Stream College Basketball: Don’t Miss an NCAA Game in 2024

I can’t stream college basketball on just one channel. Throughout the season, games air on a wide variety of channels. To watch college basketball without cable, I need access to multiple channels.

In a hurry? If you have no time to dig into the details and just want to start watching NCAA basketball, these are our top picks:

Why You Need a VPN Today

However, first you need a VPN to unblock US streaming services from . Our favourite is ExpressVPN. It’s definitely not the cheapest option at $6.67/month, but it just works – and across all your devices.

They have servers in 25+ US cities/states and 105 countries, which unblock access to premium streaming platforms available only in the US, as well as free “on demand” TV services worldwide.

You’ll have access to local platforms as if you were in the country, meaning you can watch BBC iPlayer as if you were in the UK, CBC Gem as if you were in Canada, plus hundreds more worldwide.

Sign Up for ExpressVPN

Hotdog users get three months free at ExpressVPN, so it’s a “no-brainer” for us. Decide for yourself with their 30 day money-back guarantee.

IMPORTANT: Once you’ve installed your VPN and connected to a US server, you’ll still need to subscribe separately to access premium streaming services.

Any fan of college basketball will tell you how much fun it is watching your favorite team progress through the season. Whether you’re rooting for your hometown team, your alma mater, or another school entirely, fans love keeping up with their teams any way they can.

Even if you’re not the biggest NCAA basketball fan, March Madness is always fun to watch. It used to be that NCAA fans would crowd around the TV and watch their favorite teams on cable. Now, you can ditch cable and stream college basketball online.

With that in mind, keep reading to learn all of the ways you can watch college basketball without cable this season.

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Today’s NCAA Basketball Games

Channels You Need to Watch NCAA Basketball

All of the channels you need to watch the NCAA basketball season are available on a variety of streaming services. This gives you multiple ways to watch and allows you to choose the service that suits you best.

In order to watch the majority of the college basketball season, you’ll want the following channels:

• ACC Network
• Big Ten Network
• CBS Sports Network
• ESPN
• ESPN2
• FS1
• FS2
• Longhorn Network
• Pac-12 Network
• SEC Network.

March Madness is covered by CBS and Turner Sports. So if they are your primary interest, you will want CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. And if you are interested in the women’s tournament, you’ll need ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPNews.

Our top choice for March Madness — men’s and women’s — is Hulu + Live TV. Sign up today!

The conference channels (and their substations) also air a lot of college basketball. Longhorn Network is less important, given that it is focused on sports at University of Texas at Austin. But it does air some live games. Fans of particular teams will likely want to at least get the related conference channel.

Some games will also air on regional sports networks (RSNs) like those from Bally Sports and NBC Sports. But these channels are really focused on MLB, NBA, and NHL games. There are exceptions, but NCAA fans will not usually find much of interest on these channels.

Keep reading to learn more about streaming college basketball without cable.

How to Save Money and Watch More College Basketball

Over the last couple of years, cable has lost millions of customers. People don’t want to be bound by contracts or forced to deal with rising prices and hidden costs.

Sports fans have held onto cable longer than most because it used to be harder to find sports channels. That’s not the case anymore. Still, if you’re a sports fan on the fence about switching, here are some good reasons to consider it:

• Save Money
• No Risk — Free Trials and Guarantees
• Stream Where You Want
• Added Account Features

When you add all these things together, streaming is a feature-rich option that allows you to replace cable and save money doing it. Now it’s time to learn more about the services that will let you stream college basketball online without cable.

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Streaming Services for NCAA Basketball

All the general streaming services provide you with reasonable coverage of the college basketball season.

Stream College Basketball With Fubo

The base Fubo (formerly FuboTV) plan costs $79.99/month. It includes well over 150 channels. These include has Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and FS2. It also features many other sports channels including RSNs and several from beIN Sports and TUDN.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

If you upgrade to Fubo Extra ($7.99/mo), you get 48 extra channels including ACC Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network. Fubo offers many other add-ons.

All Fubo plans come with at least unlimited cloud DVR and the ability to stream on up to 10 TVs/devices simultaneously. Here’s rundown:

• $79.99/month
• 150+ channels and many upgrade options
• unlimited cloud DVR
• 10 simulteneous screens
• Great selection of local channels
• Watch content in the on-demand library or catch it live
• Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.

The downside of Fubo is that it does not offer any of the Turner channels — no TBS, TNT, or TruTV. It does offer CBS and CBS Sports Network, but that still means you will have to miss about half of March Madness.

The best way to learn more about this exciting sports-forward service, is to check out the trial. Like other services, Fubo is a contract-free service. This means you can cancel at any time, even during the trial. In fact, Fubo even reminds you when your trial is almost up, so you’ll have time to cancel if you want. Our Fubo review can tell you more.

