March Madness Final Four: How to watch every game of the men and women's NCAA tournament

March Madness is in full swing and it's nearly time for the Final Four! Left on the men's side are No. 1 UConn, No. 1 Pursue, No. 4 Alabama and No. 11 NC State. As for the women's tournament, it's down to No. 1 South Carolina, No. 1 Iowa, No. 3 NC State and No. 3 UConn. The Final Four games tip off tonight, starting with the women's games: South Carolina vs. NC State and Iowa vs. UConn. Then the men face off on Saturday, with Purdue vs. NC State and UConn vs. Alabama. Are you ready to watch March Madness? Here’s everything you need to know about how to follow the NCAA tournament, including the full Final Four March Madness schedule, how to watch games for free and more.

How to watch March Madness:

Dates: Mar. 19 - Apr. 8

TV Channel: CBS, TBS, TruTV, ESPN, ABC

Streaming: Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, Max, Sling

How long is March Madness 2024?

The NCAA basketball tournament runs for roughly three weeks, starting with Selection Sunday (Mar. 17) and ending with the NCAA Championship game on Apr. 8. In that time, 135 games will be played combined between the men's and women's divisions.

March Madness channel:

Games for the men's NCAA tournament will air live across a combination of CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. In the past, that combo has been hard to come by with just one, two or even three streaming services. But this year watching March Madness should be whole lot less ... maddening. Many people have access to CBS already free over-the-air. But if you don't currently get live local channels like CBS on your TV, we recommend looking into an old school TV antenna, or signing up for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, which includes access to live CBS coverage.

For the other channels, HBO's Max is currently still offering its sports add-on (B/R Sports) free for subscribers of any Max tier. So for $9.99/month, you can catch live March Madness games airing on TNT, TBS and TruTV.

Games for the women's NCAA tournament will air across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews and ABC.

If you only want to add one subscription to your arsenal, some live TV streaming services offer all (or nearly all) the channels you'll need to keep up with March Madness, like Sling, DirecTV and YouTube TV.

How to watch March Madness without cable:

(Paramount)

Paramount+

Stream live games on CBS

For streaming March Madness, you'll need the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME tier for $12. The subscription is ad-free and includes live access to your local CBS channel.  

In addition to sporting events like March Madness, Premier League and Champions League games, Paramount+ offers a host of other hit shows, new and classic movies and live sporting events. Unlike a lot of other streaming services these days, Paramount+ still offers a one-week free trial — so new subscribers can sign up to watch Selection Sunday this weekend and check out the rest of the Paramount+ library totally free for seven days.

Try free at Paramount+

(Max)

Max + B/R Sports

Stream live games on TBS, TNT and TruTV

Max has been "the one to watch" for entertainment fans for quite some time, but now, it's drawing sports fans in, too. For a limited time, Max subscribers can get the new B/R Sports add-on totally free. That includes live NBA games on TBS, TNT, and truTV. 

$9.99/month at Max

(Sling)

Sling TV Orange & Blue

Watch ABC, TNT, TBS, TruTV ESPN and ESPN2

Starting at $30 for your first month, Sling TV's Orange & Blue plan offers TNT, TBS, TruTV, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 — AKA nearly every channel you'll need to watch both men's and women's March Madness (along with 30+ other channels). With the $11/month Sports Extra add-on, you can also get ESPNU and ESPNews, for even more women's March Madness games. The biggest downside? You don't get CBS, so if you don't have access to your live local CBS channel, you'll miss out on some of the men's tournament. 

A Sling subscription also includes 50 hours of free DVR storage, so if you’re worried about missing any of the NCAA action, you can always record games.

Pros

• Watch nearly every game of the men's and women's NCAA tournament

Cons

• No games on CBS

$30 for your first month at Sling

March Madness schedule 2024:

• Sunday, March 17: NCAA Tournament Selection Show

• March 19-20: First Four games in Dayton, Ohio

• March 21-22: First round games at various locations

• March 23-24: Second round games at various locations

• March 28-29: Sweet 16 games at various locations

• March 30-31: Elite Eight games at various locations

• April 6: Final Four games at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona

• April 8: NCAA Championship Game at Start Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona

NCAA tournament Final Four schedule:

Friday, Apr. 5

(1) South Carolina vs. NC State: 7 p.m. (ESPN)

(1) Iowa vs. (3) UConn: 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, Apr. 6

(1) Purdue vs. (11) NC State: 6:09 p.m. ET (TBS/TNT/truTV)

(1) UConn vs. (4) Alabama: 9:20 p.m. ET (TBS/TNT/truTV)

More ways to watch March Madness 2024: