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The 2026 March Madness tournament is approaching. Before 68 teams compete for the NABC National Championship Trophy, the tournament bracket must be finalized. Today (March 15), on Selection Sunday, the men’s team bracket will be revealed live on CBS at 6 p.m. ET, while the women’s will be shown on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET. Here’s everything you need to know about streaming the college basketball special live online without cable.
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Where to Watch 2026 NCAA March Madness Selection Sunday, At a Glance:
The basketball games don’t start until March 17, but March Madness truly begins with Selection Sunday. The selection committee will unveil the complete NCAA tournament bracket for both the men’s and women’s NCAA teams. On the men’s side, Duke, Michigan, Arizona, and Florida are the four clear-cut favorites and are likely to secure the coveted No. 1 seeds in the tournament.
On the women’s side, UConn has been a dominant force all season with an undefeated record and is on an impressive 50-game winning streak. If you’re looking to place bets, the Huskies are significant -275 favorites, marking the shortest odds of any team entering the tournament in years.
Want to watch Selection Sunday? We’ve created a streaming guide to watch the NCAA March Madness special live online and for free.
How to Watch the 2026 NCAA March Madness Selection Sunday Special Online
If you don’t have cable, there are still plenty of ways to watch CBS and ESPN online. Fans can take advantage of multiple streaming services that offer free trials, allowing you to watch the college championship game today without any cost. By signing up for services like DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and Fubo, you can jump right into the action.
DirecTV is offering a five-day free trial that allows you to watch CBS, ESPN, and more for free. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network is included in all streaming packages. In addition to unlimited DVR storage, you’ll have access to local channels and can stream on as many devices as you want.
If you are already a subscriber, just log in and start watching. For those looking to sign up, Paramount+ offers an affordable Essential plan for $8.99 per month that provides access to the March Madness Selection Sunday special along with thousands of episodes and movies including exclusive content as well as NFL on CBS and UEFA Champions League coverage.
If you want an ad-free experience, you can subscribe to Paramount+ Premium for $13.99 per month which includes access to Showtime’s exclusive programming along with your local CBS station and additional live sports as well as offline content downloads.
Paramount+ does not offer a free trial; however, there is currently an opportunity to subscribe for free this weekend by signing up for a Walmart+ membership which includes Paramount+ as one of its streaming perks.
Sling TV offers day passes starting at just $4.99 which include ESPN channels with its Sling Orange and Sling Orange + Blue packages — featuring dozens of channels that can be streamed on up to three devices simultaneously. Sling Orange + Blue also includes FS1 and NFL Network.
Please note: Sling TV’s pricing and channel availability depend on your local TV market.
The Fubo service provides another excellent option for watching ESPN and CBS online. It offers a seven-day free trial granting access to ESPN along with over 240 live TV channels. Currently available promotions can reduce your first month’s fee by up to $30; thus allowing access to ESPN starting at $54.99 (regularly $84.99 per month).
Hulu + Live TV provides access not only to its entire library but also more than 95 live TV channels — including ESPN and CBS — all for just $82.99 per month.
Additionally, unlike other options available in the market, users can expand their content library by bundling Hulu + Live TV with Disney+ and ESPN Unlimited. This combination allows access not only to Hulu’s extensive library but also exclusive programming available only on ESPN Unlimited.
ESPN Unlimited serves as the official streaming platform for ESPN; subscriptions provide instant access to games along with exclusive content for $29.99 per month. An annual subscription can save nearly 17%, priced at $299.99 per year.
In addition to live sports coverage, ESPN Unlimited features original shows available for on-demand streaming alongside game recaps and analysis.
To maximize savings while expanding content offerings further; currently available options allow bundling ESPN Unlimited with Hulu and Disney+ at a single monthly price of just $29.99 per month for all three services over twelve months.
