6 Best Deals on Big-Screen TVs to Watch the Final Four

If plan to watch Michigan State take on Duke and Wisconsin play Kentucky in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament's Final Four April 4, you might be thinking about upgrading your television. After all, you’ll want a big screen to watch history in the making as the University of Kentucky becomes the first undefeated college basketball team since 1976 (sorry – I’m a Kentucky native, so I have to cheer for the home team).

Best Times to Buy Big-Ticket Items

Regardless of which team you plan to root for, you can find some great deals on TVs now to watch the games this Saturday in high-definition in your own living room. Typically, consumers can find some of the lowest prices of the year on off-brand TVs during Thanksgiving and Black Friday sales and bargains on brand-name big-screen TVs during sales before the Super Bowl in late January. But with new 2015 models about to hit the shelves, some retailers are marking down their 2014 inventory. The deal experts we interviewed think these six TVs are the best values on the market as of April 1:

48-inch: Sharp Aquos 48LE551U HDTV ($448 with $150 gift card, Dell.com). If you want a big TV but don’t have room in your house or budget for a giant set, TechBargains.com deal specialist Jeff Lee and DealNews.com senior features writer Louis Ramirez recommend this Sharp HDTV because it’s a great bang for your buck. Ramirez says it has strong picture quality for a low price. And with the $150 Dell gift card on top of the low price that’s $150 below the list price, this is the best deal ever on this TV, he says.

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55-inch: LG 55LB5550 LED HDTV ($500, Best Buy). LG is known for making quality TVs at a lower price than Samsung, Lee says. And this model has been marked down $150 from its list price. It gets strong reviews for picture quality and has a sleek design, Lee says.

55-inch: Samsung UN55H6203 LED Smart HDTV ($698 plus a $150 gift card, Dell.com). If want to shell out more for a smart TV to stream content from the Web, both Lee and Ramirez recommend this Samsung, which has been marked down to $698 from $1,200. Getting a premium brand 55-inch HDTV for less than $800 is a bargain, and the additional gift card makes it a deal TechBargains.com has yet to see any other retailer match, Lee says.

60-inch: Samsung UN60h7150 3D Smart LED HDTV ($1,298, Amazon). This is the top model you can get from Samsung before moving into 4K or curved HDTVs, Lee says, and the price is as low as it was on Black Friday (a 40% discount off the list price). It has tons of bells and whistles with great picture quality and can be controlled by voice or gestures if you get the optional camera, Lee says.

70-inch: Vizio M701D-3D HDTV ($1,650, Dell.com). If you have space for a 70-inch TV, this Vizio should be high on your list, Ramirez says. Not only has it received positive reviews from outlets such as CNET, but DealNews.com marked this TV an “Editors' Choice” buy because deals for this set typically range from $1,900 to $2,100, he says.

Curved: Samsung UN55HU9000 4K Curved HDTV ($2,000, Groupon).This TV has received solid reviews for its design, features and image quality. Although it’s much costlier than most 55-inch TVs, this specific model with 4k resolution is $498 off list price. “This is the ultimate NCAA TV in that no other TV will receive the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as much as this set,” Ramirez says. But keep in mind that the Final Four games will not be broadcast in 4K Ultra HD format.

Award-winning journalist, speaker, family finance expert, and author of Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk.

Cameron Huddleston wrote the daily "Kip Tips" column for Kiplinger.com. She joined Kiplinger in 2001 after graduating from American University with an MA in economic journalism.