The 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game will be contested by two No.1 seeds – UConn and Purdue – a March Madness rarity. This is only the 10th time that two of the top seeds have got to the final, and what makes today's encounter extra-special is that the matchup between Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan is just the second time a pair of 7-footers have faced off for the title.
Read on and we'll show you how to watch March Madness 2024 from anywhere with a VPN, and potentially for FREE.
March Madness 2024 runs from Tuesday, March 19 to Monday, April 8. The national championship game tips off at 9:20 p.m. ET / 6:20 p.m. PT today.
► U.S. — TBS, TNT, TruTV via Sling TV, CBS via Paramount Plus
► CAN — TSN+
► AUS — Kayo Sports (free trial)
► U.K. — Sky Sports
► Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN 100% risk free
The Huskies are the reigning champions, the overall No.1 seeds and, let's face it, the most complete team in the country, packed with future NBA stars. However, in Edey the Boilermakers possess arguably the most dominant player college basketball has ever seen, and a hunger that can't be matched.
Not only have they never won the NCAA national championship trophy, but they hold the unwanted honor of having won the most March Madness games without cutting down the nets. This means the world to them, and with Edey likely to be fighting the outstanding center Clingan all game, it'll be up to their backcourt players to produce the performance of their lives.
UConn, on the other hand, are out to make history as the first team to retain the title since Florida in 2007. As outstanding a feat as that would be, there's no doubt that they're considerable favorites, and neutrals would love to see Matt Painter's men conjure up a decisive bout of madness.
Here's everything you need to know to watch March Madness 2024 online, with or without cable. Buckle up. You won't want to miss it!
How to watch March Madness in the U.S.
The U.S. is the best place to watch March Madness 2024 because you're guaranteed to be able to stream every single game from the championship, with or without cable.
Below we have the March Madness TV schedule with all the channels you'll need for each round, plus March Madness streaming options for those who've cut the cord or are looking to watch March Madness 2024 for as little as possible.
How to watch March Madness 2024: schedule and TV channels
A full cable package will have you covered for the lot but you can also stream all of those on cable replacement and streaming services.
- March 17th: Selection Sunday – CBS
- March 19th-20th: First Four – TruTV
- March 21st-22nd: First Round – TBS, TNT, TruTV, CBS
- March 23rd-24th: Second Round – TBS, TNT, TruTV, CBS
- March 28th-29th: Sweet 16 – TBS, TruTV, CBS
- March 30th-31st: Elite Eight – TBS, CBS
- April 6th: Final Four – TBS
- April 8th: NCAA Championship Game – TBS
How to watch March Madness 2024 live streams in the U.S.
In the U.S., March Madness games are split between four networks: TBS, TNT, TruTV and CBS.
If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can get all of the channels through an OTT cable TV alternative.
Sling TV is one of the better options. It includes TBS, TNT and TruTV in its Blue plan, with prices starting from $45/month and your first month half-price.
You can add CBS with a subscription to Paramount Plus Premium ($11.99 per month). Together, those cost $56.99 per month – but only $34.49 for your first month – which is less than Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu with live TV, and one of the cheapest and most reliable ways of watch all of March Madness 2024.
An even cheaper alternative for this year is HBO's streaming service Max with its B/R Sports Add-On, which is included for free during March Madness 2024 as a limited time offer.
The B/R Sports Add-On brings access to the games on TBS, TNT and TruTV. Max prices start at $9.99/month with ads, going to $15.99/month ad-free. Or there's a special on at the moment with 40% off if you pay for a whole year upfront, effectively getting you 12 months for as little as $5.83 per month.
You'll still need Paramount Plus Premium for the CBS games but it means you can watch all of March Madness 2024 for the bargain basement price of $21.98. Not bad at all.
Lastly, for some customers YouTubeTV is offering a free trial period which could allow people to watch March Madness 2024 for free. We have more on March Madness for cord-cutters right here.
How to watch March Madness from anywhere
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the basketball on your subscriptions?
You can still watch March Madness live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for hoops fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:
How to watch March Madness in the U.K.
Sky Sports has the right to March Madness live streams in the U.K., so if you already have a Sky subscription that doesn't include Sports, you'll need to pay £18/month to add those channels.
Whichever package you go for, you'll also gain access to coverage in 4K and HDR, so long as you also have an HDR-ready Sky Q box and HLG-compatible TV.
