When do March Madness brackets come out? Key dates and times for the 2024 NCAA tournament
One of the most celebrated sporting events of the year is upon us. March Madness 2024 is on the horizon, showcasing the best student-athletes and coaches in men's and women's college basketball. With more televised games than ever, and Iowa's Caitlin Clark becoming the NCAA all-time scoring leader this season, there's never been a more exciting time to watch NCAA college basketball.
The road to the Final Four starts with Selection Sunday, the annual day when the NCAA releases brackets for the year's men's and women's college basketball tournaments. Keep reading to find out when the 2024 NCAA college basketball brackets will be released, and how you can watch college basketball's big reveal.
Note: CBS News and Paramount+ are both subsidiaries of Paramount.
When will the March Madness brackets for the men's tournament be announced?
The annual beginning of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament is Selection Sunday when seedings and rankings in the knockout bracket of the tournament known as "March Madness" are revealed.
Selection Sunday for the men's tournament was held on Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT).
When will the March Madness brackets for the women's tournament be announced?
Selection Sunday for the women's tournament was held on Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT).
How to watch NCAA March Madness live without cable
This year, men's March Madness games will broadcast on CBS, TBS, TNN and TruTV. Women's NCAA March Madness games will broadcast on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.
If you've given up your cable subscription, or your cable provider doesn't include these channels, you can subscribe to one of the streaming or live TV platforms featured below.
Stream the NCAA March Madness free on Paramount+ with Showtime
CBS will play host to some of this year's men's March Madness games, which means you can watch them live on Paramount+ with Showtime. You'll also get access to college basketball games broadcast on CBS during the March Madness tournament. (You can watch your local CBS affiliate live any time on Paramount+ with Showtime.)
In addition, you can watch content from the massive Paramount+ library of movies and TV shows, including hit shows such as "Survivor" and "NCIS."
A subscription to Paramount+ with Showtime is $11.99 per month. The streamer offers a seven-day free trial. (Note that you won't be able to stream men's March Madness live with a Paramount+ Essential subscription.)
Stream men's Selection Sunday via Amazon Prime Video
Paramount+ content, including men's March Madness 2024, is available to stream on Amazon Prime via a Paramount+ on Prime Video add-on subscription. Prime Video also carries some of the best sports documentaries, including "Kelce," which chronicles former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce's last season in the league.
Amazon is offering a seven-day free trial of Paramount+ with Showtime. Tap the button below to start your trial and start streaming now for free. After the free trial period ends, a subscription to the Paramount+ with Showtime tier is $11.99 per month.
Watch NCAA March Madness games for free with Fubo
If you're new to streaming sports, you should know about Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to every March Madness game airing on network and cable TV, plus your local TV affiliates, hundreds of cable TV channels and 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage. Another reason to love Fubo is its lookback feature, which lets you watch sporting events up to 72 hours after they air live.
Start watching NCAA basketball on Fubo and also get access to network-aired NFL, NBA and MLB games by starting a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. Fubo starts at $80/month for the Pro tier, which includes over 184 channels, but the streamer is currently offering the first month for $60.
What you'll get with Fubo Pro Tier:
- There are no contracts with Fubo -- you can cancel at any time.
- The Pro tier includes over 184 channels, including NFL Network.
- Fubo includes all the channels you'll need to watch college and pro football, including CBS.
- In addition to NFL football, Fubo offers MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games.
- All Fubo tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
- Stream on your TV, phone and mobile devices.
Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle: Stream March Madness games
You can watch March Madness 2024 with the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. The bundle features 95 channels, including ESPN, ABC and CBS. Plus, it includes ESPN+, so you'll be able to watch every game of both tournaments and today's seedings reveal: The women's Final Four will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It's priced at $77.
Sling TV: The most cost-effective way to stream March Madness 2024
If you don't have cable TV that includes TNT, TBS and ESPN, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream women's Selection Sunday, and March Madness game this year, is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to your local network affiliate's live feed (excluding CBS) and also includes NFL Network and ESPN with its Orange tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all the season's top NFL matchups.
That plan normally costs $40 per month, but the streamer is currently offering Sling Orange for $120 for four months when you prepay. That's $30 per month, a saving of $40.
Note: Because some men's March Madness 2024 games will be broadcast on CBS, you won't be able to watch all men's March Madness 2024 games with a Sling TV subscription. If you're looking to stream the men's tournament, we suggest a subscription to one of the other platforms featured above.
Top features of Sling TV Orange tier:
- There are 32 channels to watch in total, including ESPN, TNT and TBS.
- You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games next season at the lowest price.
- All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.
Watch March Madness games live with a digital HDTV antenna
You can also watch the men's tournament, plus the women's national championship game on TV, with an affordable indoor antenna. HDTV antennas pull in local over-the-air HDTV channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS, Univision and more. Here's the kicker: There's no monthly charge.
For anyone living in a partially blocked-off area (those near mountains or first-floor apartments), a digital TV antenna may not pick up a good signal -- or any signal at all. But for many homes, a digital TV antenna provides a seriously inexpensive way to watch March Madness without paying a cable company. Indoor TV antennas can also provide some much-needed TV backup if a storm knocks out your cable.
This amplified digital antenna with a 250-mile range can receive hundreds of HDTV channels, including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, FOX and Univision, and can filter out cellular and FM signals. It delivers a high-quality picture in 1080p HDTV and top-tier sound. An 18-foot digital coax cable is included.
When will brackets be available to fill out?
If you've joined your office's March Madness pool, you'll likely need to fill out a bracket for this year's tournament. Brackets for the men's NCAA college basketball tournament will be available after men's Selection Sunday is complete, likely around 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 17, 2024.
Brackets for the women's NCAA college basketball tournament will be available after women's Selection Sunday is complete, likely around 10:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 17, 2024.
Tap here for a printable 2024 men's March Madness bracket. Tap here for a printable 2024 women's March Madness bracket.
Want to start your own work or family pool? Tap the button below to set up a pool (and your bracket) on CBS Sports.
When is March Madness 2024?
- The men's tournament will be played March 19, 2024 - April 8, 2024.
- The women's tournament will be played March 20, 2024- April 7, 2024.
Key dates for the 2024 NCAA men's college tournament
Below are key dates for March Madness 2024.
- First Four: Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20, 2024
- First round: Thursday, March 21 and Friday, March 22
- Second round: Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24
- Sweet 16: Wednesday, March 28 and Thursday, March 29
- Elite Eight: Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31
- Final Four: Saturday, April 6 (TBS)
- National championship: Monday, April 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (TBS)
Key dates for the 2024 NCAA women's college basketball tournament
- First Four: Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday, March 21, 2024
- First round: Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23
- Second round: Sunday, March 24 and Monday, March 25
- Sweet 16: Thursday, March 29 and Friday, March 30
- Elite Eight: Sunday, March 31 and Monday, April 1
- Final Four: Friday, April 5 (ESPN+)
- National championship: Sunday, April 7 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio (ABC)
