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There\u2019s no rite of Spring that\u2019s quite as satisfying as watching March Madness, no matter how aggressively HR departments might argue otherwise.<\/p>\n
The Big Dance tips off on March 19, with the First Four playing in Phoenix, Arizona, leading up to the NCAA championship on April 8.\u00a0 It\u2019s a time of office pools, broken brackets and Cinderella stories. It\u2019s also a time where lunches tend to run longer and are often scheduled at sports bars for the next few weeks (thus the HR grumbling).<\/p>\n
The NCAA Men\u2019s Division I Basketball Tournament is one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year. And if don\u2019t have a TV in your home office (or, if you\u2019ve returned to work and want to sneak a game in without the boss knowing), you\u2019ve got plenty of options.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s when and where the games will be airing and ways to watch for free, without a cable subscription.<\/p>\n
The 2024 NCAA Tournament will take place in several segments. Here\u2019s when and where you can catch the games this year.<\/p>\n
March 19-20<\/strong> \u2013 The tip-off games pit the four lowest-seeded automatic bids against the four lowest seeded at-large bids\u2014and they\u2019re split over two nights. They\u2019ll air on TruTV this year.<\/p>\n Wagner vs Howard<\/a>, 6:40 p.m. ET on TruTV<\/p>\n Colorado State vs. Virginia<\/a>, 9:10 p.m. ET on TruTv<\/p>\n Grambling vs. Montana State<\/a>, 6:40 p.m. ET on TruTV<\/p>\n Colorado vs Boise State<\/a>, 9:10 p.m. ET on TruTv<\/p>\n March 21-22<\/strong> \u2013 The first batch of games for the 2024 NCAA Tournament will begin airing at 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV (and various streaming networks, see below).<\/p>\n Mississippi State vs Michigan State<\/a>, 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS<\/p>\n BYU vs. Duquesne<\/a>, 12:40 p.m. ET on TruTV<\/p>\n Creighton vs. Akron<\/a>, 1:30 p.m. ET on TNT<\/p>\n Arizona vs. Long Beach State<\/a>, 2:00 p.m. ET on TBS<\/p>\n North Carolina vs. (winner of the Howard\/Wagner game)<\/a>, 2:45 p.m. ET on CBS<\/p>\n Illinois vs. Morehead State<\/a>, 3:10 pm. ET on TruTV<\/p>\n South Carolina vs. Oregon<\/a>, 4:00 p.m. ET on TNT<\/p>\n Dayton vs. Nevada<\/a>, 4:30 p.m. ET on TBS<\/p>\n Texas vs. (winner of Colorado State\/Virginia game)<\/a>, 6:50 p.m. ET on TNT<\/p>\n Kentucky vs. Oakland<\/a>, 7:10 p.m. on CBS<\/p>\n Gonzaga vs. McNeese<\/a>, 7:25 p.m. ET on TBS<\/p>\n Iowa State vs. South Dakota State<\/a>, 7:35 p.m. ET on TruTV<\/p>\n Tennessee vs. Saint Peters<\/a>, 9:20 p.m. ET on TNT<\/p>\n Texas Tech vs. NC State<\/a>, 9:40 p.m. ET on CBS<\/p>\n Kansas vs. Samford<\/a>, 9:55 p.m. ET on TBS<\/p>\n Washington State vs. Drake<\/a>, 10:05 p.m. ET on TruTV<\/p>\n Florida Atlantic vs. Northwestern<\/a>, 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS<\/p>\n Baylor vs. Colgate<\/a>, 12:40 p.m. ET on TruTV<\/p>\n San Diego State vs. UAB<\/a>, 1:45 p.m. ET on TNT<\/p>\n Marquette vs. Western Kentucky<\/a>, 2:00 p.m. ET on TBS<\/p>\n UConn vs. Stetson<\/a>, 2:45 p.m. ET on CBS<\/p>\n Clemson vs. New Mexico<\/a>, 3:10 p.m. ET on TruTV<\/p>\n Auburn vs. Yale<\/a>, 4:15 p.m. on TNT<\/p>\n Florida vs. (winner of Colorado\/Boise State game)<\/a>, 4:30 p.m. ET on TBS<\/p>\n Nebraska vs. Texas A&M<\/a>, 6:50 p.m. ET on TNT<\/p>\n Duke vs. Vermont<\/a>, 7:10 p.m. on CBS<\/p>\n Purdue vs. (winner of Grambling\/Montana State game)<\/a>, 7:25 p.m. ET on TBS<\/p>\n Alabama vs. College of Charleston<\/a>, 7:35 p.m. ET on TruTV<\/p>\n Houston vs. Longwood<\/a>, 9:20 p.m. on TNT<\/p>\n Wisconsin vs. James Madison<\/a>, 9:40 p.m. ET on CBS<\/p>\n Utah State vs. TCU<\/a>, 9:55 p.m. ET on TBS<\/p>\n Saint Mary\u2019s vs. Grand Canyon<\/a>, 10:05 p.m. ET on TruTV<\/p>\n March 23-24<\/strong> \u2013 The second set of games for this year\u2019s tournament will also air on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV\u2014and will start at 12:10 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n March 28-29<\/strong> \u2013 The semi-final rounds will begin airing on Thursday, March 28 on CBS and on TBS.<\/p>\n March 30-31<\/strong> \u2013 There\u2019s little rest for the winners of the Sweet 16. Regional championships will begin on Saturday, March 30<\/p>\n April 6<\/strong> \u2013 The penultimate games will air on CBS.<\/p>\n April 8<\/strong> \u2013 The champion will be decided on Monday at 9:20 p.m. ET on CBS.