Technologies

March Madness 2023: First Four, Tournament Schedule, Bracket, and How to Watch and Stream

The first games for college basketball’s biggest tournament start on Tuesday.

March Madness is here. After a busy round of conference tournaments the men’s NCAA college basketball tournament — affectionately (and accurately) known as March Madness — gets underway this week. The First Four play-in games will be taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday before the tourney’s First Round kicks off on Thursday and Friday. And for the following three weeks, college basketball fans will be treated to small-school Cinderella runs and bracket-busting buzzer-beaters.

Here’s everything you need to know to get ready for March Madness, from the First Four to the Final Four and the National Championship game.

Kansas Jayhawks mascots and fans at a basketball game — The University of Kansas is the defending NCAA men’s basketball champion, and the Jayhawks will enter the 2023 tournament as one of the top seeds.

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

When does March Madness start?

With 68 teams invited to the big dance, the NCAA holds four play-in games to get the field down to 64, after which point the math works out to have four regional tournaments of 16 teams each. The winners of the four regional tournaments then advance to the Final Four, held this year in Houston.

March Madness begins on Tuesday, March 14, with two play-in games followed by two more play-in games the next night. After these First Four games, the field of 64 is set and the tournament begins in earnest on Thursday, March 16, with a full slate of games that will take place all afternoon and into the night with at least a few moments of madness practically guaranteed.

Which teams are playing in March Madness?

The March Madness bracket and matchups were revealed on Sunday. Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue are the top seeds in their respective regions.

The full bracket can be found on the NCAA’s website.

What is the March Madness schedule?

Here’s the schedule, round by round:

First Four: March 14-15
First round: March 16-17
Second round: March 18-19
Sweet 16: March 23-24
Elite Eight: March 25-26
Final Four: April 1
NCAA championship game: April 3

Which teams are in the First Four?

The First Four play-in games will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Here is the schedule and who each winner would face in the First Round.

Tuesday, March 14:

SE Missouri State vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 6:40 p.m. ET (3:40 p.m. PT) on TruTV; winner plays Alabama
Pittsburgh vs. Mississippi State, 9:10 p.m. ET (6:10 p.m. PT) on TruTV, winner plays Iowa State

Wednesday, March 15:

Fairleigh Dickenson vs. Texas Southern, 6:40 p.m. ET (3:40 p.m. PT) on TruTV; winner plays Purdue
Nevada vs. Arizona State, 9:10 p.m. ET (6:10 p.m. PT) on TruTV, winner plays TCU

How can I watch March Madness?

As in past years, the tournament will be shown across four channels: CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. Yep, the time has come again to find TruTV on your dial.

What channel is TruTV?

If the last time you watched something of TruTV was last March, then you might need some assistance finding it for this year’s tournament. Here’s a handy guide for some of the major cable or satellite TV providers:

Dish Network: 242
DirecTV: 246
Verizon Fios: 683
Xfinity: varies by location (search by street address and ZIP code)
Spectrum: varies by location (search by street address and ZIP code)

What channel is broadcasting the Final Four?

The Final Four and National Championship game will air on CBS and stream on Paramount Plus.

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 One. 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.

What are my other streaming options?

You can use a live TV streaming service to watch March Madness. Three of the five live TV streaming services offer the four channels needed to watch every tournament game, but keep in mind that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries CBS in your area.

You can also use Paramount Plus to watch some, but not all, of March Madness. Only the games shown on CBS are available on Paramount Plus.

Sarah Tew/CNET

YouTube TV

Carries CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV for $65 a month

YouTube TV costs $65 a month and includes CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area. Read our YouTube TV review.

See at YouTube TV

Hulu

Hulu with Live TV

Carries CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV for $70 a month

Hulu with Live TV costs $70 a month and includes CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. Click the «View channels in your area» link on its welcome page to see which local channels are offered in your ZIP code. Read our Hulu with Live TV review.

See at Hulu with Live TV

Directv stream

DirecTV Stream

Carries CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV for $75 a month

DirecTV Stream’s basic $75-a-month plan includes CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels are available where you live. Read our DirecTV Stream review.

