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