It’s that time of year – March Madness! In just a couple of years, March Madness will be truly local, with the tournament slated for Key Arena in 2015. Meanwhile, this year locals can watch the games with neighbors at local watering holes. For tips on where to watch the games, we’re welcoming guest contributor Jessica Kaminski – Queen Anne resident, cat lover, coffee drinker, and appreciator of exceptional kerning. Thanks, Jessica!
March Madness on Queen Anne
by Jessica Kaminski
March Madness is upon us. It is impossible to avoid the talk of brackets, top seeded schools, and college basketball in general—and this year’s tournament is sure to be full of upsets and underdogs.
While the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament won’t return to Seattle until 2015, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate college basketball in the Queen Anne neighborhood.
The NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament is the apex of college basketball. The tournament whittles the playing field from 64 teams down to one champion. Divided into 7 rounds, the first round takes place on March 19 and 20. The Second and third rounds will be held on March 21 and 23 and will narrow the competition down to the regional semifinals also known as “the Sweet Sixteen”. The Sweet Sixteen games will be held between March 22 and 24. and the eight teams emerging (the Elite Eight) will go head to head for the regional championships. The victors of that round will advance to the National Semifinals (aka the Final Four) where they will face off on april 6. Finally, the last two teams standing will battle it out for the glory and NCAA Division 1 title.
This year’s championship game will be held on April 8, 2013 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Queen Anne is home to several of Seattle’s best sports bars, all of which will be airing the tournament and running happy hour specials. Check out these Queen Anne hot spots to catch all the college basketball fun.
Buckley’s: Kid friendly.
Hilltop Ale House: will be airing the tournament and will run their usual happy hour special. The games will be shown without sound making this a great option for those who prefer to watch the tourney casually. (21+)
New York Pizza & Bar: will be running drink specials daily and have the tournament in both the restaurant and bar. The restaurant is kid friendly and the bar is 21+.
Oskar’s Kitchen: will have daily drink specials posted on their Facebook page and will be airing the basketball games. Kid friendly
Peso’s Kitchen: Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Pesos kitchen can satiate your hunger for basketball and Mexican inspired food. (Bar 21+)
Sully’s: All geared up for the tournament Sully’s is open daily from 4 pm to 2 am and offers happy hour specials on food and select drinks. (21+)
Targy’s: This neighborhood bar on Upper Queen Anne will be featuring the NCAA tourney on the TV and Happy Hour specials from 4-7 pm (21+)
For more family friendly ways to celebrate the NCAA men’s basketball tournament there are plenty of options to involve your kids in the basketball fun. Hosting a March Madness party can be a great way to involve your friends and your offspring. Including basketball themed activities and simplified bracket picking can lay the foundation for an annual tradition.
If you are looking to up the ante on your March Madness there are a variety of free bracket challenges that you can participate in. Some of the free bracket challenges include, ESPN, Jiffy Tickets, and Goldberg Jones; for a comprehensive list of free bracket challenges check out this list.