Sports
March Madness 2011: Our Final Four Picks
The Final Four is Saturday. Patch picks the winners and the best places to watch the big games.
March Madness continues into April this Saturday as the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's Final Four meet in Houston.
The first game tips off at 3 p.m. when the two bracket busters of the tourney, Butler and VCU, face off with a shot at the title on the line. As has been the case with Butler throughout the tournament, this one will be a nail-biter. Expect the Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard led Bulldogs to squeak out a 64-59 win over VCU.
In the later game, slated to begin around 5:45 p.m., traditional powers Kentucky and Connecticut do battle. Both teams come into the contest playing their best basketball of the year but we like Kentucky--calmly anchored by clutch Freshman point guard Brandon Knight--to knock off Kemba Walker and the Huskies by a score of 77-74.
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The winners of Saturday's game will play Monday night at 6 p.m. Our gut tells us that John Calipari will get his first title when his Kentucky Wildcats beat the Butler Bulldogs 71-61.
We've picked the winners and now we'll pick the local spots where you should watch the action.
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1.
Watch the Finalists Shootout at the D&B in Arcadia on April 2nd (12-2 p.m.) to crown 710 ESPN radio station’s Pop-A-Shot Champion and Grand Prize Winner held in honor of March Madness. Local finalists who've competed at Dave and Busters' SoCal locations this month will see who's top dog. (If only we'd known such a contest existed!) There are plenty of big screens to enjoy the real March Madness games, not to mention a great $15.99 Eat & Play Combo!
2.
A sports bar in the truest sense, The Station will have all the flat screens you’ll need to watch the Final Four square off. Though they don’t serve food, there are restaurants conveniently located on both sides of the establishment. Pool and darts are good ways to kill time during halftime.
3.
This chain is another solid spot to enjoy the madness of March. The full bar offers fairly priced drinks and tasty appetizers.
4.
A local hangout, Matt Denny’s is the perfect spot to mingle with locals and watch the Final Four action. This ale house offers a great selection of microbrews and beers on tap as well as a full restaurant to dine at pre-game.
5.
A smaller establishment, individually-owned, Lucky Baldwin’s is a terrific choice if you want a more intimate setting to watch the Final Four this weekend. They don't serve liquor, but there's beer and wine. The pub also sports a full menu with some of the best fish and chips in the area.