March Madness 2022 begins on March 15 — here's how to watch the NCAA basketball tournament without cable
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- March Madness 2022 is nearly here, with Selection Sunday set for March 13.
- The men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments will each feature 68 teams.
- Men's games will air on CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV, while women's games will air on ESPN networks.
The NCAA basketball tournament, also known as March Madness, officially begins on March 15. The teams competing in the tournament will be announced on March 13. CBS will air the men's selections at 6 p.m. ET, while ESPN will air the women's selections at 8 p.m. ET.
The full schedule will be announced after the seeds are determined. Games will be played at neutral sites across the US; the men's final four will be played in New Orleans, while the women's final four will be played in Minneapolis.
March Madness games will be broadcast on multiple TV channels throughout the men's tournament, including CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV. Many of these channels are available on live TV streaming services, like Sling, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV. CBS games can also be streamed live on Paramount Plus Premium ($10/month).
The women's tournament will air on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, and ESPNU. The women's final four will air on ESPN, and ESPN cable subscribers will be able to stream the games as well.
March Madness 2022 schedule: dates and times
The NCAA tournaments for men's and women's basketball, commonly known as March Madness, will begin on March 15 and run through April 4.
Tournament seeding and matchups will be determined on March 13, Selection Sunday, so check back on March 14 for a full bracket and exact matchups for the opening rounds.
Date/Time | Event | Channel |
March 13, 6 p.m. ET | Men's Selection Sunday broadcast | CBS, Paramount Plus |
March 13, 8 p.m. ET | Women's Selection Sunday broadcast | ESPN |
March 15, 6:30 p.m. ET | Men's tournament begins with first four | TruTV |
March 16, 6 p.m. ET | Women's tournament begins with first four | ESPNU |
March 17, 12 p.m. ET | First round of men's tournament begins | CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV, Paramount Plus |
March 18, 11:30 a.m. ET | First round of women's tournament begins | ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU |
April 1, 6 p.m. ET | Women's final four | ESPN |
April 2, 6 p.m. ET | Men's final four | TBS |
April 3, 5 p.m. ET | Women's national championship game | ESPN |
April 4, 9 p.m. ET | Men's national championship game | TBS |
How to watch March Madness 2022
You'll need a cable or live TV subscription to watch every March Madness tournament game, as they're spread across multiple channels. Men's games will air on CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV. Women's games will be spread across ESPN networks.
CBS, TNT, TBS, TruTV, and ESPN all have apps that give existing TV subscribers the option to stream March Madness games live, but you'll have to visit each website and app separately during the tournament.
If you don't have cable, Sling TV's Orange & Blue plan is one of the most affordable live TV streaming options with access to March Madness games. This plan includes TBS, TNT, TruTV, and ESPN. Sling TV Orange & Blue costs $50 a month.
You can also sign up for Sling's Orange or Blue plans separately. They each cost $35 a month and both include TNT and TBS. That said, ESPN is exclusive to Sling Orange while TruTV is only on Sling Blue. This makes Blue the better option for men's games and Orange the better option for women's games.
That said, none of Sling's plans include CBS. To get live CBS games, you can sign up for a Paramount Plus Premium subscription for $10 a month.
If you're willing to pay a bit more, Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV both include all the channels you need to watch men's and women's March Madness games.
Hulu + Live TV costs $70 a month, while YouTube TV starts at $55 a month for your first three months, and then goes up to $65 a month.