Sky Glass is another option. This gives you Sky TV within a 4K TV that has a built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar, and without the need for a dish. Prices start at £14/month for the TV, plus a Sky sub on top of that.
If you don't want to shell out for a full Sky subscription, you could also consider its Now Sports streaming service. This gives you 24-hour access for £11.99 or month-long access for £34.99.
All sounds great, right? But if you're not in the UK, you can still follow March Madness live streams by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.
How to watch March Madness in Canada
TSN has the rights to show March Madness live streams in Canada.
If you don't have cable, you could subscribe to TSN+ instead, which lets you get access to all TSN has to offer on an $8/month or $80/year subscription basis.
How to watch March Madness in Australia
Aussies will find March Madness live streams on ESPN via Foxtel.
Don't have Foxtel and don't want to subscribe? Specialist streaming service Kayo Sports is also showing March Madness, with its affordable, commitment-free plans starting from just $25/month, and hosting plenty of NBA basketball, cricket, AFL, rugby, F1 and loads of other live sports besides.
There's also a 7-day FREE trial for anybody who hasn't used the service before.
Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN like NordVPN to watch all the action on your Kayo account as if you were back home.
How to watch March Madness in Europe
Somewhat surprisingly, March Madness isn't widely shown around the world, even in basketball-mad European nations. However, there are a handful of international broadcasters for the tournament:
The best bet for fans elsewhere in Europe is to use a VPN to watch the U.S. coverage of March Madness 2024, so long as you're a U.S. citizen abroad, of course.
Take a look at the U.S. section above but, ultimately, Paramount Plus along with either Sling or Max looks like a really good deal. FuboTV is another good one, for those looking for a free trial.
March Madness next games: National Championship
(All times ET)
Monday, April 8
- 9:20 p.m. ET – (1) UConn vs (1) Purdue | TBS/TNT/TruTV
March Madness 2024 FAQ
Below is our March Madness FAQ for 2024. It includes times, dates, seedings and everything else you could possibly want to know about March Madness this year. Enjoy!
When is March Madness 2024?
The March Madness men's tournament 2024 runs from Tuesday, March 19 to Monday, April 8.
The women's tournament starts on Wednesday, March 20 and ends on Sunday, April 7.
What are the March Madness seedings?
East Regional
1. UConn
2. Iowa State – eliminated
3. Illinois – eliminated
4. Auburn – eliminated
5. San Diego State – eliminated
6. BYU – eliminated
7. Washington State – eliminated
8. Florida Atlantic – eliminated
9. Northwestern – eliminated
10. Drake – eliminated
11. Duquesne – eliminated
12. UAB – eliminated
13. Yale – eliminated
14. Morehead State – eliminated
15. South Dakota State – eliminated
16. Stetson – eliminated
West Regional
1. North Carolina – eliminated
2. Arizona – eliminated
3. Baylor – eliminated
4. Alabama – eliminated
5. Saint Mary's – eliminated
6. Clemson – eliminated
7. Dayton – eliminated
8. Mississippi State – eliminated
9. Michigan State – eliminated
10. Nevada – eliminated
11. New Mexico – eliminated
12. Grand Canyon – eliminated
13. Charleston – eliminated
14. Colgate – eliminated
15. Long Beach State – eliminated
16. Wagner – eliminated
South Regional
1. Houston – eliminated
2. Marquette – eliminated
3. Kentucky – eliminated
4. Duke – eliminated
5. Wisconsin – eliminated
6. Texas Tech – eliminated
7. Florida – eliminated
8. Nebraska – eliminated
9. Texas A&M – eliminated
10. Colorado – eliminated
11. North Carolina State – eliminated
12. James Madison – eliminated
13. Vermont – eliminated
14. Oakland – eliminated
15. Western Kentucky – eliminated
16. Longwood – eliminated
Midwest Regional
1. Purdue
2. Tennessee – eliminated
3. Creighton – eliminated
4. Kansas – eliminated
5. Gonzaga – eliminated
6. South Carolina – eliminated
7. Texas – eliminated
8. Utah State – eliminated
9. TCU – eliminated
10. Colorado State – eliminated
11. Oregon – eliminated
12. McNeese – eliminated
13. Samford – eliminated
14. Akron – eliminated
15. Saint Peter's – eliminated
16. Grambling State – eliminated
What are the March Madness dates 2024?
