How to watch March Madness 2023 Live for free— and without cable

3 minutes read

The Auburn Tigers are one of 64 teams vying for the NCAA Men's championship. KEVIN C. COX/GETTY IMAGES

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

☛☛☛ March Madness 2023 Live for free

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.

☛☛☛ March Madness 2023 Live for free

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.