March Madness 2025 is heating up nicely, with eight games on the cards on Sunday to conclude the Second Round. Fans of NCAA basketball can read on for how to watch March Madness live streams from anywhere with a VPN
March Madness runs from Tuesday, March 18 to Monday, April 7, 2025. Key dates below.
• U.S. — TBS, CBS, TNT & TruTV via Sling TV
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk-free
The Auburn Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, Houston Cougars and Florida Gators — in that order — are the respective No.1 seeds, and though none of them look truly formidable, they all survived the First Round.
Auburn and Houston have already booked their places in the Sweet Sixteen, and Florida and Duke will look to emulate them today. No.1 Florida vs No.8 UConn takes place at 12:10 p.m. ET on CBS, with No.1 Duke vs No.9 Baylor set to follow at 2:40 p.m. ET on CBS.
Two of the standout Cinderella prospects are also in action, with No.12 Colorado State vs No.4 Maryland set for 7:10 p.m. ET on TBS. No.10 New Mexico vs No.2 Michigan State could bring the house down at 8:40 p.m. ET on TNT.
So strap in for heart-stopping buzzer-beaters, soul-lifting underdog stories and the ultimate battle for college basketball glory! Here's everything you need to know to watch March Madness online and without cable.
Watch March Madness from anywhere
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the basketball on your subscriptions?
You can still watch your usual March Madness live stream 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 it's 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 live streams in the U.S. without cable
In the U.S., March Madness games are being shown across TBS, TNT, TruTV and CBS.
If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can watch every single game through a cheap Sling TV subscription.
The Sling TV Orange plan carries TBS and TNT as standard, but just for March Madness it now also includes TruTV. Better yet, your Sling login credentials will let you stream every game on CBS through the March Madness Live app.
Sling Orange usually costs from $45.99/month but new customers get their first month half-price.
Alternatively, Paramount Plus Premium ($12.99 per month) is streaming all of the games that are shown on CBS.
Max is another option. It will live stream all of the games that are shown on TBS, TNT and TruTV, and includes all of HBO's prestige series, like "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "The Sopranos" and "The Wire". Plus, the service has its own originals.
Plans start at $9.99/month, though you'll need to pay $16/month to go ad-free, and $20/month to stream in 4K.
Scroll down for a breakdown of which games are on which channels.
How to watch March Madness live streams in the U.K.
Sky Sports has held the NCAA broadcasting rights in the U.K., though at the time of writing the network is yet to reveal its plans for March Madness 2025.
If you're on holiday in the U.K. from the U.S., one of the best VPN services will help tap into your home coverage of the tournament. We recommend NordVPN.
Sky Sports is providing comprehensive March Madness coverage in the U.K.. Games will go out on Sky Sports+, and occasionally on Sky Sports Main Event.
Sky Sports subscribers can watch the basketball on the go on mobile devices via the Sky Go streaming service, which has dedicated apps for iOS, iPadOS and Android devices, along with Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
If you want to sign up, you can check out our dedicated guide to Sky TV deals and packages for today's best prices.
Don't fancy being locked into a long, expensive contract? Consider the more flexible streaming option, Now.
If you're not in the U.K. right now, one of the best VPN services will help tap into your home coverage of March Madness. We recommend NordVPN.
How to watch March Madness live streams in Canada
TSN is providing comprehensive March Madness coverage across its channels and TSN+.
The streaming service lets you get access to all TSN has to offer on an $8/month or $80/year subscription basis.
If you're away from home and struggling to tap into your subscriptions, you could use a VPN to help you access a March Madness stream from anywhere. We recommend NordVPN.
How to watch March Madness live streams 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 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.
When is March Madness 2025?
The March Madness men's tournament runs from Tuesday, March 18 to Monday, April 7.
The women's tournament starts on Wednesday, March 19 and ends on Sunday, April 6. Broadcast plans for the women's tournament are completely different, with games being shown on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC/ESPN3, ESPNU and ESPNews.
What are the March Madness 2025 key dates?
March 18—19: First Four
March 20—21: First Round
March 22—23: Second Round
March 27—28: Sweet 16
March 19—30: Elite Eight
April 5: Final Four
April 7: 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 20205 predictions?
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. 25 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 are the back-to-back reigning champions, having become only the eighth program to ever retained the title. The previous team to do so was Florida in 2007.
What are the March Madness venues for 2025?
The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, home to the UFL's San Antonio Brahmas and the AAC's UTSA Roadrunners, will host the championship game and the Final Four stage of the tournament.
Some of the most prestigious venues include the Nuggets' Ball Arena, the Cavaliers' Rocket Arena, the Bucks' Fiserv Forum, the Hurricanes' Lenovo Center, the Kraken's Climate Pledge Arena, the Devils' Prudential Center, the Warriors' Chase Center, the Cardinals' State Farm Arena, and the Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium.
There are 14 March Madness venues in total. The other four are:
- University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio
- Amica Mutual Pavilion, Providence, Rhode Island
- Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
- Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas
Where can I buy March Madness tickets 2025?
At this late stage, the simplest way to purchase March Madness tickets is through the Ticketmaster website, which never bodes well. As you'd expect, they're extremely expensive.
At the time of writing, First Four tickets start at $40, while you'd have to stump up $146 minimum for the championship game. The priciest ticket we've seen so far would set you back a staggering $2,970.
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.
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We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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