ESPN
Family
of
Networks
to
Broadcast
The
District
Detroit
College
Basketball
Showcase
DETROIT
- The
ESPN
family
of
networks
will
broadcast
both
games of
The
District
Detroit
College
Basketball
Showcase,
the
inaugural
college
basketball
games at
the
brand-new,
state-of-the-art
Little
Caesars
Arena in
Detroit.
The
Saturday,
Dec., 16
contest
between
Detroit
Mercy
and
Michigan
will air
on ESPNU
while
ESPN2
will
carry
the
Oakland
versus
Michigan
State
game.
The
matchup
between
Michigan,
coming
off of
Sweet 16
appearance
last
season,
and
Detroit
Mercy,
which
welcomes
back
Horizon
League
Freshman
of the
Year
Corey
Allen,
will be
the
first
college
basketball
game at
Little
Caesars
Arena –
paying
homage
to the
first
event at
Joe
Louis
Arena on
Dec. 12,
1979 –
and
renews
an
in-state
rivalry
that was
last
played
in 2014.
Michigan
State, a
preseason
consensus
top-five
team,
will
face
defending
Horizon
League
regular
season
champion
and
25-game
winner
Oakland.
The two
in-state
foes
have
played
in 11 of
the past
12
seasons
and will
clash
for a
sixth
consecutive
year.
Little
Caesars
Arena,
home to
the
NHL's
Detroit
Red
Wings
and
NBA's
Detroit
Pistons,
has
already
been
tabbed
to host
a number
of
marquee
college
basketball
events,
including
the
Horizon
League
Men's
and
Women's
Basketball
Championships
and NCAA
Men's
Basketball
Championship
First
and
Second
Round
games in
2018 and
2021.
The
Detroit
Mercy
men's
basketball
team is
led by
second-year
head
coach
Bacari
Alexander
'99, a
former
Titan
standout
who
helped
the
program
to
back-to-back
NCAA
Tournament
wins in
1998 and
1999.
The
Titans
are also
set to
return
11
players
from
last
year's
squad,
including
Allen,
Second
Team
All-Horizon
League
selection
in
senior
Jaleel
Hogan
and last
year's
HL
leader
in
steals
in
junior
Josh
McFolley.
The
Titan
men's
basketball
program
is the
oldest
in the
state of
Michigan
entering
its
111th
season.
The red,
white
and blue
have
made 13
postseason
trips,
six to
the NCAA
and
seven to
the NIT.
They
call
historic
Calihan
Hall
home, a
venue
that
turns 65
years
old in
2017-18.
THE
DISTRICT
DETROIT
BASKETBALL
SHOWCASE
SCHEDULE
|
SATURDAY,
DECEMBER
16
1:30
p.m. ET
–
Detroit
Mercy v.
Michigan
(ESPNU)
4 p.m.
ET –
Oakland
v.
Michigan
State
(ESPN2)
TICKET
INFORMATION
One
ticket
is good
for both
games.
Tickets
can be
purchased
at
OlympiaEntertainment.com,
The Fox
Theatre
and
Little
Caesars
Arena
box
offices
(without
service
charge)
and
Ticketmaster.com.
To
charge
tickets
by
phone,
call
800-745-3000.
For
additional
information,
call
313-471-6611.
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