How to watch NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend 2023: live stream the ESPN finals

Watch NCAA basketball live stream
(Image credit: Getty Images / Jamie Squire)

Watch NCAA Basketball live stream

You can watch 11 NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend games across ESPN Plus, ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPN U in the US. Select games are being shown on TSN in Canada, BT Sport in the UK, and Kayo Sports in Australia. Full details on how to watch NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend just below.

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Dates: Saturday, March 11 - Sunday March 12
TV channel: ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U (US)
Live stream: ESPN Plus (US)

NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend preview

If March Madness is like Christmas for basketball fans, the NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend must be Thanksgiving, and we've got 11 reasons to be grateful over Saturday and Sunday. That's the number of conference finals being shown across ESPN's streaming service and suite of TV channels this weekend, the highlights including the AAC, ACC, Big 12 and SEC championship games.

The biggest prize of all is, of course, the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament that gets underway next week, but you've got to be in it to win it.

The North Carolina Tar Heels, March Madness runners up a year ago and widely expected to be one of the top seeds this time out, might miss out altogether after tanking out of the ACC Tournament. The Duke Blue Devils and Miami Hurricanes are looking like the teams to beat there.

Meanwhile, reigning national champions the Kansas Jayhawks are having to navigate the Big 12 Tournament without their Hall of Fame coach Bill Self, after he was hospitalized during the week. 

The Pac-12 Tournament is poised beautifully, with the UCLA Bruins, Arizona Wildcats and Oregon Ducks looking like the real deal, as is the Big East Tournament, led by the power quartet of the Marquette Golden Eagles, UConn Huskies, Xavier Musketeers and Creighton Bluejays.

And with the Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars and UCF Knights leaving for the Big 12, it's the end of an era for the AAC Tournament.

Read on for details on how to watch NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend online from anywhere, so you can live stream all of the college hoops action in preparation for Selection Sunday and March Madness.

NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend: games, times and TV schedule

(All times ET)

Saturday, March 11

  • 11am – America East Men’s Basketball Championship – ESPN 2/ESPN+
  • 5.30pm – SWAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship – ESPNU/ESPN+
  • 6pm – Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship – ESPN/ESPN+
  • 7.30pm – MAC Men’s Basketball Championship – ESPN 2/ESPN+
  • 7.30pm – MAAC Men’s Basketball Championship – ESPNU/ESPN+
  • 8.30pm – ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship – ESPN
  • 9.30pm – Big West Men’s Basketball Championship – ESPN 2/ESPN+
  • 10.30pm – Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship – ESPN

Sunday, March 12

  • 12pm – Ivy League Men’s Basketball Championship – ESPN 2/ESPN+
  • 1pm – SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship – ESPN
  • 3.15pm – AAC Men’s Basketball Championship – ESPN/ESPN+

How to watch 2023 NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend: live stream in the US without cable

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11 NCAA Basketball Championship games are being shown across ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN U and ESPN Plus this weekend. 

The full NCAA Basketball Championship schedule is listed higher up the page.

Watch 2023 NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend without cable:

The cheapest way to tune in is via ESPN Plus. The streaming service is showing eight of the 11 games, including the prestigious Ivy League, AAC, Big West, and Big 12 championships.

A subscription costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. For the ultimate value, you can get a combined ESPN+, Hulu and Disney Plus bundle for just $13.99 a month, which adds loads of great entertainment and family-friendly content to the mix.

However, you'll miss out on are the ACC, Pac-12 and SEC championships, which are exclusive to ESPN. For those you'll need a cord-cutting service which will also bring access to a few other NCAA Division 1 finals on other cable networks, including the likes of the Big East on Fox Sports.

FuboTV will give you the option to watch every 2023 NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend game, as it includes ESPN, ESPN 2 and ESPN U in its Elite plan. It costs $84.99 per month after a FREE FuboTV trial.

Another alternative is Sling TV, as its Orange package includes ESPN and ESPN 2, with a subscription usually costing $40 per month. However, if you're new to the service you can get 50% off your first month. ESPN U is available as part of an $11 per month addon.

Can you watch NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend outside the US?

 - In Canada, select NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend are being shown by TSN. If you don't have cable, you can subscribe to TSN on a streaming-only basis from CA$19.99 a month or $199.90 each year.

 - In the UK, meanwhile, BT Sport is showing some of the games live. If you're not already a subscriber, BT now has a £30 Monthly Pass, so you can get everything BT Sport has to offer without a long-term commitment.

 - In Australia, select NCAA Basketball Championships Weekend games are being shown on ESPN, available through Foxtel. Subscribers can also stream the action via the Foxtel Go app. 

Kayo Sports, which is an ideal option for those who don't want the commitment of a lengthy (and pricey) contract, will be live streaming the action.

Kayo lets you stream on one device with its $25 per month One plan, two devices with its $30 per month Basic plan, and three devices with its $35 Premium plan. All of them come with a FREE 7-day trial.

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