Image courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications

By Bennett Conlin

Noah Freidel splashed a 3-pointer in the opening minute of JMU men’s basketball’s NCAA Tournament matchup against Wisconsin.

The ensuing 40 minutes were pure bliss for JMU fans.

The Dukes never trailed in their 72-61 win over the Badgers, as JMU fans went bananas inside the Barclays Center. Plenty of other fans cheered wildly across the country.

It seems every JMU fan across the country is looking forward to watching Sunday’s game between No. 12 seed JMU and No. 4 seed Duke. The matchup will air on CBS and tip off at 5:15 p.m. ET, for those unable to travel to Brooklyn to watch the game live.

If you’re interested in watching in a group, JMU Alumni Association chapters are hosting more than a dozen watch parties across the country.

I’ll highlight a couple watch parties that caught my eye below. There are registered watch parties in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New York North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Washington D.C.

Random Row, Charlottesville

I lived in Charlottesville for a few years, and I love Random Row. The beer is delightful, and it’s such a fun location to hang out with a group.

This won’t be a bar-like atmosphere, which is available at some Virginia watch parties, but Random Row watch parties are sufficiently entertaining without feeling like a frat party. That’s my preferred setup for watching sports. Good beer, good people, and good vibes.

I can’t recommend this spot enough if you’re in the area.

There are also Virginia watch parties in Alexandria (Aslin Alexandria), Arlington (Spider Kelly’s), Ashburn (Rai’s Rendezvous), Fairfax (Earp’s Ordinary and Mackenzie’s Tunes and Tonics), Richmond (Annie Ruth’s Wine Bar and Bistro), and Williamsburg (Revollution Golf and Grille).

The Washington D.C. watch party will be at Whitlow’s DC on U Street.

Editor’s note: Thanks to Christopher William Jewelers for their advertising support.

Duckworth’s – South Park, Charlotte

JMUSN Co-Founder Jack Fitzpatrick is a frequent Charlotte Dukes watch party attendee, and he swears Duckworth’s is a great time. He’s also a strong believer the Charlotte Dukes are key to JMU’s NCAA success.

“We won when we were there,” Fitzpatrick tells us. “We willed it. Watch it again.”

You heard the man.

North Carolina is the only state outside Virginia with at least three registered watch parties.

There are also watch parties in Greensboro (CharBar No. 7) and Raleigh (Carolina Ale House). The Raleigh location looks like a ton of fun.

Full list of registered watch parties

Here’s the full list of JMU-Duke watch parties scheduled for Sunday, according to the JMU Alumni Association.

• Los Angeles, California: O’Briens Irish Pub and Restaurant
• Denver, Colorado: Platt Park Brewing
• Fairfield, Connecticut: Elicit Brewing
• St. Petersburg, Florida: Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill
• Ardsley, New York: Saw Mill Tavern
• Charlotte, North Carolina: Duckworth’s – South Park
• Greensboro, North Carolina: CharBar No. 7
• Raleigh, North Carolina: Carolina Ale House
• Cincinnati, Ohio: MadTree Brewing
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wissahickon Brewing Company
• Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: The Kicken’ Chicken
• San Antonio, Texas: Longtab Brewing
• Dallas, Texas: Dodie’s Reef
• Charlottesville, Virginia: Random Row Brewing
• Alexandria, Virginia: Aslin Alexandria
• Arlington, Virginia: Spider Kelly’s
• Ashburn, Virginia: Rai’s Rendezvous
• Fairfax, Virginia: Earp’s Ordinary
• Fairfax, Virginia: Mackenzie’s Tunes and Tonics
• Richmond, Virginia: Annie Ruth’s Wine Bar and Bistro
• Williamsburg, Virginia: Revollution Golf and Grille
• Seattle, Washington: Sam’s Tavern
• Washington DC: Whitlow’s DC