- March 19th-20th: First Four
- March 21st-22nd: First Round
- March 23rd-24th: Second Round
- March 28th-29th: Sweet 16
- March 30th-31st: Elite Eight
- April 6th: Final Four
- April 8th: NCAA Championship Game
How many teams are in March Madness each year?
Of the 351 fully-fledged Division I basketball programs, only 64 make it to the Big Dance.
60 teams – the 32 postseason championship winners and the 28 highest-rated teams according to the selection committee – qualify for the First Round.
The remaining four spots are contested by eight further teams, by way of the sudden-death First Four mini tournament.
What are our March Madness predictions 2024?
March Madness has a frustrating habit – or wonderful knack – of defying expectations. Only once in the 85-year history of the tournament have all four No.1 seeds made it to the Final Four. That happened in 2008.
Yet the No.1 seeds are statistically the likeliest teams to lift the championship title. 24 No.1 seeds have gone on to win March Madness, compared to just five No.2 seeds, four No.3 seeds, and two No.4 seeds.
So rather than trying to will a Cinderella team into existence, you're best off going with one of the four favorites, UConn, Houston, Purdue or North Carolina.
UConn are the reigning champions, and only seven programs have ever retained the title. The last team to do so was Florida in 2007.
What are the March Madness locations for 2024?
State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, home to the NFL's Cardinals, will host the championship game and the Final Four stage of the tournament.
Some of the other ultra-prestigious venues include the Celtics' TD Garden (East Regional semi-finals and finals), the Lakers' Crypto.com Arena (West Regionals), the Mavericks' American Airlines Center (South Regionals), and the Pistons' Little Caesars Arena (Midwest Regionals)
There are 13 March Madness venues in total, the other eight are:
- University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio
- Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
- CHI Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska
- PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
- Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
- FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
- Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, Washington
What are the March Madness odds for 2024?
The UConn Huskies are the No.1 overall seed, with the Houston Cougars, Purdue Boilermakers and North Carolina Tar Heels being the three other regional No.1 seeds.
It's no surprise, therefore, that they're each being hotly tipped by the bookmakers, though the Arizona Wildcats – the No.6 overall seed behind the Tennessee Volunteers – were also right up there ahead of the tournament.
Ahead of the tournament, DraftKings had UConn as the overall favorite at +340, followed by Houston at +550, Purdue at +700, Arizona at +1,200 and North Carolina at +1,300.
Where can I find a March Madness 2024 printable bracket?
The NCAA has a free March Madness printable bracket available here.
Of the 31 million March Madness brackets that were registered with the NCAA, zero survived the First Round.
You can find the women's printable bracket here.
Where can I buy March Madness tickets 2024?
The simplest way to purchase March Madness tickets is through the Ticketmaster website and, as you'd expect, they're extremely expensive.
At the time of writing, First Four tickets started at $50, while you'd have had to stump up $199 minimum for the championship game.
$9,788 wouldn't have even got you a seat on Row A. That's how much you'd have had to part with to pull up a pew one row back.
When is women’s March Madness 2024?
The 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament runs concurrently with the men's, starting on Wednesday, March 20 and concluding on Sunday, April 7.
ESPN has the broadcasting rights to the competition and you can read all about how to watch women's March Madness 2024 live streams right here.
Who won March Madness 2023?
Despite being unranked at the start of the season and only making the cut as an at-large entry, the UConn Huskies won March Madness last year, beating the San Diego State Aztecs in the championship game. They're the No.1 overall seed this time around.
What’s the biggest ever March Madness Cinderella story?
As the lowest-seeded program to win the NCAA tournament, the Villanova Wildcats class of 1985 remains the biggest ever March Madness Cinderella team. They went all the way, while ranked as No.8 seeds.
Only two other No.8 seeds, the Butler Bulldogs class of 2011 and the North Carolina Tar Heels class of 2022, have made it to the championship game.
However, a special mention goes out to the No.11-seeded Loyola Marymount Lions class of 1990. As No.11 seeds, they became the first WCC team to reach the Elite Eight in 33 years, after their 23-year-old star Hank Gathers suffered a heart attack on court during their conference semi-final and died.
