How to watch Florida vs. Houston 2025 NCAA Tournament National Championship Game
If you watch to see who gets their “One Shining Moment,” look no further than Paramount+.
Nets will be cut down tonight at the Alamodome as the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will crown a champion. The No. 1 Houston Cougars will face off against the No. 1 Florida Gators on Monday, April 7 in a game airing on CBS. If you are looking for the best way to stream the game, I recommend watching with a seven-day free trial to Paramount+.
How to watch Houston vs. Florida
- When: Monday, April 7, 2025 at 8:50 p.m. ET
- TV: CBS
- Stream: Watch with a seven-day free trial to Paramount+.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know to stream Houston vs. Florida
Why we recommend Paramount+ to watch Houston vs. Florida
Paramount+ is the best way to stream any Men’s Basketball Tournament game on CBS because of its price. Unlike all of the live TV streaming options available on the market, Paramount+ won’t cost you north of $80 for a single month of service. Instead, you will be able to stream every game of Men’s March Madness that airs on CBS for just $13, and that’s not factoring in the service’s seven-day free trial (more on that shortly).
Paramount+ has two subscription tiers, so when you subscribe, make sure that you are opting for the right one. The streamer’s Essential tier is cheaper at just $8 per month, but the ad-supported plan won’t provide you access to March Madness. Instead, you will need to subscribe to the premium Paramount+ with SHOWTIME tier. Not only does that option come with ad-free on-demand viewing (unfortunately, there will still be commercials during the basketball games) as well as a simulcast of your local CBS affiliate.
So, for just $13, you will be able to stream every CBS game of the Final Four and National Championship Game. Then, you will also have access to all of the sports from CBS and CBS Sports Network, live CBS programming as well as on-demand viewing the next day, shows and movies from across the Paramount family of networks, the entire Showtime library, and decades of hit movies from Paramount. That’s a pretty good offer for hoops fans looking to score a great deal.
If you are a student, Paramount+ is also offering a 50% off deal. All you need to do is click here, verify your standing as a student, and enjoy everything the service has to offer for half off.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and more. Get free access with a Walmart+ subscription.
Paramount+ includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.
Related: See the cheapest way to stream 2025 Men’s Final 4
Can you watch Houston vs. Florida for free?
If you are just looking for a streaming service to watch this specific game and nothing else, there are options available for you. We’ve already discussed Paramount+’s free trial, but Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, and YouTube TV all offer free trials, but not all free trials are created equally, so be wary.
While none are guaranteed to be as long as Paramount+, if you specifically want a live TV streaming service, DIRECTV STREAM’s offer is the longest, most consistent trial in the industry, at five days. Hulu + Live TV’s is three days and comes with he full Disney Bundle.
While those two are pretty straightforward, the others are not. When it comes to the sports-minded streamer Fubo, things can get a little complicated. As The Streamable’s expert David Satin discovered when signing up for the services, figuring out how long Fubo’s trial is — even as you are signing up — can be a bit difficult. Nonetheless, it will be at least one day, with the potential to be as many as seven, depending on a wide range of factors that Fubo does not share publicly.
The YouTube TV trial is said to be “up to two weeks,” but can be as short as two days. So it is difficult to ascertain what you are actually getting before you go through the signup process.
If you are looking to watch the game for free, I would recommend Paramount+, because it is still the longest guaranteed free trial you can get. But if you want a live streamer, I would recommend Hulu + Live TV because it will get you covered for both the Final 4 and the Championship Game, as well as give you all of the extra entertainment benefits found in the Disney Bundle.
| DIRECTV | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube TV | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Save with Sling | Free Trial | |||||
| $20.99 | $9.99 | $28.99 | $25 | $19.99 | $29.99 | $45.99 | $45.99 | $64.99 | ||
| CBS | + $24 | + $59 | + $61 | - | - | - | - | - | ✓ | |
Watch a preview of Houston vs. Florida
What are all of the streamers you can use to watch Houston vs. Florida?
Fortunately for basketball fans, there are six different streaming services that will stream the Houston vs. Florida game, so you have options to choose from if you don’t already subscribe to any of them. We discussed Paramount+ and the free trial options above, but there is another option worth discussing.
If you are looking to find a long-term streaming service and want to avoid the potential of having to pay more if price hikes strike, then DIRECTV via Internet is your best bet. Packages start as low as $70 per month and come with a two-year price guarantee. This, of course, locks you into a two-year contract, but with prices increasing fairly regularly, it is understandable why this would be an attractive offer to many people.
Ultimately, there are tons of different ways to stream the game, and while we recommend Paramount+ as the best way to stream all of the college and pro basketball season, you have plenty of options to find the platform that meets your needs.
DIRECTV Via Internet
DIRECTV via Internet was a live TV streaming service that delivered the full DIRECTV experience over the internet — no satellite dish required. It included local channels and many of the top cable channels. New subscribers could get a free Gemini streaming device that functions like a traditional cable or satellite box.
How to watch Houston vs. Florida from anywhere
If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the game as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action no matter where you are in the world with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to Paramount+ or a live TV streaming in order to stream the Houston vs. Florida game with a VPN.
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 10 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!
While NordVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.
- Best Features: ExpressVPN | Starting at $5 per month
- Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
- Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available