Categories: Indiana University, Wine & Culinary

Experiencing IU basketball in Assembly Hall is one of the most exciting and intense sporting events in the known universe. The passion you feel from the players, coaches, and other fans will give you goosebumps. But tickets are hard to come by, and when the team is playing on the road, say in the NCAA tournament, the very next best thing is to watch the action at one of these Bloomington venues with a few dozen other rabid IU fans.

photo from Nick's English Hut on Facebook

Nick's English Hut
This bar is an IU tradition in and of itself, but on game nights, it is a holy place. The Hoosier Room (upstairs) has tons of space and tons of televisions, so grab a stromboli and some sink the biz fries and start cheering.

Yogi's Grill & Bar
Most alumni remember Yogi's as one of the more chill bars in town, and it still is, though slightly transformed. There's more seating, a better menu, and a wide variety of beers on tap. They still serve mini corn dogs and buffalo chips, because IU basketball isn't the only tradition in town.

The Tap
Newer to the Bloomington brewpub scene, The Tap is becoming a local favorite. It's spacious, serves only craft brews (like a million of them) and has plenty of televisions (including some in the restrooms, which deserve a spot on the top ten restrooms of Bloomington blog, but I digress). The pickle fries are awesome, as are the tuna tacos.

BuffaLouie's
Nothing goes better with basketball than wings, and Buffa has the best in town. They also have televisions every few feet, and some great basketball memorabilia. It's kid friendly too, for those lil' Hoosiers who want to get in on the action. Obviously you have to order some wings, and I also recommend the Hurryin' Hoosier sandwich.

Kilroy's Sports Bar
Pretty much no one over the age of 30 goes here, unless it's summer break and you're feeling nostalgic, but if you want to mingle with actual IU students, this is the place to go. They have huge televisions and it gets loud and proud during basketball games. There are usually drink specials and the pepperoni-stuffed breadsticks are ridiculously good.