Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament
| Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament | |
|---|---|
| Sport | College basketball |
| Conference | Horizon League |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Current stadium | Little Caesars Arena (beginning in 2018) |
| Current location | Detroit, Michigan |
| Played | 1980–present |
| Last contest | 2017 |
| Current champion | Northern Kentucky Norse |
| Most championships | Butler Bulldogs (7) |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNU |
The Horizon League men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1980. The winner of the tournament is designated the Horizon League Tournament Champion and receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The finals of the tournament are typically among the first held before the field for the NCAA tournament is announced.
Through 2002, the entire tournament was hosted at a single venue. From 2003 through 2015, all first-round matches were played at the home court of the higher-seeded team involved. Hosting rights for the quarterfinals and semifinals were awarded to the winner of the regular season championship. The championship game was played at the home arena of the higher remaining seed. This format rewarded the regular-season champion and runner-up with a double-bye into the semifinals. The regular-season champion received the added benefit of home-court advantage in the semifinals, plus a home-court final if it won its semifinal.
Beginning in 2009, the Horizon League secured an entitlement sponsorship of its men's and women's basketball tournaments with Speedway SuperAmerica, a major gas and convenience store chain throughout the midwest United States, officially changing the name of the tournaments to "The Speedway Horizon League Men's/Women's Basketball Championship".
On May 7, 2015, the conference announced that the entire men's tournament would be held in Detroit beginning in 2016 under a five-year deal with the women joining the fold in 2017. The Little Caesars Horizon League Men's & Women's Basketball Championship uses the name Motor City Madness. It was held at Joe Louis Arena in 2016 and 2017, and will move to Little Caesars Arena beginning in 2018.
In its first year, Motor City Madness drew 20,908 fans over four sessions, which is the seventh-highest per session average among the non-FBS conferences with a neutral site tournament. In the second year, the tournament drew 29,240 fans over five sessions.
Horizon League members past and present have made several Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four appearances. Charter member Loyola also won the 1963 NCAA Tournament.
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