For fans of college basketball, the availability of streaming options like YouTube TV means you no longer need a cable subscription to catch your favorite teams in action. The service has a solid lineup of sports channels, among which many of them broadcast college basketball games. And as highlighted in our YouTube TV review, it even made it to our list of top sports streaming services.
Local networks like ABC, CBS, and FOX broadcast most of the major college basketball games. And national networks such as ESPN, FOX Sports 1, NBCSN, etc., will air major conferences. With YouTube TV offering all of these channels in its lineup, the YouTube NCAA basketball offering is pretty robust.
As for smaller conferences and lower-profile games, you can watch them through college sports networks such as ACC Network, Big Ten Network, and SEC Network. A few of them also air on streaming-only sports networks like SEC Network Plus, Stadium, etc. Regional sports networks also air a few college basketball games, but they usually only cover events in a particular area.
In this post, you’ll get a full list of the YouTube NCAA basketball offering. So you can decide if the service is a good choice for watching college basketball.
YouTube TV plans and sports channels compared
For $64.99/mo., YouTube TV gives you access to 85+ channels. Among these, you’ll get the national cable networks that broadcast major conferences, including ESPN, ESPN 2, FOX Sports 1, and NBCSN. Get a detailed look at what this plan offers in our YouTube TV packages and pricing guide.
Besides this, you also get several college sports channels and streaming-only networks that broadcast smaller games. And you can watch other major college basketball events through local networks.
YouTube TV also offers a few regional sports networks that will stream a handful of college basketball games, though you won’t get FOX RSNs. But RSNs typically only cover smaller games in a particular part of the country, so this shouldn’t be too big of a problem.
YouTube TV college sports channels
You can find some of the lower-profile matchups and smaller games on college sports networks such as ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, and more. What’s great about YouTube TV is that you get most of these channels with your default plan.
Some channels like FOX College Sports require an add-on, but you won’t get Longhorn Network and Pac-12 Network with this service.
| Channel | YouTube TV Free Trial$64.99/mo. |
| ACC Network | ✔ |
| ACC Network Extra | ✔ |
| Big Ten Network | ✔ |
| CBS Sports Network | ✔ |
| ESPNU | ✔ |
| FOX College Sports | + $10.99 |
| Longhorn Network | X |
| Pac-12 Network | X |
| SEC Network | ✔ |
YouTube TV streaming-only channels
There are some networks that you won’t find on cable but are available only through streaming services or as standalone subscriptions. These include BTN+, ESPN Plus, ESPN 3, SEC Network Plus, and more. And these streaming-only networks also broadcast a few smaller college basketball games.
Channels such as BTN+ and ESPN+ are standalone subscriptions. So you need to subscribe to them separately as they aren’t a part of the YouTube NCAA basketball offering.
And since the YouTube TV lineup includes ESPN and SEC Network, your subscription also makes you eligible for access to ESPN 3 and SEC Network Plus. But note that you can’t access these channels through the YouTube TV service. Instead, you can watch them through the ESPN app using your YouTube TV credentials.
| Channel | YouTube TV Free Trial$64.99/mo. |
| beIN Sports | X |
| Eleven Sports | X |
| ESPN 3 | ✔ |
YouTube TV local networks
You’ll find most of the major college basketball games on local networks. CBS airs a majority of these games, with ABC and FOX broadcasting select events. The good news is that many leading streaming services will offer these local networks as a part of their default channel lineup. But keep in mind that not all local channels are available in every market.
Luckily, YouTube TV also has all of these local networks as a part of its default streaming package. And its coverage spans across most of the major television markets. To find out if ABC, CBS, and FOX are available in your area, make sure to search for channel availability in your zip code.
| Channel | YouTube TV Free Trial$64.99/mo. |
| ABC | ✔ |
| CBS | ✔ |
| FOX | ✔ |
Can I stream every college basketball game on YouTube TV?
YouTube TV offers most of the channels that broadcast live college basketball games. But it’s missing a few college sports and streaming-only channels such as beIN Sports, Eleven Sports, Longhorn Network, and Pac-12 Network.
That means you can’t stream every college basketball game on YouTube TV since you’ll be missing out on smaller conferences and lower profile matchups.
But the YouTube NCAA basketball offering is still pretty solid. You can use your subscription to stream major conferences airing on cable networks like ESPN, ESPN 2, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, NBC Sports Network, TBS, and TNT.
YouTube TV also lets you stream major college basketball games on local cable networks such as ABC, CBS, and FOX. And even though it doesn’t have all of the college sports channels, it still has ACC Network, ACC Network Plus, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network. And you can even get the FOX College Sports channel as a part of the Sports Plus add-on for $10.99/mo.
Though it doesn’t have beIN Sports and Eleven Sports, it still has most of the streaming-only channels. Plus, your subscription gives you access to ESPN 3 and SEC Network Plus. And you get Stadium with the Sports Plus add-on. So overall, YouTube TV is an excellent way to watch almost every college basketball game live.
What about March Madness on YouTube TV?
To watch all 67 March Madness games, you only need four national TV networks — CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. And you get all of these channels with your YouTube TV subscription. That means you can watch March Madness on YouTube TV and catch every game live.
The final cut
With a robust lineup of sports channels, YouTube TV gives you an excellent way to stream college basketball without a cable subscription. You also get to watch major live sporting events in multiple categories, making it a great option for sports fans in general.
So make sure to try the service for free for 7 days and see how it pans out. But before that, don’t forget to read our guide on YouTube TV free trials and deals to look for any way to save some money.
In addition to this, you might want to try an antenna like HDHomeRun to get free over-the-air sports broadcasts.