How to Watch March Madness: Live Stream the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Tournaments Without Cable
The Elite Eight round has arrived, and only a small batch of teams remain in the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments. We’ve gathered everything you need to know about how to watch March Madness, including the cheapest ways to stream both tournaments without cable.
The No. 1 UConn Huskies enter the women’s tournament as defending champions and have held strong through the first three rounds. All of the No. 1 seeds remain in the tournament, but there have been a few shocking upsets among other top prospects. No. 2 Iowa was bounced in the second round, while No. 2 LSU and No. 2 Vanderbilt were both eliminated in the Sweet 16.
On the men’s side, No. 1 seeds Arizona, Michigan, and Duke have all survived so far. However, the No. 1 Florida Gators, the defending NCAA champions, were eliminated in a shock second-round loss to No. Iowa. Iowa went on to take out No. 4 Nebraska in the Sweet 16 before finally falling to No. 3 Illinois in the Elite Eight.
We’ve rounded up some of the best ways to live stream the tournaments below. If you’re a basketball fan hoping to watch every single game from both the men’s and women’s tournaments, we recommend giving DirecTV MySports a go. It carries every channel needed to tune in and is currently offering a special introductory deal on the first two months of service. Below, we’ve broken down all the app details and highlighted a few other top streaming services for March Madness games. If you scroll to the bottom of this article, you can find a full (and frequently updated) schedule of fixtures, daily tip-off times, and networks.
How to watch March Madness in the US
The Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament games will air on CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV in the US. Games from the women’s tournament will air across the ESPN family of channels, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, and ABC.
If you’re a cord-cutter looking to watch every single game in one place, we recommend DirecTV MySports. The month-to-month sports-centric package carries around 20 popular channels (including all of the above). Local channel coverage can sometimes vary by market, so it’s worth double-checking to make sure that CBS is available in your ZIP code. The plan also carries ESPN Unlimited access at no extra cost. MySports subscriptions typically cost $65 a month, but a new deal will knock your first two months down to $45 a month after a five-day free trial.
DirecTV MySports
DirecTV’s MySports pack carries popular sports channels, from mainstays like ESPN to niche offerings like the ACC Network.
If you don’t mind cobbling together a few different streaming services, or you’re only interested in specific games, you can opt for Paramount Plus and HBO Max. Paramount Plus carries CBS live streams in its Premium tier, which costs $14 a month. Premium also unlocks ad-free on-demand streaming and Showtime content. From now until March 31, you can get your first two months of Premium for just $3 a month. HBO Max carries live sports coverage from Warner Bros. networks (TNT, TBS, truTV) in its ad-free tiers, which start at $18.49 a month.
Paramount Plus Premium (Monthly Plan)
Paramount Plus offers a huge library of on-demand content from Paramount, CBS, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, and MTV. The Premium Plan also includes Showtime and live CBS streaming. More importantly, it removes ads from the on-demand streaming library.
HBO Max with ads (Monthly Plan)
HBO Max is a premium service for fans of prestige television, iconic films, and unscripted programs like Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Succession, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, and more. This ad-supported tier doesn’t include B/R Sports live streaming.
If you’re only interested in streaming the women’s tournament, you can do it all with ESPN Unlimited, which offers full access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, and ESPN on ABC content. Subscriptions cost $30 a month and unlock a massive selection of other sports programming.
ESPN Unlimited
ESPN Unlimited has everything from ESPN Plus, in addition to all that the ESPN linear networks have to offer.
Fubo also carries ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, and ABC in its Sports + News package. Sports + News offers around 26 channels and access to ESPN Unlimited. Viewers can also catch CBS here, but those hoping to watch TNT, TBS, and truTV games from the men’s tournament will have better luck with the aforementioned DirecTV plan. Fubo plans start at $56 a month, but new customers can get $10 off their first month after a brief free trial.
Fubo Sports + News
The new Fubo Sports + News pack is only available in select areas. It combines 20+ major sports channels (including the new ESPN Unlimited) and select local networks (ABC, CBS, and FOX).
How to watch March Madness from anywhere
Basketball fans traveling outside the US can still access their usual watch options with the help of a VPN. VPNs, or virtual private networks, are handy tech tools that allow people to alter the virtual location on their devices. This way, they can use their go-to websites and apps from anywhere, just like they could back home. VPNs are also instant ways to boost cybersecurity. The services we’ve recommended today require US methods of payment, so this option is best for Americans who are simply traveling abroad right now.
NordVPN is our No. 1 pick. It’s a reliable, tried-and-true service with a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find that it’s not what you’re looking for. You can learn more in our NordVPN review.
NordVPN subscription
NordVPN is one of the top VPN services in the business. It offers excellent value with a strong selection of features and a low monthly price. A wide selection of international servers, high-end security, fast connections, and audited privacy protection have made the brand a household name in the world of VPNs.
Where is the Final Four?
For the men’s tournament, the Final Four (semifinals and championship) will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, home of the Indianapolis Colts. The women’s Final Four will be held at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. The Mortgage Matchup Center, formerly known as the Footprint Center, is the home court of the Phoenix Mercury WNBA team.
March Madness schedule
You can find the fixtures, days, times, and networks for upcoming men’s and women’s NCAA tournament games below. All times are listed in ET.
Note: VPN use is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content may constitute a breach of the terms of use for some services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.
