What Channel Is the Basketball Tournament on
What channel is TNT? How to watch 2021 March Madness games on DirecTV, Dish & more
TNT is known for showing basketball, but usually, it's more of the professional variety. But during the NCAA's March Madness tournament, TNT will be showing some of the NCAA Tournament action. As a result, those who don't watch pro basketball or any of TNT's programming may be wondering, "What channel is TNT?"
Sporting News is here to help with that, as we have the channel guide for TNT, regardless of what cable service you have. And cord-cutters, don't despair: There are also plenty of ways to stream the TNT games for those that don't have traditional cable packages.
Here's a look at all the information you need to know about TNT, including which games will be on the station, when they are, and a lot more.
MORE MARCH MADNESS: TV schedule | Printable bracket | Odds
What channel is TNT?
- DirecTV: Channel 245
- Dish Network: Channel 138
- Spectrum: Varies by location (area code search)
- Xfinity: Varies by location (area code search)
- Verizon FiOS: Channel 551
- AT&T: Varies by location (area code search)
Since there are 67 games in the NCAA Tournament, no one network can broadcast all the games. As such, the Turner Sports division of WarnerMedia uses TNT, TBS, and truTV to assist CBS in its coverage of March Madness. TNT will have a chance to broadcast 12 of the 43 games allocated to that group, while TBS will broadcast 20 and truTV will get 11. CBS will broadcast the remaining 24 games.
NCAA Tournament games on TNT
TNT will broadcast 12 games during the NCAA Tournament. They won't get into the action until Round 1 -- as TBS And truTV will handle the First Four games -- but after that, they'll broadcast 12 games in Rounds 1 and 2 of the tournament.
Below is the breakdown of TNT games per round:
- Round 1:Eight games
- Round 2:Four games
And here's the TV schedule for each of the TBS games:
Round 1
Friday, March 19
| Game | Time | TV |
| No. 11 Utah State vs. No. 6 Texas Tech | 1:30 p.m. | TNT |
| No. 12 Oregon State vs. No. 4 Tennessee | 4:20 p.m. | TNT |
| No. 13 North Texas vs. No. 4 Purdue | 7:15 p.m. | TNT |
| No. 12 Winthrop vs. No. 5 Villanova | 9:50 p.m. | TNT |
Saturday, March 20
| Game | Time | TV |
| No. 9 St. Bonaventure vs. No. 8 LSU | 1:30 p.m. | TNT |
| No. 11 Wichita State/Drake vs. No. 6 USC | 4:20 p.m. | TNT |
| No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 8 Oklahoma | 7:15 p.m. | TNT |
| No. 10 VCU vs. No. 7 Oregon | 9:50 p.m. | TNT |
Round 2
Sunday, March 21
| Game | Time | TV |
| No. 6 Texas Tech vs. No. 3 Arkansas | 6 p.m. | TNT |
| No. 13 North Texas vs. No. 5 Villanova | 8:30 p.m. | TNT |
Monday, March 22
| Game | Time | TV |
| No. 13 Ohio vs. No. 5 Creighton | 6 p.m. | TNT |
| No. 10 Maryland vs. No. 2 Alabama | 8:30 p.m. | TNT |
How to live stream March Madness games for free online
Cord-cutters can easily stream March Madness online via NCAA March Madness Live. Other options include fuboTV (which offers a seven-day free trial) and several other dedicated streaming sites.
Below is a full rundown (not every option includes Turner Sports channels):
| Streaming option | Cable subscription needed? | Free? | Cost | Free trial? |
| Paramount+ | No | No | $9.99/month | Yes |
| NCAA March Madness live | No | Yes | — | — |
| fuboTV | No | No | $64.99/month | Yes |
| AT&T TV Now | No | No | $69.99/month | No |
| Hulu Plus Live TV | No | No | $64.99/month | Yes |
| YouTube TV | No | No | $64.99/month | Yes |
March Madness technically starts with the First Four games on Thursday, March 18, which will set the final 64-team field. March Madness proper begins with Round 1 on Friday, March 19. It concludes with the Final Four and national championship game on April 3 and 5, respectively.
| Round | Dates |
| First Four | March 18 |
| Round 1 | March 19-20 |
| Round 2 | March 21-22 |
| Sweet 16 | March 27-28 |
| Elite Eight | March 29-30 |
| Final Four | April 3 |
| National championship | April 5 |
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What Channel Is the Basketball Tournament on
Source: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/tnt-channel-directv-dish-basketball/10t4dxu06ofwf1nrywy7vxshxu