Everything You Need to Know to Stream Men’s and Women’s College Basketball
There are more options to stream college basketball than ever before.
It’s that time of year once again, college basketball fans! The 2024-25 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball seasons are both starting on Monday, Nov. 4 and will play out on various TV channels and streaming services as the season goes along. We’ll break down all the channels you need to watch games, as well as the two end-of-season NCAA tournaments! Our top recommendation for watching the season is a subscription to Hulu + Live TV, but you can learn more about how to watch games below!
How to Watch 2024-25 NCAA College Basketball Seasons
- When: Starts Monday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. ET (Women’s) 6 p.m. ET (Men’s)
- TV: ABC, CBS, Fox, ESPN, USA Network, more
- Stream: Watch with a subscription to Hulu + Live TV.
Who Are the Top 10 Teams in Men’s, Women’s College Basketball to Start 2024?
Men’s Preseason Top 10
| AP Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| No. 1 | Kansas |
| No. 2 | Alabama |
| No. 3 | UConn |
| No. 4 | Houston |
| No. 5 | Iowa State |
| No. 6 | Gonzaga |
| No. 7 | Duke |
| No. 8 | Baylor |
| No. 9 | North Carolina |
| No. 10 | Arizona |
Women’s Preseason Top 10
| AP Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| No. 1 | South Carolina |
| No. 2 | UConn |
| No. 3 | USC |
| No. 4 | Texas |
| No. 5 | UCLA |
| No. 6 | Notre Dame |
| No. 7 | LSU |
| No. 8 | Iowa State |
| No. 9 | NC State |
| No. 10 | Oklahoma |
Which Channels Are Carrying 2024-25 NCAA Basketball Games?
As they do every year, college basketball games will play out on a host of different channels this season. Networks affiliated with conferences like ACC Network and SEC Network will be crucial to have, as will local networks like ABC, CBS, and Fox.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $86.99 | $94.99 | $82.99 | $28 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $82.99 | ||
| ABC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ACC Network | + $28 | ✓ | ✓ | - | + $11 | - | ✓ | |
| ACC Network Extra | - | ✓ | ✓ | - | + $11 | - | ✓ | |
| Big Ten Network | + $15 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | + $11 | ✓ | |
| CBS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| CBS Sports Network | + $15 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| ESPN2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| ESPN3 | ✓ | + $20 | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| ESPNU | + $28 | + $8 | ✓ | - | + $11 | - | ✓ | |
| Fox | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| FS1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Longhorn Network | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| SEC Network | + $28 | + $8 | ✓ | - | + $11 | - | ✓ | |
| TBS | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| TNT | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| truTV | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | + $6 | ✓ | ✓ | |
| USA Network | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
Which Live TV Streaming Service is Best for Watching 2024-25 NCAA Basketball Seasons?
Best Choice: Hulu + Live TV
As the channel chart above demonstrates, Hulu + Live TV carries the most 2024-25 NCAA Basketball channels of any live TV streaming service, and best yet most of them come in its base channel package. That offering starts at $83 per month after a three-day free trial, one of the cheapest prices you’ll find in live TV streaming platforms.
Hulu + Live TV subscriptions at that price also include the Disney Bundle, giving viewers access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ with its huge selection of college basketball games. It’s the best place to get the most college basketball in one place, for a decent monthly price.
Runner-Up: DIRECTV STREAM
There are quite a few channels that require a subscription to DIRECTV STREAM’s CHOICE package ($115 per month), or its Sports Add-On pack ($15 per month on top of a base plan). Nevertheless, it’s our second-favorite choice for watching college basketball games because of its five-day free trial, the good availability of basketball channels overall, and the selection of other top cable networks available.
DIRECTV STREAM starts at $87 per month and carries all the channels you’ll need to stream the men’s and women’s tournaments at the end of the year in its base ENTERTAINMENT package. You may miss a game or two going this way, but you’ll pay less than some other services and still get a huge selection of college basketball games.
Missing Some Key Channels: Fubo
Fubo is a good choice for streaming college basketball, carrying many of the most key networks in its base Pro package for $95 per month including regional sports network fees. But there are some glaring omissions, most notably the Turner Networks, which are responsible for carrying NCAA Men’s Tournament games.
If you do choose to go with Fubo to get access to its vast array of regional sports channels, you still get a free trial of up to seven days when you sign up.
Good Budget Choice: Sling TV
Sling TV is a good pick for customers who don’t need to stream every college basketball game on the schedule, but do want to get the biggest contests, including the men’s and women’s tournaments. It carries ESPN, TBS, TNT, and truTV in its Orange package starting at $40 per month.
The Sports Extra add-on for an additional $11 comes with ACC Network, ESPNU, and other channels, but there are still plenty of options missing, including local networks for a large portion of the country. Nevertheless, Sling will help you watch the biggest college basketball contests of the year.
Last Choice: YouTube TV
YouTube TV carries a good selection of college basketball channels, and starts at $73 per month. It includes local channels and college sports networks, and the price of YouTube TV is lower than all competitors but Sling TV’s.
The downside with YouTube TV is that not all new customers get the same free trial for the service, and it doesn’t come with any free streaming services bundled in the price. It’s a good choice for watching college basketball, but there are better ones available.
Which On-Demand Streaming Services Will Carry NCAA Basketball Games in 2024-25?
ESPN+
ESPN+ will carry a wide selection of college basketball games this year, including men’s and women’s contests from the ACC, Big 12, SEC, and a huge selection of other top conferences. ESPN+ subscribers will also be able to watch games from the 2024-25 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on the streamer. ESPN+ starts at $12 per month for a standalone subscription.
Max
Max carries live sporting events from TNT, TBS and truTV in its Bleacher Report Sports add-on. The original plan was for Max to start charging $10 per month on top of a base subscription to get this add-on, but as of now there is still no word on when it will start charging to watch sports. So, any college basketball games, including contests from the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament that will air on those channels will stream on Max. Max’s ad-supported plan starts at $10 per month.
Paramount+
Paramount+ with SHOWTIME carries a livestream of CBS in all major markets across the United States. That means any regular season or NCAA Tournament games airing on CBS in your area will be available with a Paramount+ with SHOWTIME account at $13 per month.
Peacock
Peacock will carry Big Ten and Big East basketball games this year, including some exclusive contests that viewers won’t see anywhere else. Peacock subscriptions begin at $8 per month for ad-supported service, or customers can opt to pay $14 to go ad-free.
Can You Watch College Basketball with a VPN?
If you’ll be away from home and can’t stream your favorite team’s game, you might want to consider a subscription to a VPN service. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and allows you to change your connection location to servers in countries around the world, as well as all 50 states (depending on which VPN you choose). If you have a hard time watching college basketball because of your geographic location, check out which VPN service might be right for you here.
A VPN is also a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite teams and all of the college basketball marquee matchups. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to whatever streaming service you want to watch the games, but now you won’t have to worry about being blacked out because you aren’t at home.
NordVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get two full years of protection for just $3.59 per month — plus you’ll get three extra months FREE. A high-speed VPN with best-in-class security that can be used on up to ten devices at once — what more could you ask for? Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!