NCAA March Madness 2023: How to watch the First Four college basketball games tonight

By Danica Creahan

Updated on: March 14, 2023 / 12:16 PM
/ Essentials

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2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament National Championship — Blakeway Worldwide Panoramas/Getty Images

March Madness season is here. With 68 teams playing in 67 live games across the country, from New York to Las Vegas, there’s a lot of action to follow over the next month.

If you’re looking to get the best men’s college basketball fan experience and to tune in to every single game in the 2023 tournament, we’ve got you covered. Here’s how to watch March Madness, from Selection Sunday all the way to the Championship Game.

Top products in this article:

Stream truTV with Sling TV Orange & Blue, $30 (reduced from $50) for your first month

How to watch the First Four NCAA March Madness live 2023

The men’s NCAA bracket is out and the first March Madness games tip off on Tuesday, March 14, in Dayton, OH. The First Four games will air on truTV, which you can stream through Sling or Hulu + Live TV. Here’s the schedule four the First Four teams playing in NCAA March Madness live 2023 starting Tuesday, March 14.

Tuesday, March 14 (all times Eastern)

No. 16 SE Missouri State vs. No. 16. Texas A&M CC | 6:30 p.m. | truTV
No. 11 Pitt vs. No. 11 Mississippi St. | 9 p.m. | truTV

Wednesday, March 15 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio. All times Eastern)

No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. No. 16 Texas Southern | 6:30 p.m. | truTV
No. 11 Nevada vs. No. 11 Arizona State | 9 p.m. | truTV

March Madness Round of 64 schedule:

Keep up with the March Madness schedule. CBS Essentials knows where you can watch the upcoming Round of 64 games.

Thursday, March 16 (Round of 64. All times Eastern)

No. 9 West Virginia vs. No. 8 Maryland | noon | CBS
No. 13 Furman vs. No. 4 Virginia | 12:30 p.m.| truTV
No. 10 Utah St. vs. No. 7 Missouri | 1:20 p.m. | TNT
No. 16 Howard vs. No. 1 Kansas | 1:50 p.m. | TBS
No. 16 SE Missouri St./Texas A&M CC vs. No. 1 Alabama | 2:30 p.m. | CBS
No. 12 College of Charleston vs. No. 5 San Diego St. | 3 p.m. | truTV
No. 15 Princeton vs. No. 2 Arizona | 3:50 p.m. | TNT
No. 9 Illinois vs. No. 8 Arkansas | 4:20 p.m. | TBS
No. 9 Auburn vs. No. 8 Iowa | 6:45 p.m. | TNT
No. 12 Oral Roberts vs. No. 5 Duke | 7 p.m. | CBS
No. 15 Colgate vs. No. 2 Texas | 7:15 p.m. | TBS
No. 10 Boise St. vs. No. 7 Northwestern | 7:25 p.m. | truTV
No. 16 Northern Kentucky vs. No. 1 Houston | 9:15 p.m. | TNT
No. 13 Louisiana vs. No. 4 Tennessee | 9:30 p.m. | CBS
No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M | 9:45 p.m. | TBS
No. 15 UNC Asheville vs. No. 2 UCLA | 9:55 p.m. | truTV

Friday, March 17 (Round of 64. All times Eastern)

No. 10 USC vs. No. 7 Michigan State | noon |CBS
No. 14 Kennesaw St. vs. No. 3 Xavier | 12:30 p.m. | truTV
No. 14 UC Santa Barbra vs. No. 3 Baylor | 1:20 p.m. | TNT
No. 12 VCU vs. No. 5 Saint Mary’s | 1:50 p.m. | TBS
No. 15 Vermont vs. No. 2 Marquette| 2:30 p.m. | CBS
No. 11 Mississippi State/Pitt vs. No. 6 Iowa State | 3 p.m. | truTV
No. 11 N.C. State vs. No. 6 Creighton | 3:50 p.m. | TNT
No. 13 Iona vs. No. 4 UConn | 4:20 p.m. | TBS
No. 16 Texas Southern/Fairleigh Dickinson vs. No. 1 Purdue | 6:45 p.m. | TNT
No. 11 Providence vs. No. 6 Kentucky | 7 p.m. | CBS
No. 12 Drake vs. No. 5 Miami | 7:15 p.m | TBS
No. 14 Grand Canyon vs. No. 3 Gonzaga | 7:25 p.m. | truTV
No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 8 Memphis | 9:15 p.m. | TNT
No. 14 Montana St. vs. No. 3 Kansas St. | 9:30 p.m. | CBS
No. 13 Kent State vs. No. 4 Indiana | 9:45 p.m. | TBS
No. 11 Arizona St/Nevada vs. No. 6 TCU | 9:55 p.m. | truTV

You can view the full men’s bracket on CBS sports. Here’s how to watch all the upcoming games on CBS, TNT, ESPN and more.

Sling TV

Ohio State v Villanova — Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

One cost effective way to stream basketball is with a Sling TV subscription. Right now, there’s a special deal — Sling TV is offering $20 off your first month. (Sling TV normally costs $40 and up per month for plans including live sports.) There’s no long-term contract so you can sign up just to stream March Madness basketball games and cancel after, if you want.

To catch most March Madness games, you’ll need Sling TV’s Orange & Blue plan, which starts at $30 for your first month and $50 monthly thereafter. Sling Orange & Blue will get you access to games on TBS, TNT, truTV and ESPN. Notably, it won’t get you games on CBS, so you’ll need access to your local CBS channel through a digital TV antenna or a Paramount+ subscription to be fully covered for the 2023 tournament.

