Have everyone get in the spirit by wearing their favorite college jersey or team colors and have basketball-themed decorations, either neutral or team, for a festive feel. You can even take it an extra step by purchasing a piece of plywood to fit your table, and paint it to resemble a basketball court. The main attraction is the game, and no one wants to miss a minute of the action (including the host) so set food and drinks on it for fans to help themselves. 

All the cheering and shouting works up a hearty appetite and a big thirst, so the food and beverages are key players. Here are some of our favorites that you can have out and ready before tip-off! Don’t be afraid to ask guests to bring a dish though, perhaps one that represents their favorite team or a region in the tournament. Just be sure to know what everyone intends to bring so you can balance out the menu in terms of flavors and textures, if necessary. 

Corned Beef Bread Dip

 This dip is a huge hit at any party, and great for a bunch of hungry basketball fans!

Ingredients:
1 large round loaf unsliced marble, seeded or seedless rye

16 oz.container sour cream

2 cups mayonnaise

½ lb. corned beef, coarsely chopped

1 T. chopped onion

2 tsp.dried parsley 

1 ½ tsp. dried dill 

Instructions:
Score top of loaf and hollow out, cutting bread that has been removed into bite-size pieces. Place loaf onto a serving platter and surround with the bread pieces. In large bowl, thoroughly combine sour cream, mayonnaise, corned beef, onion, parsley and dill. Fill the cavity of the bread with the dip. 

If the game is on around the time when lunch or dinner is typically served, you may want to put out just a couple of snacks or apps. Select dishes that are still easy to prepare ahead and allow guests to serve themselves.

Get into some halftime action with a little friendly competition. Create your own March Madness trivia questions or engage in a free throw competition. This can be done outside if there’s a hoop or inside with a mini net and foam basketball. It can be fun just to have a mini net or two and some foam basketballs available for guests to sink some shots!

Name and craft beers are still the hands down favorite for most sporting fans and March Madness is no exception! Beginning with the first rounds then followed by the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four and finally, the championship game. Hard seltzers are now in the game too as they have become increasingly popular with millennials so you may want to have some on hand. 

While selecting beer is about taste preference, consider the food that it will be enjoyed with:

• Match strength with strength i.e. strongly-flavored foods demand assertive beers. With beer, flavor-intensity involves a variety of qualities such as alcoholic strength, malt character, hop bitterness, sweetness, richness and roastiness.
• Find harmonies. Combinations often work best when food and beverages share some common flavor or aroma elements. The nutty flavor of English-style brown ale and a handmade cheddar cheese; the deep roasted flavors of an imperial stout and chocolate.
• Consider sweetness, bitterness, carbonation, heat (spice) and richness. Specific characteristics of food and beer interact with each other in predictable ways. Taking advantage of these interactions ensures that the beer and food will balance each other, creating a desire for a taste of the other.
• Experiment! Not every pairing works as expected. Build on the things that work and keep searching for those perfect pairings.

Be sure to have plenty of water, soft drinks and other nonalcoholic beverages available for guests who are underage, driving, pregnant or simply choosing not to drink. 

Please remember to both serve and drink alcohol responsibly.