Note: This article will be updated once COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted and schedules come out.
The NCAA Women’s Final Four is one of the biggest collegiate showdowns in all of athletics. Every year the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament takes place with 64 teams, of which half earn automatic bids as conference champions. The other half of the women’s NCAA bracket is chosen by the NCAA Selection Committee based on a list of criteria from team rankings to NET data.
From there, the bracket is divided into 4 regional tournaments with 16 seeds where the top seed plays the lowest seed, and the other seeds follow suit in similar order. The winning teams from each regional tournament face one another in the NCAA Women’s Final Four. The NCAA Women’s Final Four has traditionally been televised by ESPN since 1996.
When is the 2020 NCAA Women’s Final Four?
This year’s NCAA Women’s Final Four has been canceled due to the COVID-19 virus along with all other 2020 NCAA winter and spring championships. The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament is typically played in March and April. This year, games were scheduled for Friday, April 3, and Sunday, April 5. NCAA Final Four locations differ from year to year, with the tournament taking place in Dallas in 2017, Columbus in 2018, and Tampa Bay in 2019. New Orleans was set to host this year’s tournament.
Even though you won’t be able to watch this year’s tournament, many sports networks, including ESPN Classic, are streaming old games.
Live TV streaming services for the NCAA Women’s Final Four
Whether you have traditional TV like cable or an alternative streaming service like Hulu + Live TV, you can stream games, and your favorite sports commentary shows via WatchESPN.
ESPN+ costs $4.99/mo. after a free 7-day trial period. If you’re looking for your next sports fix, the service provides plenty of sports not covered by ESPN. It also has 30 for 30 documentaries and commentary shows like NFL Primetime, which you can download to watch offline on one of your devices. Even though ESPN+ wasn’t supposed to stream the 2020 NCAA Women’s Final Four, we decided to include it as a sports alternative during the hiatus. With ESPN+, you’ll have the option to stream on up to three devices simultaneously.
Hulu + Live TV starts at $54.99/mo. after a 7-day free trial. You can upgrade to Premium + Live TV for $60.99/mo. to avoid ads — although commercials will still be televised with live programming. Hulu + Live TV can only be streamed on two screens concurrently. But you can upgrade to unlimited screens for an additional $9.99/mo. Hulu + Live TV gives subscribers 50 hours of cloud DVR storage, which can be upgraded to 200 hours for $9.99/mo.
Sling TV is a multi-plan alternative to traditional TV. It features 3 plans with different channel lineups: Sling Orange ($30/mo.), Sling Blue ($30/mo.), and Sling Orange + Blue ($45/mo.). Sling TV provides new subscribers with a $10, 1-month discount. ESPN is part of the Sling TV Blue plan — but it’s not included in Sling Orange. However, during your membership, you have the option to switch between Sling Orange and Sling Blue.
You’ll only be able to stream on one screen with Sling TV Orange, whereas Sling TV Blue comes with the ability to stream on three devices simultaneously. Sling TV Orange + Blue adds both of the service’s plans together, letting you stream on up to four screens. All of Sling TV’s plans come with 10 hours of DVR storage, but if this isn’t enough, you can add 50 hours for $5/mo.
YouTube TV has a 7-day free trial and then costs $49.99/mo. With YouTube TV, you’ll experience a few personalization perks, including the ability to create up to six profiles per account. However, even if you use all six profiles, you’ll only be able to stream on up to three devices at the same time. YouTube TV offers unlimited storage, and you have up to nine months to watch anything in your library.
How to watch the NCAA Women’s Final Four with an antenna
One of the best ways to watch for sports free is with an antenna. Local games on ABC, CBS, and FOX are all streamable using an antenna. Just keep in mind that ESPN is not an over-the-air channel, so you’ll need a streaming service or cable subscription to watch. To see what channels you can pick up with an antenna where you live, visit Antenna Web. HDHomeRun and Tablo DVR allow you to record content and watch on various devices. With these products, you’ll also be able to connect and stream to Amazon Fire TVs, Apple TVs, Roku devices, and smart TVs.
The final cut
Even though the 2020 NCAA Women’s Final Four has been canceled, there is plenty of sports content to enjoy. ESPN has you covered with SportsCenter, documentaries, and replays of classic games. Streaming services that have ESPN, like Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV, will give you sports content along with a variety of other programming. Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV all offer a free trial or a new subscriber discount, so you can determine which service is best for you.
Did you know we have a YouTube Channel? Every week we have a live Cord Cutting Q&A, and weekly Cord Cutting recap shows exclusively on our YouTube Channel!
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more news, tips, and reviews. Need cord cutting tech support? Join our Cord Cutting Tech Support Facebook Group for help.