Lennar Resource Center

As any sports fan can tell you, March is a huge month for college basketball. Action and excitement reach a peak both on and off the courts as diehard fans react passionately to their favorite teams’ heroic wins — and heart-wrenching losses.

More so than with most championship series, big upsets can really keep the pressure high. At any time, a long-shot contender can seize the moment and rocket past their competition. Aside from how this affects the teams and their chances, this also disrupts millions of carefully thought-out bracket predictions.

No matter the outcome, basketball fans make sure to have a good time. Lennar customers from all over the nation use their new homes to take sports celebrations to the next level. Here are some tips on making the most of your basketball-related gatherings.

Make a slam dunk with your basketball-themed party

There’s nothing like good food and good friends to liven up your March parties. It’s easy to pick a central theme that ties the decorations, food, drink and party favors together. You can pick team colors for a more competitive spirit — or just go with neutral orange, black and white to play it safe.

Martha Stewart hit a slam dunk with the themed party tips on her site. From printable brackets and decorative banners, to balloons and jersey-themed food labels, you can scoop up some game-winning ideas for your own get-together.

Looking for more food and decor tips, along with DIY party ideas? It’s no foul to check out this Pinterest board for seemingly endless ideas. One practical takeaway: make snacks that can be eaten one-handed!

Make sure your TV is set up for a game-changing experience

Some people buy a wonderful new TV and never change the factory settings. These settings are typically created to help a TV look bright and attractive next to the other TVs in the showroom, but they’re usually too bright and garish for serious watching. Thankfully, it’s easy to optimize your picture quality to be more natural and pleasant today — therefore improving the viewing experience for the entire month of games.

Consumer Reports recently posted some tips on easily improving your TV settings for sports. One of their best pieces of advice seems counter-intuitive: don’t use the built-in “sports” preset, which usually over-boosts contrast and introduces motion smoothing. Instead, choose more subtle presets like “natural,” “cinema” or “movie” that are geared toward preserving crisp detail without over-enhanced color or excessive sharpness. The “vivid” and “dynamic” settings are other hyped defaults you should usually avoid.

It’s best to perfect your TV settings well in advance, using similar sports programming as your guide to how things will look on game day. Don’t worry; your settings will stay the way you set them — even after turning off the TV. They are often saved as a “custom” preset that you can easily compare with your previous settings. If you mess up, you can easily reset to factory settings and try again.

Use your home’s winning features to your advantage

Your bright new Lennar kitchen is an asset that helps your life every day, but especially when it’s game time. However you choose to organize your gathering, you’ll need counter space to lay out decorations, party favors and especially the food and drinks. The breakfast bar is the perfect place! It’s already centrally located in the kitchen — and it’s lit by attractive light fixtures that focus guests’ attention on the goodies and make all your party colors pop.

The great room is bound to be the center of attention, with the main TV and the comfortable seating in an optimum arrangement for game viewing. However, you should also think outside of the conventional use for rooms. Consider the basement, where available. This room is great for louder get-togethers (let’s face it; everyone is excited for their team) and has plenty of space that’s easy to arrange however you need for a gathering.

The patio is another unsung hero of any party. In this uber-comfortable and naturally ventilated space, it’s the perfect place to catch a breather. There’s room for an additional TV out here, too, so no one need miss a play.

Lennar’s signature Everything’s Included® package comes in handy, once again, by automatically including so many desirable features and upgrades in your new home purchase. The included GE or Electrolux kitchen appliances, for instance, are integral to preparing the foods that will grace your table. Smart home technology also plays a role, from the Ring Video Doorbell Pro that announces your guest’s arrival to the eero Pro 6 Mesh Wi-Fi system that effortlessly grants a strong signal to all your phone-toting visitors.

With all this stylish space and complete set of modern features, your status as a preferred host is all but assured. Your guests will eagerly await the next get-together!

Follow the game with some friendly competition

Whoever you’re rooting for, someone’s will inevitably lose. That’s where your hosting skills come in! Turn the sting of defeat into the glow of triumph by having a basket-shooting contest using toy basketballs and anything that resembles a goal. Make things fun by having the losing team perform a silly dance that’s agreed upon in advance. Compete in trivia about the teams’ players, coaches, schools or towns.

The idea is to remove focus from the outcome and reinforce why you’re all here together — for friendship, fun and for love of the game.