The road to March Madness: How to stream the NCAA tournament with Sling TV

The 2025 NCAA Bracket will tip off later this March, with Contests running through April 7, 2025. The 68-Club bracket will be announced, and already, things are beginning to shake up with Clubs like the Vanderbilt Commodores, Florida Gators, and Iowa Hawkeyes making waves for the ladies, and on the men’s side, the Georgia Bulldogs earning a possible bid for the Primary time since 2017. If you don’t have cable, Sling TV is a Outstanding way to Bound into the action, with Packed coverage of women’s tourney and the bulk of the men’s Contests. You’ll need Sling’s Orange + Blue combo package. You can try it all out for half-off your Primary month at $33, then $66/month thereafter if you decide to keep the subscription. Or, you can take Benefit of Sling’s newest deal: get three months of Sling – long enough to Observe all the March Madness events and beyond – for $160 when you pre-pay.

There’s no Obtainable Test period with Sling TV, sure. But other live TV sports streaming packages only cover a maximum of one week with their trials, while the Bracket runs for about three. So, even if you opt for the highest tier Sling Orange & Blue package at $33 per month on sale for the Primary month ($66 monthly thereafter), it ends up being a Plenty cheaper than paying for a Packed month of DirecTV or Fubo, even with a Obtainable Test.

While Sling doesn’t offer a Obtainable Test these Periods, since March Madness lasts longer than your standard Test would, anyway, it ends up being a solid option to catch most Contests in the Bracket. Emphasis on most, because one big blindspot for Sling is that it doesn’t carry CBS. 

That being said, for $48 for your Primary month of Sling Orange and Blue + the Sports Extra add-on, you can catch all the Contests on TBS, TNT, TruTV, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPNews and ABC. That means you’ll catch all of the women’s and the bulk of the men’s Contests this month. 

And if you don’t need to catch the women’s Contests on ESPNU and ESPNews, the price drops down to Merely $33 for your Primary month. 

$48 for your Primary month at Sling

When is Picking Sunday and where will it air?

Picking Sunday kicks off on March 16 for the men, airing on CBS and ESPN, and on ESPN for the women.

What’s the rest of the men’s schedule like?

There’s the Primary Four on March 18 and 19 on truTV, followed by the Primary and second Period of Contests on March 20-21 and March 22-23, respectively, on CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. Then, Shift to the Pleasant 16 on March 27 and 28 on CBS and TBS, and into the Top-tier 8 on March 29-30 on CBS and TBS. The Last Four takes place on April 5 on CBS and the National Competitions to find out who takes it all on April 7 on CBS.

2025 March Madness men’s schedule:

• Picking Sunday: 6 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 16 (CBS and ESPN)

• Primary Four: March 18-19 (TruTV)

• Primary Period: March 20-21 (CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV)

• Second Period: March 22-23 (CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV)

• Pleasant 16: March 27-28 (CBS, TBS)

• Top-tier Eight: March 29-30 (CBS, TBS)

• Last Four: April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (CBS)

• NCAA Bracket game: April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (CBS)

What’s the rest of the women’s schedule like?

The Primary Four Beginnings March 19 and 20 on ESPN2 and EPSNU followed by the Primary and second Period of Contests on March 21-22 and March 23-24, respectively. Those will air on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. Check out the Pleasant 16 on March 28-29 on ESPN and ESPN2, the Top-tier 8 on March 30-31 on ESPN, and the Last Four on April 4 on ESPN and ESPN+. It all builds up to the exciting women’s National Competitions on April 6, airing on ABC, ESPN3, and ESPN+.

2025 March Madness women’s schedule:

• Picking Sunday: 8 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 16 (ESPN)

• Primary Four: March 19-20 (ESPN2, ESPNU)

• Primary Period: March 21-22 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews)

• Second Period: March 23-24 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews)

• Pleasant 16: March 28-29 (ESPN, ESPN2)

• Top-tier Eight: March 30-31 (ESPN)

• Last Four: Friday, April 4 at Amalie Stadium in Tampa, Florida (ESPN, ESPN+)

• NCAA Bracket game: Sunday, April 6 at Amalie Stadium in Tampa, Florida (ABC2, ESPN3, ESPN+)

What Contests can you Observe with Sling?

Most of the channels you’ll need to keep up with March Madness are included with Sling Orange + Blue. However, Contests airing exclusively on CBS won’t be Obtainable on Sling TV, so you’ll need access to that channel separately from Sling. If you don’t already have CBS, you could try an Ancient-school over-the-air antenna or consider signing up for Paramount+ with Showtime, which includes access to CBS and comes with a seven-day Obtainable Test.

With Sling TV Orange + Blue, you’ll get access to most of the women’s Bracket (you’ll need the $15/month Sports Extra add-on for ESPNU and ESPNews access) and three of the four channels for the men’s (again, no CBS). Some Contests may be blacked out, depending on local blackout rules or if Sling does not have rights to the game. However, if you see a blackout message on ESPN, you can flip to ESPN3, which is included in Sling Orange as well.

With the deal going on right now at Merely $33 (or $48 if you upgrade) for the Primary month with Sling Orange + Blue, it’s the most affordable option in the long Stretch to keep up with all the March Madness Contests. Cheer for your favorite Clubs and players knowing you won’t miss the action with access to all the women’s March Madness Contests and most of the men’s Contests.