See at DirecTV Stream

Paramount Plus Premium

Carries CBS for $10 a month

Paramount Plus costs $10 a month for its Premium plan and will show March Madness games broadcast on CBS including the Final Four. You can’t, however, watch the rest of the tournament shown on TBS, TNT or TruTV with Paramount Plus. Read our Paramount Plus review.

See at Paramount Plus

Fubo TV

FuboTV

Carries CBS for $75 a month

FuboTV’s basic plan costs $75 a month and includes CBS but not TBS, TNT or TruTV. It’s not the best choice for March Madness but will let you watch some early-round games, the Final Four and championship game. Click here to see which local channels you get. Read our FuboTV review.

See at FuboTV

Sling/CNET

Sling TV

Carries TBS, TNT and TruTV for $40 a month

Sling TV’s $40-a-month Blue plan includes TBS, TNT and TruTV. None of its plans include CBS, which means you can’t watch the culmination of March Madness on Sling. Read our Sling TV review.

See at Sling TV

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.

Technologies

Resident Evil Requiem Revealed, but Where’s Leon Kennedy?

The Resident Evil 9 trailer showed off a new character, but not the much-rumored return of Leon.

After a fake-out earlier in Summer Game Fest on Friday, Resident Evil Requiem, or Resident Evil 9, was shown for the first time.

The new title is the first mainline entry since Capcom released Resident Evil Village in 2021, and is rumored to feature series stalwart Leon Kennedy. In the trailer, the only person we saw was a character named Grace Ashcroft, who works for the FBI and appears to have ties to Raccoon City.

For the most hardcore Resident Evil fans, the name Ashcroft will ring a bell. Alyssa Ashcroft was one of the survivors of the online-only title, Resident Evil Outbreak for the PS2. Alyssa was a journalist who was trapped in Raccoon City during the events of Resident Evil 2, and she, along with other survivors, had to escape the city before it was destroyed.

Grace is Alyssa’s daughter, and in the trailer, she is going to visit the Remwood Hotel, where Alyssa was murdered. Later in the trailer, images from what appears to be the remnants of a destroyed Raccoon City are shown — including the police department from RE2 — so it appears Resident Evil 9 will return to where the series started.

Leon’s (rumored) return is a big deal for the series, which has made some of its best games with him in the starring role. He first showed up as a rookie cop in Resident Evil 2, which built on the original game’s success with more story and improved monsters and level design.

He showed up again in Resident Evil 4, which took the series in a new direction by introducing an over-the-shoulder perspective, instead of the usual static camera angles and tank controls. Leon was also one of several playable protagonists in Resident Evil 6, a game that seemed to forget about its survival horror roots. We mostly don’t talk about that one.

But the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 was an excellent return to form, bringing RE4’s gameplay and much better graphics to a fan-favorite entry. The RE4 remake was a similar success.

Resident Evil Requiem is set to drop Feb. 27, 2026, for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series consoles, but we’re hoping to get our hands on it this weekend. If you want to catch up on older Resident Evil games, Capcom is having a sale that includes basically all the games, including Village and the three remakes.

Technologies

The Switch 2 Is Here, and I’ve Scoured the Internet for Every Accessory Available Right Now

Technologies

T-Mobile’s Free Premium iPhone 16 Pro Deal Explained. Learn Exactly How It Works

Along with a free iPhone, you can get an extra $800 to pay off your old device.

If you’re starting a new cell phone plan, most major mobile carriers require a multiyear commitment so it’s a big decision you need to consider carefully. First, think about the plan and provider itself: What’s the best coverage in your area and how many lines do you want to add? Next, compare the best mobile phone plan deals to save yourself the most money

T-Mobile has some fantastic deals right now you can take advantage of that make it a pretty competitive pick — especially for Apple fans looking to upgrade.

T-Mobile’s incentives include free lines and streaming services but one huge highlight is the chance to snag the top-rated iPhone 16 Pro free. The language on some of these offers can be a little confusing so we’ve broken down how T-Mobile’s current deals work below. Note that there aren’t any set expirations for these offers so they could vanish at any moment. We wouldn’t wait too long if you’re hoping to take advantage of these savings.

Why these deals matter

You more or less need a phone with reliable coverage these days but costs can add up quickly. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your mobile device or shopping for the best family plans, these T-Mobile deals can help save you some serious cash each month.