After the first ever March Madness cancellation, it's a huge relief to welcome college basketball back - though naturally the 2020/21 season promises to be a bit different to previous years. Read on as we explain how to watch an NCAA college basketball live stream - whatever your school and whatever their conference, this is where you'll be able to glimpse the NBA stars of tomorrow.
For the first time ever, there are no defending champions for the 2020/21 NCAA basketball season. College hoops was one of the first victims of the coronavirus on the sporting calendar this year, but now we can settle in again and tune into the on-court thrills and spills again - with well over 300 teams in contention.
The 2020/21 NCAA college basketball season tipped off on November 25 and will conclude with the NCAA Championships, aka March Madness, which reach their climax on Monday, April 5. Teams can play up to 27 regular-season games, but Covid-19 means everything is subject to change. Whatever happens, using a good VPN will let you tune into your school from anywhere.
A couple more things to know about: the minimum number of games each team has to play in order to qualify for March Madness and the season-ending NCAA championships has been heavily reduced to 13, and teams can play up to 27 regular-season games, including a minimum of four non-conference games.
On the men’s side, this can comprise 24 regular-season games plus one multi-team event up to three games, OR 25 regular-season games and one multi-team event up to two games, OR 25 regular-season games and no multi-team events. On the women's side, teams can play 23 regular-season games and one multi-team event up to four games, OR 25 regular-season games and no multi-team events.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are early favorites in the men's competition, while on the women's side it's hard to look past the South Carolina Gamecocks - but with the circumstances what they are, just about anything could genuinely happen. Except for a first national champion from the Ivy League ranks, of course, as the conference has opted-out of the 2020/21 season.
Ivy League having canceled all winter sports because of Covid-19 concerns. But whoever you're rooting for, if your team's playing, our guide explains how to watch an NCAA college basketball live stream this season.
- Related: how to get a college football live stream
How to watch NCAA college basketball in the US
- Sling TV $45+ per month - Sling TV gives you access to regional sports networks, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports 1, SEC Network and the ACC Network with the optional sports package add-on. However, the service does not include local channels or CBS. While you could opt for either the Sling Orange or Sling Blue package, the combined Orange & Blue package is potentially your best bet for watching college basketball this season.
- fuboTV $59.99 +per month - fuboTV gives you access to local channels, regional sports networks, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, Fox Sports 1 and the Pac-12 Network but does not include ESPN. That's a blow for big national games, but it's a better option for local coverage and therefore fans of smaller schools that might not get selected for primetime.
While these are our favorites, there's plenty more OTT options that you might want to consider, depending on your viewing needs and budget.
They include:
- ESPN+ $5.99 per month - ESPN+ will live stream select college basketball games (and loads of other sport!) throughout the season.
- AT&T TV Now starting at $50 per month - AT&T’s streaming service includes local channels, regional sports networks, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports 1 and the SEC Network.
- Hulu with Live TV $54.99 per month - Hulu with Live TV gives you access to local channels, regional sports networks, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and the SEC Network.
- YouTube TV $65 per month - YouTube TV includes local channels, regional sports networks, ACC Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, Fox Sports 1 and SEC Network.
How to live stream college basketball from outside your country
If you're currently abroad or there's no official broadcast option in your country, then you’ll need to use a VPN to dial in to a location in the US that does have coverage.
A VPN is perfect for this as it allows you to change your IP address so you appear to be in a completely different location. They're surprisingly easy to use, too! We’ve tested hundreds of VPNs and can heartily recommend ExpressVPN as the best one right now.
How to watch NCAA college basketball: live stream 2020/21 games in Canada
NCAA college basketball live stream: how to watch online in the UK
How to watch an NCAA college basketball live stream worldwide with ESPN Player
In some countries, you may be baffled by the fact that college basketball is just as popular as the NBA among some fans. But if you want to know what all the fuss is about or you're a US expat wanting to catch the college basketball, then ESPN Player has you covered in other countries around the world.
It's available in the UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia and comes at a cost of £9.99/€11.99 for the next month (or £69.99/€79.99 for a whole year).
That gets you live and on-demand coverage of most college basketball games in the 2020-21 season as well as access to other live sports events, ESPN originals and ESPN Films on-demand. The service also supports both desktop and mobile, so you’ll never miss a game.
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