The Best Bars in Kalamazoo to Watch the NCAA Tournament

It's a shame the state of Michigan doesn't have better representation in the NCAA Tournament in 2024. Nevertheless, there are two teams from the Wolverine State that made it in, despite neither of them having a Wolverine as their mascot.

Michigan State and Oakland University are both playing hard in what can only be described as a tournament of madness this year, and BOTH shocked the world (and broke a lot of brackets) in Thursday's first round. Of course, you want to catch EVERY exciting moment of the tournament, and root for our local representatives, from the best places in the area with the best environments. So, we got you covered, and have a list of the best sports bars, and restaurants to catch the NCAA Tournament this year.

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First of all, we need to identify what makes a great place to catch the games.

Ideally, a bar that strongly represents the team you root for is ideal, and despite not being in East Lansing, there is still a strong love of the Michigan State Spartans all over the state. As for the Oakland Grizzlies, well, who could honestly root against them, right?

Next, the place has to have TVs. This one is probably the most obvious, but it is something to be sure of before you walk into a place and order a drink. No offense to places like One Well, or Bell's, who do offer great food and drinks, but they do NOT have TVs. This would make it difficult to catch the games.

AND FINALLY, once you've got the environment, and the entertainment covered, it all comes down to the drinks and food. Cold beers, great mixed drinks, and good bar food that can be sharable, and you can snack on for long periods of time (remember, there's a LOT of basketball on this time of year).

So with all of that in mind, these are the best places in the Kalamazoo area where we think you can pop in a root for the Spartans and Grizzlies... and... I guess, some other teams, too.