NCAA Tournament: Where to Watch March Madness in New York

136 teams are gearing up for the Big Dance after the NCAA released the tables for the Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments Sunday night.

Combined, the three states have five teams in the men’s pool, with the University of Connecticut (no. 4 seed) being the only team in the group to earn a top-five spot and gain a win advantage in their matchup (they will tie). against another representative of the three states of Iona in the round of 16 match in Albany).

But whether you’re rooting for a local team or watching your bets, we’ll show you how to watch these games, both in person and on TV.

Do you want to be closer to the court? On March 23 and 25 Madison Square Garden will host the finals of the Eastern Regional Men’s Tournament. The top four teams from the East will meet at MSG where tickets and apartments can be purchased to watch matches.

If you’re looking for places to watch hoops without seeing the action in person, several sites provide you with listings and ratings of bars and restaurants throughout New York City.

The Downtown Alliance has brought together the best bars in lower Manhattan in a Twitter grid-based competition.

The top two picks for this contest voters were Mudville 9 and Stout NYC, with the latter being the champion.

West Mudville 9 on Chambers Street is a family-run American restaurant open for bookings throughout the March Madness season. Stout NYC has four different locations throughout the city and offers party viewing packages during tournament season.

Secret NYC has compiled a list of 15 sports bars in five boroughs, from Break Bar & Billiards in Astoria to Smithfield Hall NYC in Chelsea.

6sqft also introduced 28 bars which are great places to watch games. While some of these overlap with the other lists mentioned, they also provide insight into other options. For example, the East Village has recently become home to Downtown Social, a place that often features live music and special events throughout the week.

There is no shortage of tournament venues in the city as the first pair of games kick off on March 14th and 15th.