Sling TV Offers Low-Cost NCAA Basketball Streaming

Sling TV is definitely the cheapest option on this list when it comes to a cable replacement service that allows you to stream sports. You can watch quite a lot of college basketball with either the Sling Blue or Sling Orange plans for $40.00/month each.

Save $25 on Sling TV Now

For the most NCAA coverage, you’ll want the Sling Orange & Blue package, which is available for $55.00/month. This will give you access to multiple ESPN networks, FS1, TNT, TBS, and many other channels.

Sling TV also offers a wide array of add-on bundles that will allow you to customize your plan without spending too much money. Here is more on Sling TV:

• Sling Orange & Blue is $55.00/month
• 45+ channels
• Several bundle packages are available to customize your lineup
• An on-demand library
• Stream on TV Everywhere apps
• 50 hours of cloud DVR storage
• Save $25 on your first month of Sling TV.

The one problem with Sling TV is that it does not include CBS. You can get around this by setting up a digital antenna to work with it. Or you can combine it with Paramount+ Premium.

Sling TV is a great budget option. Like the other services mentioned here, you can cancel at any point in your subscription, so there’s really no risk involved. You can find out more in our Sling TV review. You should also check out our guide and schedule for Men’s March Madness on Sling TV, plus our information on the Women’s Basketball Final.

Stream NCAA Basketball With DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) is another option. Although it is more expensive, it provides all the channels you want. Multiple packages are available. The cheapest package offered is $79.99/month, but the $108.99/month package has more college basketball channels.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free Trial

You can use TV Everywhere apps, stream on unlimited devices simultaneously, and an on-demand library is included. You’ll even have unlimited cloud-DVR, though you have to signup online. Here’s more on DIRECTV STREAM:

• Packages from $79.99/month
• 75+ channels to start
• Local channels
• An on-demand library
• Unlimited cloud-DVR are included

If you’re curious about DIRECTV STREAM, the best thing you can do is sign up. New customers get a 5-day free trial with DIRECTV STREAM. Just cancel before that time if it isn’t for you. You can learn more in our DIRECTV STREAM review.

Hulu + Live TV Is Great for All College Sports

Hulu + Live TV offers 100+ channels, including many of the channels you’ll need to watch college basketball live. Channels like ESPN, FS1, TNT, and more are included. You’ll also have the full Hulu on-demand service available to you.

You’ll be able to stream on two devices at once (you can upgrade for more simultaneous streams). Hulu Live is available starting at $76.99/month with no contracts. Here are some more highlights:

• 100+ channels
• Disney+ and ESPN+
• Many college basketball channels plus local channels
• Hulu’s on-demand content is included
• Unlimited cloud DVR storage (9 month storage)
• Stream on up to 2 devices at once
• $76.99/month
• No commitments – you can cancel anytime

If your plan is to replace cable, Hulu + Live TV is an easy way to do it. Make sure to check it out and if you’re not satisfied you can always cancel. Our Hulu + Live TV review has added details.

Get Hulu + Live TV for $59.99 Monthly

Other Ways to Stream the College Basketball Season

There are other options for NCAA basketball fans. One that is not so much an alternative as an addition is ESPN+. More and more live games of all sports are showing up on this specialized streaming service. And it is just $10.99/month or $109.99/year. It’s even less expensive if you get it as part of the ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu bundle for $14.99/month. See our ESPN+ review for details.

Sign Up for ESPN+ Now!

Another good option is Paramount+ Premium, which provides a ton of live sports for just $12.99/month. You also get your local CBS affiliate and Showtime. For more information, see our Paramount+ review.

Try Paramount+ for Free!

You can also get YouTube TV, which offers a plan much like Hulu + Live TV with 100+ channels for $72.99/month.

Finally, the NCAA has created the March Madness Live app. It works on most devices and allows you to watch games and much more. Note, however, that you must already have a streaming service or other TV provider account to log into it.

Devices to Live Stream NCAA Basketball

Pretty much any device that can stream video is supported by some of the live TV streaming services. All of them support the following:

Also supported are LG/ Vizio smart TVs and Xbox One gaming systems (Fubo, Sling, Hulu) and PlayStations (Hulu).

NCAA Basketball Schedule: Next Week

Wrapping Up

College basketball games might air on a wide variety of channels, but those channels are all available without cable. The exact channels you need will likely depend on the teams you want to watch, but the options are here.

You can stream college basketball online without cable. Best of all, you’ll have extra money in your pocket when you do it. Fubo is our top choice for college basketball. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.

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