College-aged men don’t have a monopoly on March Madness. The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament gets underway this month and promises as much buzzer-beating insanity as the men’s tournament.
It’s not a foregone conclusion that the University of Connecticut Huskies will dominate the field and win another title this year. In fact, after their remarkable run of winning six titles in the eight years from 2009 through 2016, the UConn women haven’t won in two years. As the women’s game has grown, talent has spread beyond Storrs, Connecticut and allowed other schools to assemble teams capable of competing with the Huskies. Baylor is currently the top-ranked team in the land, and Notre Dame, South Carolina and Stanford are perennial powers.
The NCAA women’s basketball tournament tips off on Friday, March 22. The Women’s Final Four takes place on Friday, April 5 with the National Championship to follow on Sunday, April 7. Here’s how you can watch the games live, with or without a cable or satellite TV subscription.
What is the tournament schedule?
The tournament begins with 64 teams, and two weeks later only one will be standing.
- March 22-25: Rounds 1 and 2
- March 29-30: Sweet Sixteen
- March 31 to April 1: Elite Eight
- April 5: Final Four
- April 7: National Championship Game
Which channels are the games on?
The games are broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2.
How can I watch for free?
WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app will have live streams of the games, but you will need to log in with a pay TV account (typically from a cable or satellite TV provider). You can live stream the games with a live-TV streaming service, no cable TV required.
Some things to know about live-TV streaming services:
- You’ll need a solid internet connection.
- You can watch any of them on TV as long as your smart TV has the service’s app. You can also watch on your TV using a media streamer, including Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and Chromecast.
- You can also watch on iPhones, Android phones and tablets and PC browsers.
- You can sign up and cancel anytime, no contract required.
- All of them offer free trial periods, so you can sign up to watch and then cancel.
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Sling TV Orange ($15)
Sling TV’s Sling Orange package includes ESPN and ESPN2 and costs usually costs $25 a month, but it’s currently discounted at $15 a month for the first three months for new subscribers.
YouTube TV ($40)
YouTube TV costs $40 a month and includes ESPN and ESPN2.
PlayStation Vue ($45)
PlayStation Vue’s cheapest $45-a-month Access plan includes ESPN and ESPN2.
DirecTV Now ($50)
DirecTV Now’s basic $50-a-month “Plus” package includes ESPN and ESPN2.
Read more: March Madness 2019: When the mens’ tournament starts, how to stream and more
2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Conference Championships