ten.
By Joey Yashinsky, Horizon League Contributor
(Dec. 13, 2017) — Sparkling new Little Caesars Arena in Detroit has already hosted a number of high-octane events. Paul McCartney, Kid Rock, and Guns ’N Roses belted out their hits to roaring audiences. The Pistons and Red Wings have offered up some of the best entertainment the NBA and NHL have to offer. And this Saturday, December 16, a pair of explosive college basketball contests will take center stage.
The Hitachi Basketball Showcase will pit the Horizon League against the Big Ten as four schools duke it out for state supremacy. In the opener, beginning at noon, Bacari Alexander’s Detroit Mercy Titans will square off with John Beilein’s Michigan Wolverines. The game will include an extra dose of intrigue with Alexander having worked under Beilein in Ann Arbor for six seasons prior to assuming the reins in Titan Territory.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Alexander. “To go against a guy that mentored you in this game, John Beilein, the all-time winningest coach in Michigan history, at Little Caesars Arena, in our city. Our guys are very excited about it and I’m looking for a tremendous showing from our fans.”
Part two of the hoops doubleheader will feature Greg Kampe’s Oakland Golden Grizzlies against Tom Izzo and the second-ranked Michigan State Spartans. Oakland was tabbed as the pre-season favorite in the Horizon League and, when healthy, are widely viewed as one of the most dangerous mid-major squads in the country. Kampe’s fast-paced group includes a trio of redshirt-seniors averaging better than 19 points per game: Kendrick Nunn (21.7), Martez Walker (21.2), and Jalen Hayes (19.3).
Fans attending the event will be able to explore The District Detroit, a bustling 50-block stretch full of restaurants, bars, parks, and, of course, the gem right in the middle of it all — Little Caesars Arena. The downtown area has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years, and The District Detroit is just the latest example of that resurgence.
Saturday’s doubleheader will serve as the perfect hoops appetizer for the main event coming March 2-6: Motor City Madness, with both the men and women set to compete for their respective Horizon League championships at Little Caesars Arena. Tickets for Motor City Madness are currently on sale through campus box offices and will be available for online purchase
beginning on Friday, December 15.
It promises to be a historic year of college hoops at state-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship will play first and second round games there in March.
The party officially gets going this Saturday with the Hitachi Basketball Showcase, a duo of highly-anticipated in-state showdowns: Detroit Mercy clashing with Michigan, and Oakland locking horns with the nation’s second-ranked team, Michigan State. It is sure to be a memorable day, and year, of Horizon League basketball in glistening Little Caesars Arena at The District Detroit.
Drive to Detroit series
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The District Detroit
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College Hoops Invades Little Caesars Arena