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Welcome to March Madness 2024. College basketball’s big dance is finally here and so is a slate of terrific matchups. While UConn attempts to win back-to-back national championships, top seeds like Houston, North Carolina and Purdue aim to dethrone them.
March Madness is known for its Cinderella stories and shocking upsets, making every game of the NCAA tournament a must-see game. If you’re all in, you’ll need to know when and how to watch each game of the tournament. We’ve got you covered. Keep reading for the full 2024 men’s college basketball NCAA tournament schedule.
CBS Essentials, CBS and Paramount+ are all subsidiaries of Paramount. CBS is one of the broadcast homes of the 2024 men’s March Madness tournament.
When is March Madness 2024?
The 2024 NCAA men’s college basketball tournament is being played from March 19, 2024 through April 8, 2024.
First Four dates and scores
The First Four games were played from March 19 through March 20, 2024. All games were played at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, OH.
First Four winners: March 19, 2024
Below are the men’s First Four matchups and scores for Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
Tuesday, March 19 (First Four)
First Four winners: March 20, 2024
Below are the men’s First Four matchups and scores for Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
Wednesday, March 20 (First Four)
March Madness 2024: First round
The NCAA March Madness Round of 64 begins on Thursday, March 21, 2024 with the Mississippi State vs. Michigan State game and ends on Friday, March 22, 2024.
March Madness first round: Thursday, March 21 game times and network
Below are the game times, matchups and networks airing each men’s March Madness game on Thursday, March 21, 2024. All times Eastern.
March Madness first round: Friday, March 22 game times and network
Below are the game times, matchups and networks airing each first-round men’s March Madness game on Friday, March 22, 2024. All times Eastern.
March Madness 2024: Second round schedule
The NCAA March Madness Round of 32 begins on Saturday, March 23, 2024 and ends on Sunday, March 24, 2024. The teams that will play will be decided in the Round of 64 games.
March Madness 2024: Sweet 16 games schedule
The Round of 16 will be played Thursday, March 28, 2024 through Friday, March 29, 2024.
March Madness 2024: Elite 8 games schedule
The Elite 8 games will be played from Saturday, March 30, 2024 through Sunday, March 31, 2024.
March Madness 2024: Final Four games schedule
The Final Four will be played on Saturday, April 6, 2024. The games will be played at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, AZ.
March Madness 2024: NCAA Tournament Championship Game
The NCAA Tournament Championship Game will be played on Monday, April 8, 2024. The game will be played at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, AZ at 9:20 p.m. ET. The game will air on TBS.
How to watch March Madness 2024 without cable
If you’ve given up your cable subscription, or your cable provider doesn’t include the channels carrying March Madness this year, you can subscribe to one of the streaming or live TV platforms featured below.
How to watch March Madness 2024: Paramount+ with Showtime
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CBS will play host to some of this year’s men’s March Madness games, which means Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers can stream CBS-aired men’s March Madness games live.
The streamer offers access to all college basketball games locally and nationally televised on CBS on all its subscription tiers. In addition, you can watch top-tier soccer like the Champions League live and SEC college football games, plus popular shows such as “Survivor” and “NCIS.”
A subscription to Paramount+ with Showtime is $11.99 per month. The streamer offers a seven-day free trial. (You won’t be able to stream men’s March Madness live with a Paramount+ Essential subscription.)
Stream March Madness: Paramount + with Showtime free on Amazon Prime Video
Paramount+ content, including men’s March Madness 2024, is available to stream on Amazon Prime via a Paramount+ on Prime Video add-on subscription. Prime Video also carries some of the best sports documentaries, including “Kelce,” which chronicles former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce’s last season in the league.
Amazon is offering a seven-day free trial of Paramount+ with Showtime. Tap the button below to start your trial and start streaming now for free. After the free trial period ends, a subscription to the Paramount+ with Showtime tier is $11.99 per month.
Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle: The one way to stream every March Madness game
You can watch March Madness 2024, including both the men’s and women’s tournaments, with the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. The bundle features 95 channels, including CBS, ESPN, TNT, TBS, ABC and TruTV, and includes the ESPN+ streaming service, so you’ll be able to watch every game of both tournaments. The women’s Final Four will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every March Madness game on every network this season with Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle.
Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It’s priced at $77.
Watch March Madness free with Fubo
If you’re new to streaming sports, you should know about Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to every March Madness game airing on network and cable TV, plus your local TV affiliates, hundreds of cable TV channels and 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage. Another great reason to love Fubo is its lookback feature, which lets you watch sporting events up to 72 hours after they air live.
Start watching NCAA basketball on Fubo and also get access to network-aired NFL, NBA and MLB games by starting a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. Fubo starts at $80/month for the Pro tier, which includes 199 channels, but the streamer is currently offering the first month for $60.
Note: Because Fubo doesn’t carry TruTV, TBS or TNT, you won’t be able to watch every game of the tournament with a FuboTV subscription. If you want one streaming platform to watch the entire tournament, you’ll need a subscription to Hulu + Live TV.
What you’ll get with Fubo Pro Tier:
- There are no contracts with Fubo — you can cancel at any time.
- The Pro tier includes 199 channels, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
- Fubo includes all the channels you’ll need to watch college and pro sports, including CBS.
- In addition to March Madness, Fubo offers NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games.
- All Fubo tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
- Stream on your TV, phone and mobile devices.
Save $40 on Sling TV: The most cost-effective way to stream March Madness 2024
If you don’t have cable TV that includes TNT, TBS and ESPN, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream March Madness games this year is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to your local network affiliate’s live feed (excluding CBS) and also includes the NFL Network and ESPN with its Orange tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all the season’s top NFL matchups.
The Orange tier is normally $40 per month, but right now Sling TV is offering a pair of offers for new subscribers. You can choose to take $10 off your first month of service on any tier or save $40 when you prepay $120 for four months of the Sling TV Orange tier.
Note: Because some men’s March Madness 2024 will be broadcast on CBS, you won’t be able to watch all men’s March Madness 2024 games with a Sling TV subscription. If you’re looking to stream the men’s tournament, we suggest a subscription to one of the other platforms featured here.
Top features of Sling TV Orange tier:
- There are 32 channels to watch in total, including ESPN, TNT and TBS.
- You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games next season at the lowest price.
- All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.
ESPN+: How to watch the women’s Final Four
ESPN+ is ESPN’s subscription streaming platform. It offers exclusive live events, original studio shows and top-tier series that aren’t accessible on the ESPN networks. To watch the women’s Final Four, simply sign into the ESPN app. You’ll watch college basketball at no extra charge. You can stream ESPN+ through the ESPN app on your favorite mobile device and ESPN.com. It’s also available as an app through major smart TV streaming platforms and gaming consoles such as the PS5.
Keep in mind some blackouts will prohibit you from watching certain in-market games with ESPN+, even if they’re nationally televised. If you’re looking to avoid those blackouts, we suggest subscribing to the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle featured above.
It is important to note that ESPN+ does not include access to the ESPN network. It is a separate sports-centric service, with separate sports programming.
An ESPN+ subscription costs $10.99 per month, or save 15% when you pay annually ($110). ESPN+ is also currently offering a cost-saving bundle. Get ESPN+ (with ads), Disney+ (with ads) and Hulu (with ads) for $14.99 per month.
Watch March Madness games live with a digital HDTV antenna
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You can also watch CBS and the network’s 2024 March Madness coverage on TV with an affordable indoor antenna, which pulls in local over-the-air HDTV channels. Here’s the kicker: There’s no monthly charge.
For anyone living in a partially blocked-off area (those near mountains or first-floor apartments), a digital TV antenna may not pick up a good signal — or any signal at all. But for many homes, a digital TV antenna provides a seriously inexpensive way to watch NASCAR without paying a cable company. Indoor TV antennas can also provide some much-needed TV backup if a storm knocks out your cable.
This amplified digital antenna with a 300-mile range can receive hundreds of HD TV channels, including NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS, Univision and more (depending on your location) and can filter out cellular and FM signals. It delivers a high-quality picture in 1080p HDTV and top-tier sound. It comes with an 18-foot digital coax cable.
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