The Best Local Spots to Watch March Madness

If you’re a Hoosier, and better yet from Terre Haute, basketball practically runs in your blood. Larry Bird was a star player of one of the greatest college basketball national championship games ever, when the Indiana State Sycamores took on the co-Big Ten champion Michigan State Spartans in the championship game of the 1979 NCAA Men’s Division 1 Tournament, or what most call March Madness. Do you remember who Bird squared up against? Just someone named Magic Johnson... Bird was one of the best scorers in the country, paving the way for the Sycamores to play on the biggest national stage.
 
Whether you were born and raised here, go to school or are just visiting, Terre Haute has a rich history and passion for sports that makes it contagious for the entire community. Being at the heart of higher education, Terre Haute has six college basketball teams at the tip of our fingers: Indiana State University (ISU), Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.
 
If you’re looking for the perfect ambiance to watch one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year, the March Madness tournament, look no further! Below are just a few of our favorite game day spots, but you can view a compiled list here. These restaurants offer great food and drinks, huge TVs and plenty of space to bring your friends.

• 365 Bar & Grill
• Ambro's Bar and Grill
• Charlie’s Pub & Grub
• Kleptz's Restaurant
• ​M. Moggers Brewery Restaurant & Pub
• Show-Me’s
• ​Terre Haute Brewing Company
• Tolly’s Bar and Grill
• Tree House Eatery & Drinkery

 
March Madness kicked off on March 14 and the First Four games took place in Dayton, Ohio at the UD Arena. After the 68 teams face off and fight their way to the end, the national champion will be crowned in Houston, Texas on April 3, taking home the title of the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament Champions.
 
The ISU men’s basketball program traveled to the Sunshine State to Daytona Beach, Florida in March as the No. 1 seed in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), which featured other teams like Southern Indiana and San Jose State. This trip occurred after falling to Bradley University in the Quarterfinals of Arch Madness, the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) postseason basketball tournament, marking a fifth-place finish.
 
In the CBI under first-year head coach John Scherzer, #1 ISU won their first postseason game since 2001 against #16 USC Upstate 67-62. The Sycamores were beaten by #8 Eastern Kentucky 89-88 in overtime, ending their first postseason run since 2014.
 
You can still tune in to cheer on other teams at our suggested favorite local spots around Terre Haute. To view the March Madness schedule, click here