For only the 11th time ever the March Madness championship game will be contested by a pair of No.1 seeds: the Houston Cougars and Florida Gators. Houston, beaten finalists in '83 and '84, have never lifted the title before, whereas Florida have won the tournament twice, when they became the first team to go back-to-back in '06 and '07.
With the Final Four round taking place today, fans of NCAA basketball can read on for how to watch March Madness live streams from anywhere with a VPN.
March Madness runs from Tuesday, March 18 to Monday, April 7, 2025. Key dates below.
• U.S. — CBS via Paramount Plus with Showtime
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk-free
For an NCAA Tournament that has already made history for its astonishing dearth of Cinderella stories, it's somewhat ironic that the No.1-seeded finalists had to pull off a pair of upsets in order to reach the championship game.
No.3 Houston took down No.2 Duke, bringing the curtain abruptly down on projected No.1 NBA Draft pick Cooper Flagg's college career in the process, while No.4 Florida got the better of overall No.1 seed Auburn and college basketball's other superstar, Johni Broome.
In both instances, the Cougars and Gators looked dead and buried moments before the buzzer. Grit and mental fortitude have been the running themes of both programs' March Madness runs, but who will be the last team standing?
Check out our dedicated Houston vs Florida primer for the full lowdown, and strap in for the ultimate battle for college basketball glory! Here's everything you need to know to watch March Madness online and without cable.
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. without cable
In the U.S., you can watch the rest of March Madness on CBS.
If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package, you can tune in via Paramount Plus with Showtime, which is streaming all of the games that are shown on CBS from $12.99 per month or $119.99 per year.
Alternatively, just for the duration of March Madness the Sling TV Orange plan will let you stream every game on CBS through the March Madness Live app. Just log in using your Sling credentials.
Sling Orange comes with 30-plus channels, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3. Sling Orange usually costs from $45.99/month but new customers get their first month half-price.
How to 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.
Sky Sports is providing comprehensive March Madness coverage in the U.K.. Games will go out on Sky Sports+, and occasionally on Sky Sports Main Event.
Sky Sports subscribers can watch the basketball on the go on mobile devices via the Sky Go streaming service, which has dedicated apps for iOS, iPadOS and Android devices, along with Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
If you want to sign up, you can check out our dedicated guide to Sky TV deals and packages for today's best prices.
Don't fancy being locked into a long, expensive contract? Consider the more flexible streaming option, Now.
If you're not in the U.K. right now, one of the best VPN services will help tap into your home coverage of March Madness. 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 2025 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.
