It’s time for the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship. Here’s how to watch Purdue and UConn, two 1-seed teams, face off in the final game.

The National Championship is about to start, at 9:20 p.m. ET today, Monday, April 8, and it will be televised on TBS. But if you don’t have cable, there are still some ways you can watch a live stream of the men’s national championship for free.

Is There a Free Purdue vs UConn Live Stream?

YouTube TV on Roku.
Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

You can watch a live stream of TBS and 70-plus other channels via either YouTube TV‘s “Base Plan” or DirecTV Stream‘s “Entertainment” plan. These are more expensive long-term than any of the other options we cover below, but they’re the only ones that comes with a free trial. With both services, you can watch for free for five days before either cancelling or paying for your first month.

If you haven’t used the March Madness Live app/website yet, you can also watch a live stream of the game for free there. You typically need to sign in to a cable provider in order to watch this way, but you first get a free three-hour preview, which should be plenty of time to watch the game.


Other Ways to Watch the Purdue vs UConn Live Stream

Max logo
Max / Max

Outside of free trials, Max is the cheapest way to watch a live stream of the game. A subscription to Max costs just $10 per month, and while the game is technically a part of the B/R Sports add-on, that’s currently included with Max at no extra cost. You don’t need to do anything special with your subscription, either. It’s just there.

Not only will you be able to watch the national championship, but you can also watch any NBA game that is televised on TNT or TBS. And with the playoffs right around the corner, that makes this the perfect time to snag a month or two of Max.

For another cheap option, you can check out Sling TV. Though it doesn’t include a free trial, the “Sling Orange” channel package is currently on sale for just $20 for your first month (and then up to $40 per month thereafter).

This, of course, includes TBS for tonight’s national championship, but if you’re also interested in NBA, it comes with TNT, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3 (which simulcasts games on ABC), as well. If you then add the “Sports Extra” add-on for another $11 per month to get NBA TV, you have every channel you’ll need to watch every NBA playoff game. This is by far the cheapest way to get all of that.


How to Watch the Purdue vs UConn Live Stream from Abroad

NordVPN app listing on Apple TV.
Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

A virtual private network (VPN) can mask your IP address (thus hiding your location) and connect you to a digital server in another country. This makes it look like you’re in that country, so you can watch US-only content (such as YouTube TV or any of the aforementioned streaming services) from Europe, or Germany-only content from Canada, or Spain-only content from the US, etc.

NordVPN is one of the most reliable VPN’s on the market, plus it doesn’t limit your bandwidth speeds (which is key if you’re planning on streaming live TV while using a VPN) and it’s just really easy to use.

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