Michigan, UDM, MSU, Oakland announce basketball games at Little Caesars Arena

Michigan to play Detroit, MSU to play Oakland on Dec. 16

DETROIT – College basketball coaches John Beilein, Tom Izzo, Bacari Alexander and Greg Kampe came together to make a major announcement Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

The University of Michigan men's basketball team will play the University of Detroit Mercy while Michigan State University will play Oakland University at the new arena later this year. The games will be Dec. 16, 2017.

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"On the heels of securing an unprecedented four NCAA Championship events and the major concert announcement just this morning of Paul McCartney set to play Little Caesars Arena, we’re excited to announce another major sporting event in Detroit and welcome the passionate fan bases from Michigan, Michigan State, Oakland and Detroit to Little Caesars Arena and The District Detroit," said Tom Wilson, Olympia Entertainment President & CEO. "As the list of sporting events, concerts and family shows continues to grow at Little Caesars Arena, we look forward to showcasing four of our local teams and creating memorable experiences for the student-athletes, coaches and fans – before, during and after the games."

According to Olympia Entertainment, the matchup between Detroit Mercy and Michigan will mark the first college basketball game at Little Caesars Arena, paying homage to the first event at Joe Louis Arena on Dec. 12, 1979, which saw Michigan claim an 85-72 win over Detroit Mercy.

UDM Coach Alexander will be coaching against his former team for the first time since leaving for UDM. Alexander coached under Beilein as an assistant from 2010 to 2016.

Michigan State and Oakland have battled at The Palace the last few years and will move their series Downtown in 2017.

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About the Authors:

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.