Why You Can Trust CNET UConn vs. Purdue Livestream: How to Watch the NCAA Championship Tonight on TBS
March Madness ends today with No. 1 UConn taking on No. 1 Purdue for the men's college basketball national championship. Here's how to watch.
Tonight's national championship between No. 1 UConn and No. 1 Purdue has an old-school feel to it. In an era where guard play and three-point shots have dominated college basketball, the headliners of tonight's game are neither ball handlers nor long-distance shooters but are big men who live in the lane and protect the rim. Centers Zach Edey of Purdue and Donovan Clingan of UConn are leading the pre-game chatter.
Edey, a 7-foot, 4-inch senior and back-to-back player of the year, has averaged 28 points, 15.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game during the tournament. He has looked unguardable at times as he's overpowered smaller opponents, but he'll have someone nearly his size guarding him tonight. Clingan is a 7-foot, 2-inch sophomore who isn't as much of a focus on offense for UConn as Edey is for Purdue, but he has been elite on the defensive end, averaging 3.6 blocks per game in the tournament.
UConn is seeking to become the first school to repeat as national champions since Florida in 2006 and 2007. Purdue is hoping to follow the path of Virginia, who became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the first round to a 16 seed in 2018 and then turned around and won the national championship as a No. 1 seed the following year. Purdue became only the second No. 1 seed to lose in the opening round when it was ousted by Fairleigh Dickinson last year, a loss that likely played a large role in Edey foregoing the NBA draft and returning for his senior season.
UConn and Purdue tip off tonight at 9:20 p.m. ET (6:20 p.m. PT) on TBS.
Zach Edey and No. 1 Purdue face No. 1 UConn tonight in the NCAA men's college basketball national championship.
How can I watch or stream March Madness?
At this stage in the tourney, you need just one channel -- TBS -- for the championship game.
You can watch TBS with a cable subscription or a live TV streaming service, but the most affordable option is signing up for a month of Max. With the basic, ad-supported $10-a-month Max streaming service, you can watch the TBS broadcast of the National Championship game tonight.
The ad-supported plan for Max costs $10 per month and will show the national championship game on TBS.
Live sports on Max will soon require the $10-per-month B/R Sports add-on, but you won't need to shell out for it to watch this year's March Madness games. Warner Bros. Discovery is delaying charging customers for the add-on option until sometime after the tournament.
Does Max have a free trial?
No, Max does not offer a free trial. The streaming service is offering a deal of 40% off for the first year if you subscribe with its annual plan option. For the "With Ads" version, that would be $70 for the year, which amounts to $5.83 per month.
Which devices can I use to watch March Madness?
You'll find an app for the Max streaming service to watch on an iPhone or Android phone as well as an iPad, Android tablet or Amazon Fire tablet. Max is also available on mainstream streaming platforms including Roku, Apple TV, Android TV/Google TV and Fire TV, as well as smart televisions from major manufacturers LG, Samsung and Vizio. It is also accessible through Xbox and PlayStation game consoles.
For more specifics, check out the full list of supported devices for Max.
What's the best live TV streaming service for March Madness?
After Max for $10 a month, Sling TV at $40 per month is the next cheapest option for watching the National Championship on TBS.
With its multi-view capability, YouTube TV was a great pick for earlier in the tournament if you wanted to watch more than one game at a time, but that's not a concern at this stage of the tournament with only one game left. YouTube TV, along with Hulu with Live TV and DirecTV Stream offer TBS.
Sling TV's $40-per-month Blue plan includes TBS for the national championship game.
YouTube TV costs $73 per month and includes TBS.
Hulu with Live TV costs $70 per month and includes TBS.
DirecTV Stream's basic $80-per-month plan includes TBS.
Can I stream March Madness for free?
Go to the NCAA's March Madness Live site or use its March Madness Live app and you'll be able to watch games for free. You can watch March Madness Live on iOS and Android devices along with Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV and Xbox. The app also supports AirPlay and Chromecast.
As with most things that are free, there's a catch. Without proving you're a pay TV subscriber, you get only a three-hour preview, after which point you'll need to log in to continue watching.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.