For online gambling hubs, there’s no better time of the year. For HR departments, it’s among the worst. And for fans of college basketball, the start of March Madness is a binge event like no other.
It’s time once again for The Big Dance to begin. The First Four completed their games last night and the Round of 64 is about to begin. So wrap up your office pool picks, come up with good excuses to be out of the office, and settle in for the Cinderella stories of 2025.
The NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament is a huge event, not only for the schools and athletes, but for the industries that have sprung up around it. Advertisers will woo fans with offers. And Americans will spend an expected $3.1 billion legally wagering on the game, according to the American Gaming Association. Meanwhile, the productivity loss from the tournament could hit $20 billion, according to a recent study from Action Network.
The only numbers that most people care about, however, are the scores in this rite of spring. March Madness has become 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 been called back 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 2025 NCAA Tournament will take place in several segments. Here’s when and where you can catch the games this year.
First Round/Round of 64
March 20-21 – Tipoff for the first batch of games (dubbed the Round of 64) for the 2025 NCAA Tournament is at 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS. Other games will air on TBS, TNT and TruTV (and various streaming networks, see below).
Thursday March 20
Creighton vs Louisville, 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS
High Point vs. Purdue, 12:40 p.m. ET on TruTV
Montana vs. Wisconsin, 1:30 p.m. ET on TNT
SIUE vs. Houston, 2:00 p.m. ET on TBS
Alabama State vs. Auburn, 2:50 p.m. ET on CBS
McNeese State vs. Clemson, 3:15 pm. ET on TruTV
VCU vs. BYU, 4:05 p.m. ET on TNT
Georgia vs. Gonzaga, 4:35 p.m. ET on TBS
Wofford vs. Tennessee, 6:50 p.m. ET on TNT
Arkansas vs. Kansas, 7:10 p.m. on CBS
Yale vs. Texas A&M, 7:25 p.m. ET on TBS
Drake vs. Missouri, 7:35 p.m. ET on TruTV
Utah State vs. UCLA, 9:25 p.m. ET on TNT
Omaha vs. St. John’s, 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS
UC San Diego vs. Michigan, 10:00 p.m. ET on TBS
UNCW vs. Texas Tech, 10:10 p.m. ET on TruTV
Friday March 21
Baylor vs. MS State, 12:15 p.m. ET on CBS
Robert Morris vs. Alabama, 12:40 p.m. ET on TruTV
Lipscomb vs. Iowa State, 1:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Colorado State vs. Memphis, 2:00 p.m. ET on TBS
Mt St Marys vs. Duke, 2:50 p.m. ET on CBS
Vanderbilt vs. St. Mary’s CA, 3:15 p.m. ET on TruTV
UNC vs. Ole Miss, 4:05 p.m. on TNT
Grand Canyon vs. Maryland, 4:35 p.m. ET on TBS
Norfolk State vs. Florida, 6:50 p.m. ET on TNT
Troy vs. Kentucky, 7:10 p.m. on CBS
New Mexico vs. Marquette, 7:25 p.m. ET on TBS
Akron vs. Arizona, 7:35 p.m. ET on TruTV
Oklahoma vs. UConn, 9:25 p.m. on TNT
Xavier vs. Illinois, 9:45 p.m. ET on CBS
Bryant vs. Mich. State, 10:00 p.m. ET on TBS
Liberty vs. Oregon, 10:10 p.m. ET on TruTV
Second Round/Round of 32
March 22-23 – The second set of games for the 2025 tournament will also air on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. Games start at 12:10 p.m. ET each day.
Sweet 16
March 27-28 – The semi-final rounds will begin airing on Thursday, March 27 on CBS and on TBS.
Elite 8
March 29-30 –Sweet 16 winners won’t get a lot of downtime. Regional championships will begin on Saturday, March 29 on TBS, with CBS carrying the Sunday games.
Final Four
April 5 – The penultimate games will air on CBS.
NCAA championship game
April 7 – The champion will be decided on Monday at 9:20 p.m. ET on CBS.
How can I watch March Madness games for free?
While you won’t be able to watch all of the NCAA Tournament over the air, CBS is the host for some early games as well as this year’s Final Four and NCAA championship matches, meaning you can still catch a lot of the action. (Other matchups will air on TBS, TNT and truTV.) The best way to watch any sort of network programming for free on a big screen is with a good HD antenna. 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?
Absolutely. If you have a cable subscription, but aren’t near a TV, you can log into TBS.com, TNTdrama.com and truTV.com (or the TBS, TNT or truTV apps) for games carried on those channels. (You’ll need to log-in with your cable or satellite provider username and password.) And both CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery will be streaming games on their respective streaming services.
Paramount+
CBS’s streaming service will give you a one-week free trial, followed by a $8 or $13 monthly charge.
Max
The one-time HBO Max doesn’t have a free trial, unfortunately. Subscriptions start at $9.99 per month.
Disney+
Disney’s bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ no longer has a free trial, so you’ll have to pay $17 per month for all three combined (or $30 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 lasts three days. Afterward, it will cost you $77 per month.
YouTubeTV
After a free trial, you can expect monthly charges of $73.
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, unfortunately.
DirecTV Stream
Formerly known as DirecTV Now, AT&T TVNow and AT&T TV, this oft-renamed streaming service will run you $80 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 $80 and up, 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.
Can I watch March Madness games on Amazon?
No. NCAA Tournament games do not stream on Amazon.
Which team is favored to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament?
Duke, Florida, Houston and Auburn are the four No. 1 seeds this year, with Auburn grabbing the top overall seed. Oddsmakers, though, are giving Florida the best chance of winning the championship game with Duke right behind the Gators.
Florida – +350
Duke – +360
Auburn – +400
Houston – +600
Alabama – +1200
