March Madness 2022: How to watch the NCAA men’s tournament

2022 March Madness season is here. The month long men’s collegiate tournament kicked off today, with operations going back to normal following a couple of years that were heavily impacted by the pandemic.

This year’s games kick off today, March 16th, with 16 first round games. This Friday, March 17th, there will be another 16 games played in places all over the United States.

Here’s what you should know about March Madness 2022:

How to watch

The first and second round of games are relatively easy to watch, being screened in a variety of channels like CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. Afterwards, things get more complicated; the Sweet 16 games played on March 24 and 25th will be shown on CBS and TBS.

Once in the Elite Eight stage, CBS and TBS air games interchangeably. March 26th games will air on TBS and March 27th games will air on CBS. The semifinal, played on April 2, will air on TBS while the final, played on April 4th, will air on CBS.

This is confusing, but luckily the NCAA’s website does the hard part for you, allowing you to log in with your TV provider and quickly access the games you want to watch.

If you don’t have a TV provider, there’s still plenty of options for you. Streaming apps like Hulu + Live TV (which functions essentially as cable), Paramount+, DirecTV and Sling TV are great spots to go to, offering good deals for the duration of the tournament.

Lastly, if you want to watch the games live, you’re not too late. Websites like VividSeats are offering tickets for live games with starting prices as low as $30. Games will be played in a variety of locations in the US including Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, and more