New subscribers in the month of February can also enter to win a free LG TV through Sling. Sling TV also offers NBA TV through its Sports add-on. For $11 extra each month, you can get NBA TV, NHL Network, MLB Network, Tennis Channel and more.

Sling TV Orange & Blue, $30 (reduced from $50) for your first month

Hulu + Live TV

North Carolina v Duke — Jack Dempsey/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

A subscription to Hulu Live TV offers access to all major channels airing 2023 March Madness games including your local CBS channel, TBS, TNT and truTV. Plus, Hulu + Live TV can now be bundled with ad-supported Disney+ and ESPN+, giving you access to every 2023 March Madness game. You’ll also get access to more than 65 other live and on demand channels with live sports, news and entertainment.

Hulu + Live TV, $70 and up per month

Watch local CBS with an Amplified HDTV antenna

Amplified HD Digital TV Antenna — Amazon

Most March Madness games will be broadcast on local CBS affiliates, so a digital antenna is a great option for watching the game if you don’t have a cable or streaming subscription. This HDTV antenna, an Amazon best seller, claims a 200-mile range and comes with an 17-foot-long coaxial cable. Rated 4 stars by Amazon reviewers.

Amplified HDTV antenna, $22 after coupon (reduced from $27)

Where to stream March Madness 2023: Paramount+

All March Madness games airing on CBS will be available to stream simultaneously with the Paramount+ premium tier subscription. Paramount+ has two plans: the ad-supported Essential plan available for $5 per month, and the ad-free Premium plan available for $10 per month. You also can try either Paramount+ tier free for 7 days.

Paramount+, $5 and up per month

What channel is March Madness on this year

NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament - National Championship — Andy Lyons/Getty Images

While CBS is serving as the official cable TV home for this year’s Men’s March Madness tournament, live NCAA basketball games will also air on TBS, TNT and truTV.

The 2023 Women’s Tournament will air on ESPN.

Who is playing in NCAA March Madness 2023?

There will be 68 Division I college basketball teams playing in this year’s NCAA March Madness tournament.

To see the full bracket of teams, head to our sister site, CBS Sports.

2023 March Madness timeline:

2023 March Madness schedule (Men’s):

Mar. 12: Selection Sunday
Mar. 14-15: First Four
Mar. 16-17: First Round
Mar. 18-19: Second Round
Mar. 23-24: Sweet 16
Mar. 25-26: Elite Eight
Apr. 1: Final Four
Apr. 3: NCAA Championship Game

2023 March Madness schedule (Women’s):

Mar. 15-16: First Four
Mar. 17-18: First Round
Mar. 19-20: Second Round
Mar. 24-25: Sweet 16
Mar. 26-27: Elite Eight
Mar. 31: Final Four
Apr. 2: Women’s NCAA Championship Game

The best TV deals ahead of March Madness 2023

If you’re looking to create the ultimate at-home NCAA tournament experience, it might be time to upgrade your home theater. Keep reading to check out the best deals on great TVs for watching sports and more.

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The OLED TV features 4K-upscaling, a Filmmaker Mode to enhance your viewing experience with Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos, plus built-in access to Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV plus, Disney Plus and LG channels.

An Amazon customer called the TV “the best 4K panel I’ve ever owned.” “The panel actually does look like wall art hanging in my viewing room,” they commented.

65″ LG G2 series OLED evo Gallery Edition smart TV, $2,000 (regularly $3,000)

65″ Sony Bravia XR OLED 4K TV: $1,698

The 65-inch Sony Bravia XR OLED 4K TV features a cognitive processor meant to deliver intense contrast with pure blacks, high peak brightness and natural colors. Thanks to its Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology, the screen is the speaker. This smart TV comes with access to Google TV and works with most voice assistants.

65″ Sony Bravia XR OLED 4K TV, $1,698 (reduced from $2,300)

75″ Amazon Fire TV Omni series 4K smart TV: $800

This 75-inch Amazon Fire TV offers a 4K UHD display and enhanced color and clarity thanks to Dolby Vision. The TV also supports voice control with Amazon Alexa. Its high-quality picture quality and large size make this TV a solid choice for football fans — plus, it’s hard to find such a big screen at such a low price. This deal is exclusively for Prime members, but non-Prime shoppers can still get the TV on sale for $800.

75″ Amazon Fire TV Omni series 4K smart TV, $800 (reduced from $1,100)

65″ TCL Roku smart TV: $368

This top-rated TCL Roku TV is an ultra-affordable option that uses the user-friendly Roku interface.

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65″ TCL Roku 4K smart TV, $368

Amazon Fire 4-Series TV 55″ 4K TV with Alexa built in: $360

A mid-size television, 55 to 65 inches along the diagonal, is the ideal size for many living rooms. The best viewing distance for a 55-inch 4K TV, such as this model, is between 4.5 and seven feet. That leaves enough space for people to get up and walk by for more snacks from the gameday spread.

Amazon Fire 4-Series TV 55″ 4K TV with Alexa built in, $360 (reduced from $520)

55″ Elements 4K outdoor Roku TV: $1,168

This IP55 weatherproof TV with HDR10 is designed for outdoor use in all seasons — it works in temperatures from -4ºF to 104ºF. It features a tempered, anti-glare screen that’s bright enough for use in partial sun.

55″ Elements 4K outdoor TV, $1,168