Complete Guide to Watching College Basketball and the 2025 NCAA Tournament
College basketball captivates fans worldwide each year, culminating in the legendary NCAA tournament known as “March Madness.” For enthusiasts, following the entire season and tournament can be challenging due to regional restrictions and fragmented broadcasting rights. This guide helps you navigate these obstacles to ensure you don’t miss any of the college basketball action in 2025.
Watching the 2025 Regular Season of College Basketball
The Problem of Regional Restrictions
Many college basketball fans feel frustrated by geographic restrictions. Even with premium cable subscriptions or expensive IPTV services, certain games remain inaccessible due to regional blackouts imposed by broadcasters. These limitations can be particularly annoying when your favorite team plays in a conference whose games aren’t broadcast in your region.
Geographic blocks work by identifying your location through your IP address, allowing streaming platforms to restrict access to content based on your location. This practice, while frustrating for fans, results from complex licensing agreements between broadcasters and college conferences.
The Solution: Using a VPN
Facing these restrictions, an effective solution emerges: using a quality VPN (Virtual Private Network). A VPN is the ideal tool for bypassing geographic blocks and accessing all games of the 2025 season, regardless of your physical location.
How a VPN Allows You to Watch All Games
A VPN’s operation is relatively simple. This service encrypts your internet connection and allows you to connect to a server located in another country or region. By doing this, your original IP address is masked and replaced with that of the VPN server.
In practical terms, if a game is broadcast only in the United States but you live in another country, you can use a VPN to connect to an American server. Streaming sites will then see an American IP address and give you access to content normally reserved for that region.
Quick Guide to Watching with a VPN
Here’s how to proceed in three simple steps:
- Choose and subscribe to a premium VPN service like ExpressVPN, recognized for its reliability and streaming performance.
- Download and install the VPN application on your device (computer, tablet, smartphone, or even smart TV).
- Connect to a server located in the country where the game is being broadcast, then access your preferred streaming platform normally.
Important: keep the VPN active throughout your viewing to avoid sudden disconnection due to detection of your actual location.
VPN Recommendation: ExpressVPN
Among the many services available, ExpressVPN stands out as the optimal solution for streaming college basketball. Its major assets include:
- A global network of more than 3,300 servers spread across 94 countries
- Exceptional connection speeds, essential for uninterrupted HD streaming
- A strict no-activity-logs policy
- The ability to connect up to 5 devices simultaneously
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
This solution offers unparalleled flexibility to follow the entire regular season without geographic constraints.
Following the 2025 NCAA College Basketball Tournament (March Madness)
Introduction to the 2025 NCAA Tournament
Tournament Structure and Process
The 2025 NCAA Tournament, the flagship event of American college basketball, promises to be a must-see spectacle. After the complete bracket reveal during “Selection Sunday,” the first “First Four” games will kick off three weeks of unparalleled sporting intensity. For both men’s and women’s tournaments, excitement builds as these legendary competitions approach.
The men’s tournament brings together 68 teams, reduced to 64 after the “First Four” games. Six elimination rounds follow: First Round, Second Round, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four, and finally the National Championship. This single-elimination structure creates an electric atmosphere where each game could be the last.
The games take place in several American cities, offering a veritable basketball road trip across the country before culminating in San Antonio for the men’s final phases.
Where to Watch the Men’s NCAA Tournament
TV Channels and Streaming Platforms
Media coverage of the 2025 men’s tournament is provided through a partnership between CBS Sports and Turner Sports. All 67 games will be broadcast live on various channels:
- CBS: The historic broadcaster that will cover the Final Four and championship game
- TBS, TNT, and truTV: Turner Group channels that will share the other matchups
For streaming, the March Madness Live application will allow you to follow the entire tournament on your mobile devices. Paramount+ subscribers will also be able to access games broadcast on CBS.
Detailed Schedule of the Men’s NCAA Tournament
First Four (Tuesday, March 18 and Wednesday, March 19 in Dayton, Ohio)
The tournament begins with four preliminary games:
Tuesday, March 18:
- 6:40 PM ET: (16) Alabama State defeated (16) Saint Francis 70-68
- 9:10 PM ET: (11) North Carolina dominated (11) San Diego State 95-68
Wednesday, March 19:
- 6:40 PM ET: (16) Mount St. Mary’s vs. (16) American on truTV
- 9:10 PM ET: (11) Xavier vs. (11) Texas on truTV
First Round and Tournament Continuation
The first round will take place on Thursday, March 20 and Friday, March 21, followed by the second round on Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23. The tournament will continue with the Sweet Sixteen (March 27-28), Elite Eight (March 29-30), Final Four (April 5), and will culminate with the National Championship on Monday, April 7 at 8:50 PM ET on CBS.
Where to Watch the Women’s NCAA Tournament
TV Channels and Streaming Platforms
The women’s tournament benefits from complete coverage by the ESPN group. All 67 games will be distributed among ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPNEWS. The ESPN application will allow you to follow the games via streaming, while ESPN+ will broadcast the culminating moments with the Final Four and the national championship.
The women’s First Four will take place on March 19 and 20, followed by the first round on March 21 and 22. The tournament will conclude at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
March Madness® 2025 Schedule, How to Watch & NCAA Tournament Info