<\/p>\n The best way to watch any sort of network programming for free on a big screen is with a good HD antenna. You won\u2019t be able to watch all of the NCAA Tournament over the air, but CBS is the host for this year\u2019s Final Four and NCAA championship game, meaning you\u2019ll catch the final act. (Other matchups will air on TBS, TNT and truTV.) To ensure you\u2019re getting the most reliable signal for the CBS-carried games, you\u2019ll want to test the antenna in multiple locations in your home.<\/p>\n Definitely. There are loads of online options to watch 2024 NCAA Tournament games, some completely free and others with free trial periods. If you\u2019re not near a TV, you can log into TBS.com<\/a>, TNTdrama.com<\/a> and truTV.com<\/a> (or the TBS<\/a>, TNT<\/a> or truTV<\/a> apps). You\u2019ll need to log-in with your cable or satellite provider username and password for those, though. And both CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery<\/a> will be streaming games on their respective streaming services.<\/p>\n CBS\u2019s streaming service<\/a> will give you access to games air on that network. You can get a one-week free trial, followed by a $6 or $12 monthly charge. All March Madness games airing on CBS will stream simultaneously with the Paramount+ with Showtime tier subscription.<\/p>\n The former HBO-Max added lives ports programming last year and March Madness is one of its crown jewels. You\u2019ll be able to stream select games for free (for now\u2026 eventually, live sports will come with a $10 monthly add-on fee). Subscriptions start at $10 per month.<\/p>\n Disney\u2019s bundle of Disney+, Hulu<\/a> and ESPN+ no longer has a free trial, so you\u2019ll have to pay $15 per month for all three combined (or $25 per month for no ads on Hulu).<\/p>\n Including Live TV in the bundle bumps the price to $77 per month ($90 with no ads).<\/p>\n The free trial on this service<\/a> is no longer offered, as well. It will now cost you $77 per month.<\/p>\n After up to a two-week trial<\/a>, you can expect monthly charges of $73. YouTube is also now the home of Sunday Ticket. Prices on that service currently range from $300 to $439 for the season, with the current discounts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dish Network\u2019s Sling lower-tiered \u201cOrange\u201d plan will run you $40 per month. Adding the more comprehensive \u201cBlue\u201d plan bumps the cost to $55 per month. The seven-day free trial has disappeared, but the cord-cutting service is offering 50% off of the first month\u2019s bill.<\/p>\n Formerly known as DirecTV Now, AT&T TVNow and AT&T TV, this oft-renamed streaming service<\/a> will run you $75 per month and up after the free trial option.<\/p>\n This sports-focused cord-cutting service<\/a> carries broadcast networks in most markets. There\u2019s a seven-day free trial, followed by monthly charges of $75 and up, depending on the channels you choose.<\/p>\n It does. March Madness Live<\/a> will stream every game on the NCAA Website, as well as Apple<\/a>, Android, Amazon<\/a> and Roku<\/a> devices. You\u2019ll need to log in with your username and password from your TV provider.<\/p>\n No. NCAA Tournament games do not stream on Amazon.<\/p>\n The UConn Huskies, which won last year\u2019s Tournament, are the odds-on favorite to win once again in 2024. Also in the running are Houston, Purdue, Arizona and North Carolina, according to Bet MGM.<\/p>\n UConn Huskies \u2013 +400<\/p>\n Houston Cougars \u2013 +600<\/p>\n Purdue Boilermakers \u2013 +650<\/p>\n Arizona Wildcats \u2013 +1100<\/p>\n North Carolina Tar Heels \u2013 +1300<\/p>\n<\/div>\nTuesday March 19<\/h3>\n
Wednesday, March 20<\/h3>\n
First Round\/Round of 64<\/h3>\n
Thursday March 21<\/h3>\n
Friday March 22<\/h3>\n
Second Round\/Round of 32<\/h3>\n
Sweet 16<\/h3>\n
Elite 8<\/h3>\n
Final Four<\/h3>\n
NCAA championship game<\/h3>\n
How can I watch March Madness games for free?<\/h2>\n
Can I watch March Madness online?<\/h2>\n
Paramount+<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Max<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Disney+<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Hulu with Live TV<\/strong><\/h3>\n
YouTubeTV<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Sling TV<\/strong><\/h3>\n
DirecTV Stream<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Fubo TV<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Does the NCAA offer any service for me to watch the game I want?<\/h2>\n
Can I watch March Madness games on Amazon?<\/h2>\n
Which team is favored to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament?<\/h2>\n