I love college sports. I was brought up in a SEC lovin’ house that had a do- or- die attitude about the games. We sweat and cried just as much as the players on the team- it meant that much to us.  And that attitude was only strengthened when I attended FSU and cheered for the Seminoles.  (I also really love the Gators, and don’t think anything wrong with cheering for both teams!)  Even though my heart lies with football, and with southern teams mostly, I still love a good match up and might love filling out my March Madness basketball bracket even more!  With the top 65 teams starting games on Thursday, here is my round up of where to watch all the basketball action with the 10 best sports bars in the country.

The first four are shout outs to the top 4 teams in the country right now!

• Lawrence, Kansas. Zig & Mac’s Sports Bar. Home to the #1 seed from the Midwest, this bar has over 30 huge TVs, five of which are 84 inches!  This is where all of the Jayhawks will be cheering on their team game after game.
• Syracuse, NY. Oc’s Fat Boy BBQ. Another #1 seed. This place has BBQ and it’s in New York- which immediately makes me a little hesitant… but they do have four different sauces which is always a good thing in regards to BBQ joints.  Personally, I don’t want Syracuse to come out on top because that means that FSU and UF would have lost… so enjoy the BBQ and basketball, that’s all I can say!
• Kentucky. The #1 seed for the East Region, this team knows how to play a good basketball game.  Unfortunately, Kentucky isn’t that great for sports bars- so I refer to Nashville, and my friends there.  Nashville, TN. Sam’s. My friends Erin and Glenn named it simply the “best sports bar ever” when I asked about bars near them.  They love to have a good time, know their way around beer and food and are die-hard college sports fans.  I have to take their word on this one- you should too! Other people also rated it the #1 sports bar in Nashville and said you must get the cheese dip and club sandwich.  Sounds good to me!
• Durham, NC. Charlie’s Sports Pub. Duke is the #1 seed for the South Region and always puts up a good fight.  Charlie’s is a neighborhood bar that a lot of college kids hang out in.  They have a ton of TVs and several people said they have the best burgers!

These last six are personal favorites of mine or my friends, and in no particular order.

• Chicago, IL.– O’Sullivans Public House 7244 Madison St, Forest Park, IL  708-366-6667 My friend Jenny’s pick.  Average beer is 4 bucks, with standard pub food.  They have a local following/ fan base- and the big windows open up to the patio, which is nice for when the weather’s great.
• Atlanta, Ga.– Taco Mac(North Highland)   Now when I first heard of Taco Mac, I must admit, I was thrown off by the name.  Don’t get me wrong, I love tacos, but not normally something I picture with college sports.  But this is my friend Jackson’s pick and he may be the only other college sports fan bigger than myself, so I have to take his word for it.  The locals know this place for its huge beer selection (over 140 beers on tap and 300 bottled), and plenty of big screen TVs and wings keep them coming back! Bonus: everything is under 10 bucks!
• Tallahassee, Fl. AJ Sports. All the FSU Seminoles will be cheering on the #9 seed here.  With the open air upstairs and party games all night, this is a great place to relive your college days.  They also have a VIP card that gets you an hour of free domestic drafts every night from 9-10pm.
• Hollywood, Ca. – Big Wangs The owner of this place is a FSU Alum and that isn’t the only reason I hold this place dear to my heart.  The wings aren’t just out of this world good- they also only use the legs, so they are really easy to eat!  Their buffalo chicken quesadilla and seasoned fries make me go back again and again.
• Gainsville, FL. The Swamp Restaurant My little brother graduated from UF and said this is a really touristy but fun place to go to watch the Gators play.  It’s near campus and actually looks like a sorority house turned bar, so if a game is happening nearby- all the more exciting!  With the Gators being a #10 seed, they are going to have to play their butts off to stay in the game- but I’m sure there will be plenty of fans cheering them on.  Also, playboy.com named it one the the best sports bars in the country.  I’m not sure if I care about that- but you might.

• NYC, NY– Gin Mill This bar is a college favorite of Columbia grads, and I know what you are thinking- what the hell do they know about College sports?  Well, even though their sports aren’t high priority, they do have a killer happy hour- from 11:30am to 8pm – more like Happy Day! If you get there after 8pm, don’t worry, they have drink specials all night.

Did I leave your favorite off the list?  Let me know why you think it’s the best!