Little Caesars Arena was to have been home to several first- and second-round NCAA tournament games in March. Health concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic put an end to that and any economic gain the region may have seen as a result.
The March Madness games were scheduled to be played March 18-20 at the downtown Detroit arena, but in November they were moved to Indianapolis, where the Final Four already was scheduled.
“My committee colleagues and I didn’t come lightly to the difficult decision to relocate the preliminary rounds of the 2021 tournament, as we understand the disappointment 13 communities will feel to miss out on being part of March Madness next year,” Mitch Barnhart, chair of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, said when the decision was announced. “The committee and staff deeply appreciate the efforts of all the host institutions and conferences, and we look forward to bringing the tournament back to the impacted sites in future years.”
Detroit’s Little Caesars Area still is the planned site of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Regional Tournament. It will be the second time an NCAA regional basketball round will be played in the Motor City. The last time was in 2008 at Ford Field.
