Ten straight days in Congress Heights
washington.org lists the Coastal Athletic Association Basketball Championships for March 5 to 14, 2027, and describes 10 consecutive days of college basketball at CareFirst Arena in Congress Heights. The men's tournament runs March 5 to 9 and the women's tournament March 10 to 14. Each champion takes an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The arena address is 1100 Oak Drive SE, Washington, DC 20032.
The conference's 2026-27 championship schedule carries the same dates and a field of 13 in each bracket. It publishes no 2027 session grid and no tip time.
The 2026 edition ran five round days at the same arena, from Friday, March 6 to Tuesday, March 10, with the final on the Tuesday.
Two arena rules that set the plan
CareFirst Arena's Venue FAQs state that the building has a no re-entry policy during events, and that a guest who has to leave and return for a personal emergency must first make contact with a Guest Service representative to arrange it.
The same FAQ states that no bag checks and no bag storage locations are available to the public, and it lists no bags, backpacks, purses or luggage among permitted items. Wallet-size clutches up to 5 by 7 inches, medical bags and parenting bags up to 14 by 14 by 6 inches are the exceptions.
Read together, the two rules leave a ticket holder who checks out of a hotel in the morning and holds a seat for a later session with nowhere at the arena to leave a suitcase, and no way back in after carrying it out. A room held through the afternoon answers both.
What a day room costs near the arena
A Dayuse Washington listing read on October 24, 2026 carried 20 priced cards. Seven sit in the District of Columbia and 13 sit in Virginia and Maryland. Measured straight-line from the CareFirst Arena pin at 38.8470, -76.9930, the closest card in the set is The Westin Crystal City at 3.23 miles, $106 for a 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. window, 42 percent below $169, with a $7 booking fee.
The District cards, in the same straight-line measure: AC Hotel Washington DC Convention Center at 4.12 miles lists $104 for 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., 34 percent below $150, $5 fee. Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square at 4.28 miles lists $169 for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 25 percent below $223.50, no booking fee. Le Meridien Washington, DC, The Madison at 4.47 miles lists $140 for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., 35 percent below $200, $9 fee. The Capital Hilton at 4.51 miles lists $116 for 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 67 percent below $329, $7 fee. The Viceroy Washington DC at 4.74 miles lists $144 for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., 55 percent below $299, $9 fee. The Beacon Hotel & Corporate Headquarters at 4.81 miles lists $96 across five windows from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., 56 percent below $200, $6 fee. Melrose Georgetown Hotel at 5.04 miles lists $111 for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., 48 percent below $199, $7 fee.
The seven District cards average $125.71 for the day. Dayuse states that the average day room in Washington is $109.92.
Getting to Oak Drive
Events DC's Getting There page puts CareFirst Arena directly adjacent to the Congress Heights Metro Station on the Green Line, a 3-minute walk away, with signage through the Kiss & Ride lot, alongside the Blue Lot and a right turn on Oak Drive SE. The nearest Capital Bikeshare rack sits at the same station. Rideshare drop-off and pick-up runs on Oak Drive near the box office.
Parking is limited. The Green Lot, entered at Malcolm X Avenue SE and 8th Street SE, sells at $20 per car on event day. The garage behind the arena is entered at Cypress Avenue and continues to Pecan Street SE. Both take cash and card, and on-street parking on the St. Elizabeths campus is first come, first served. Each of the ten event days carries its own charge.
The last train sets the shower hour
The arena's Venue Policies page prints an 11:15 p.m. curfew and WMATA's closing times: 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, 11:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 1:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. A weeknight game that runs to curfew leaves a short window at Congress Heights station.
A day room booked into the evening gives a shower, a place for the bag and a seat off the platform before that last ride. On a Friday or Saturday the 1:00 a.m. close allows a later window.
Booking the gap
hotelslots.org sells four windows: Morning 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., Afternoon 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Evening 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., and Overnight 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., and two adjacent windows cover a full day. The platform states that it is free to use, charges no booking fees and has the guest pay the hotel directly. Its directory lists 46 states and publishes no District of Columbia page, so the priced cards here come from the Dayuse Washington listing.
Day rates move between reads. Re-run the search on the March dates before booking, and confirm the session times with the CAA once the 2027 grid is posted.
