Your brackets are picked. The office pool is set. And, at this point, you’re either counting on a Cinderella story this year—or really, really hoping there’s not one. March Madness is under way. The Big Dance tips off on March 14, with the First Four playing in Dayton, Ohio, leading up to the NCAA championship on April 3.
And for corporate America, productivity is likely to take a dive for the next couple of weeks. After the First Four, games will start in the early afternoon (or morning for West coasters).
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’re at the traditional office and want to sneak a game in without the boss knowing), there are 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 2023 NCAA Tournament, as always, takes place in several segments. Here’s when and where you can catch the games this year.
First Four
March 14-15 – The tip-off games, which pit the four lowest-seeded automatic bids against the four lowest-seeded at-large bids, are being split over two nights this year. They’ll air on TruTV starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Tuesday March 14
SEMO vs Texas A&M, 6:40 p.m. ET on TruTV
Pittsburgh vs. MS State, 9:10 p.m. ET on TruTv
Wednesday, March 15
FDU vs. Texas Southern, 6:40 p.m. ET on TruTV
Nevada vs Arizona State, 9:10 p.m. ET on TruTv
First Round
March 16-17 – The first batch of games for the 2023 NCAA Tournament will begin airing at 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV.
Thursday March 16
West Virginia vs Maryland, 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS
Furman vs. Virginia, 12:40 p.m. ET on TruTV
Utah State vs. Missouri, 1:40 p.m. ET on TNT
Howard vs. Kansas, 2:00 p.m. ET on TBS
TBD vs. Alabama, 2:30 p.m. ET on CBS
College of Charleston vs. San Diego State, 3:10 pm. ET on TruTV
Princeton vs. Arizona, 4:10 p.m. ET on TNT
Illinois vs. Arkansas, 4:30 p.m. ET on TBS
Auburn vs. Iowa, 6:50 p.m. ET on TNT
Oral Roberts vs. Duke, 7:10 p.m. On CBS
Colgate vs. Texas, 7:25 p.m. ET on TBS
Boise State vs. Northwestern, 7:35 p.m. ET on TruTV
Northern Kentucky vs. Houston, 9:20 p.m. ET on TNT
Louisiana vs. Tennessee, 9:40 p.m. ET on CBS
Penn State vs. Texas A&M 9:55 p.m. ET on TBS
UNC Asheville vs. UCLA, 10:05 p.m. ET on TruTV
Friday March 17
USC vs. Michigan State, 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS
Kennesaw State vs. Xavier, 12:40 p.m. ET on TruTV
UC Santa Barbra vs. Baylor, 1:30 p.m. ET on TNT
VCU vs. St. Mary’s, 2:00 p.m. ET on TBS
Vermont vs. Marquette, 2:45 p.m. ET on CBS
TBD vs. Iowa State, 3:00 p.m. ET on TruTV
NC State vs. Creighton, 4:00 p.m. On TNT
Iona vs. UConn, 4:30 p.m. ET on TBS
TBD vs. Purdue, 6:45 p.m. ET on TNT
Providence vs. Kentucky, 7:10 p.m. On CBS
Drake vs. Miami, 7:25 p.m. ET on TBS
Grand Canyon vs. Gonzaga, 7:35 p.m. ET on TruTV
Florida Atlantic vs. Memphis, 9:20 p.m. On TNT
Montana State vs. Kansas State, 9:40 p.m. ET on CBS
Kent State vs. Indiana, 9:55 p.m. ET on TBS
TBD vs. TCU, 9:55 p.m. ET on TruTV
Second Round
March 18-19 – 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 23-24 – The semi-final rounds will begin airing at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 24 and 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, March 25. Games will air on CBS and on TBS.
Elite 8
March 25-26 – There’s little rest for the winners of the Sweet 16. Regional championships will begin at 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 25 and 2:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 26. (
Final Four
April 1 – The penultimate games have a tip-off start time of 6:09 p.m. ET. They’ll air on CBS.
NCAA championship game
April 3 – 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?
Easily! There are loads of online options to watch 2023 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.
Prefer another option? Here are a few alternatives.
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 $5 or $10 monthly charge. All March Madness games airing on CBS will streamed simultaneously with the Paramount+ premium tier subscription.
Disney+
Disney’s bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ no longer has a free trial, so you’ll have to pay $13.99 per month for all three combined (or $19.99 per month for no ads on Hulu). Including Live TV in the bundle bumps the price to $70 per month ($76 with no ads).
Hulu with Live TV
The free trial on this service is no longer offered, as well. It will cost you $70 per month.
YouTubeTV
After up to a two-week trial, you can expect monthly charges of $65.
Sling TV
The lower-tiered “Orange” plan from Dish Network’s Sling will now run you $40 per month. Adding the more comprehensive “Blue” plan bumps the cost to $55 per month. (A $5 per month bump for each from last year.) The seven-day free trial has disappeared along with the price increase, 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 $70 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 $70–$100, depending on the channels you choose.
Does the NCAA offer any service for me to watch the game I want?
Yep. 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, however.
Can I watch March Madness games on Amazon?
No NCAA Tournament games will stream on Amazon.
Which team is favored to win the 2023 NCAA Tournament?
The Houston Cougars are the odds-on favorite to win this year’s tournament, with last year’s favorite, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, bumped down to seventh in the pack. Obviously, with the unpredictability of March Madness, the Cougars are hardly guaranteed a victory. Here’s how the odds were shaking out as of March 13 on Sports Illustrated’s Sportsbook.
Houston Cougars – +500
Alabama Crimson Tide – +750
Uconn Huskies – +900
Kansas Jayhawks – +900
Purdue Boilermakers – +1000
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