March Madness is here, bringing buzzer-beaters, Cinderella stories and the ultimate battle for college basketball glory!
With Selection Sunday looming on the horizon, now would be a particularly unfortunate time for a late-season wobble, which brings us to Auburn Tigers, the projected No. 1 overall seeds. Regardless of what their two-game skid means for their place in the pecking order, it's good news for their rivals, the Duke Blue Devils, in particular.
Here's where to watch March Madness 2025 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, TNT, TruTV via Sling TV, CBS via Paramount Plus
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk-free
The respective No.1 seeds are likely to be four of Auburn, Duke, the Houston Rockets, Florida Gators, St. John's Red Storm, and Michigan State Spartans, and all but Auburn appear to be peaking at the right time. It would be some story if St. John's, who haven't been a force since the 1990s, took top billing.
As for the back-to-back reigning national champions, this has been a rebuilding campaign. The UConn Huskies underwent a near-total overhaul in the off-season, with Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan going fourth and seventh in the most recent NBA Draft.
They're still set to make the cut, however, as are the Purdue Boilermakers, beaten finalists a year ago. Here's everything you need to know to watch March Madness live streams.
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.
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 an inexpensive OTT cable TV alternative.
Sling TV is one of the better options. It includes TBS and TNT in its Orange plan, with prices starting from $45.99/month and your first month half-price.
You can add CBS with a subscription to Paramount Plus Premium ($12.99 per month). Together, those cost $58.98 per month — but only $35.99 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 2025.
Max is another option. It will live stream all of the games that are shown on TBS/TNT/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.
Can you 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.
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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