March Madness is upon us, and I have no doubt people across the country have been furiously filling out their office brackets by either using an educated method or by using my method – going with my gut.
Basketball is a lot of fun to watch in person, but I’ve never been a huge fan of the sport. Nevertheless, every March I faithfully fill out my bracket, always picking Gonzaga because I attended college down the street from that school and they always seemed to be very good at basketball. Are they still good? I have no idea, but I always pick them anyway.
Pespi Center in Denver is hosting the first round of the NCAA Men’s Division Basketball Tournament, so I went to Pepsi Center’s website to see if there were any tickets left. The site left me so discombobulated that I promptly left and I have no idea if tickets are available, although my trusty gut says no.
If you didn’t get tickets to Pepsi Center and aren’t lucky enough to be in Vegas for March Madness, the best place to be for any major sporting event, then here are my top picks for where to watch NCAA here in Northern Colorado.
Live Streaming –
You know what I’m talking about. Many of you are going to watch the NCAA tournament live streaming on your work computer. Every March the media runs stories about how office productivity goes down during March Madness. Bosses of America, face it, we have got to keep a close eye on those brackets!
Taps Sports Bar, 165 Boardwalk, Fort Collins, Colorado –
I’ll be honest, I haven’t been to this place yet, but I have been to the location many times when it was Sportscasters. Taps has completely renovated the inside of the building and the photos look amazing. They had around 300 Facebook fans before they even opened this month and that might have something to do with the fact that they feature 40 beers on tap, and over twenty HD TVs for optimum sports watching. I am very excited about having another sports bar in Northern Colorado and can’t wait to check out Taps. I can’t find a website for Taps, but you can find them on Facebook here.
The Red Zone, at the Pumphouse, 540 Main Street, Longmont –
I recently named The Red Zone as one of the Best Sports Bars in Northern Colorado in an article I wrote for CBS Local. This is the place locals go to get their fill of sports in the Longmont area. With 28 flat screen televisions, great food and good beer, I think The Red Zone is the embodiment of what a sports bar should be. Find the Pumphouse and The Red Zone on the web at www.pumphousebrewery.com.
C.B. & Potts, multiple locations –
This bar also made my CBS Local list. The original C.B. & Potts is on Elizabeth near Colorado State University in Fort Collins. It’s been there for nearly 40 years, and for generations of college students this has been THE place to watch sports in Fort Collins. Today, C.B. & Potts has seven locations around Colorado, and not every location would make my Best Of list, but I do recommend the two Fort Collins locations. A bonus is that C.B. & Potts is locally owned and continues to play a role in the Northern Colorado community. Find C.B. & Potts online at www.cbpotts.com.
You may know of a different place to watch, and if so, please share it in the comment section.
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A Facebook fan just recommended Road 34 in Fort Collins… that bar also made my BEST OF list for CBS!
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I say no on taps. It’s a much nicer setting than it’s prior tenant, but the beer is overpriced, and the TVs aren’t in a good position to view the games.
CB’s is the way to go.
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Thanks for the tip, Ian. As a Scot, I am no fan of overpriced beer!!! Hopefully they have a good happy hour in order to make up for it? Potts is always good. They are hosting our Rapids viewing parties this year (at the Collinsdale location). I really appreciate how easy they are to work with.
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I love the Pumphouse in Longmont (the habanero wings are do DIE for) but the Red Zone is almost ALWAYS full of running, screaming kids. I can’t believe they allow that in there. And no, I am not exaggerating.
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Yikes! I am no fan of screaming kids, which you’ll be privy to already if you follow me @HeidiTown on Twitter. LOL! I’m constantly complaining about loud kids in bars. A bar is no place for a kid to be running wild!
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I think I love you. 😀 You have just gained a new follower.
Seriously, it’s BAD in there. It makes it worse that they have that upstairs area – the kids run up and down the stairs constantly. I’m waiting for one of them to fall and get hurt. The worst part is they have a really nice small area with leather chairs and a sofa, kind of a private area, and they put the air hockey table right next to it, so – you guessed it – the kids monkey around on it (not actually playing it most of the time) and then run around the sofa area. It’s horrible.
My boyfriend lives in Longmont so we go there often (it’s the wings, I swear!), but the screaming kids are really getting to be a deal breaker. I really wish the Pumphouse would relegate kids to the other side of the restaurant and leave the Red Zone for the adults.