How to watch March Madness: Live stream the Men's and Women's NCAA Tournaments without cable
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Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect (left); Mark Konezny-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect (right)
The Sweet 16 round has arrived, and only 32 teams each 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 two rounds. Most top-seeded teams have remained in the tournament, with the only major upset coming from No. 10 Virginia, which plowed through No. 7 Georgia and (in double-overtime) No. 2 Iowa.
The men's tournament has been slightly less predictable, with the defending champions, the No. 1 Florida Gators, getting eliminated in a shock second-round loss to No. 9 Iowa. The Hawkeyes will now square off with the No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers in a can't-miss Midwest showdown. Other notable upsets include a first-round No. 12 High Point victory over No. 5 Wisconsin and a hot streak from No. 11 Texas, which has pushed the Longhorns past both No. 6 BYU and No. 3 Gonzaga in the first and second rounds, respectively.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.