NCAA March Madness 2023: How to watch the Houston vs. Auburn game tonight

March Madness season is here. With 68 teams playing in 67 live games across the country, from Houston, Texas to New York City, there’s a lot of action to follow over the next month, including today’s Round of 32 game: Houston Cougars vs. Auburn Tigers.  

If you’re looking to tune in on time for tip off, here’s what you need to know: Today’s game starts at 7:10 p.m. over on TBS, and the best way to watch if you don’t have an old-school cable package is with Sling TV. 

Best way to watch today’s game: 

Sling TV Orange & Blue, $30 (reduced from $60) for your first month

Best way to watch most March Madness games: 

Paramount+, $5 and up per month

How to watch the Tigers vs. Cougars game today

No. 1 Houston vs. No. 9 Auburn begins tonight at 7:10 p.m. ET. You can catch the big cat showdown over on TBS. Our recommendation for watching tonight’s game? Sling TV. 

Sling Orange & Blue starts at just $30 for your first month and will get you access to games on TBS, TNT, truTV and ESPN. It also gives you 50 hours of DVR (Cloud) storage so you can record any games you miss or watch good games back, and you can watch on up to three devices (so you could hypothetically share this subscription with everyone else in your bracket pool). The best part of Sling? there’s no contract or long-term commitments. Cancel whenever you want — even if that’s right after your team loses!

Notably, it won’t get you games on CBS, so you’ll need access to your local CBS channel through a digital TV antenna or a Paramount+ subscription to be fully covered for the 2023 tournament. Sling TV also offers NBA TV through its Sports add-on. For $11 extra each month, you can get NBA TV, NHL Network, MLB Network, Tennis Channel and more. 

Sling TV Orange & Blue, $30 (reduced from $60) for your first month

How to watch First Round March Madness games:

Keep up with the March Madness schedule. CBS Essentials knows where you can watch the upcoming Round of 32 games. 

Saturday, March 18 (Round of 32. All times Eastern)

• No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 13 Furman | 12:10 p.m. | CBS
• No. 4 Tennessee vs. No. 5 Duke | 2:40 p.m. | CBS
• No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 8 Arkansas | 5:15 p.m. | CBS
• No. 7 Missouri vs. No. 15 Princeton | 6:10 p.m. | TNT
• No. 1 Houston vs. No. 9 Auburn | 7:10 p.m. | TBS
• No. 2 Texas vs. No. 10 Penn State | 7:45 p.m. | CBS
• No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 7 Northwestern | 8:40 p.m. | TNT
• No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 8 Maryland | 9:40 p.m. | TBS

Sunday, March 19 (Round of 32. All Times Eastern) 

You can view the full men’s bracket on CBS sports. Here’s how to watch all the upcoming games on CBS, TNT, ESPN and more. 

Where to watch March Madness games? 

While CBS is serving as the official cable TV home for this year’s Men’s March Madness tournament, live NCAA basketball games will also air on TBS, TNT and truTV. The 2023 Women’s Tournament will air on ESPN. 

Paramount+

All March Madness games airing on CBS will be available to stream simultaneously with the Paramount+ premium tier subscription. Paramount+ has two plans: the ad-supported Essential plan available for $5 per month, and the ad-free Premium plan available for $10 per month. You also can try either Paramount+ tier free for 7 days. 

Paramount+, $5 and up per month

Sling TV

One cost effective way to stream basketball is with a Sling TV subscription. Right now, there’s a special deal — Sling TV is offering $20 off your first month. (Sling TV normally costs $40 and up per month for plans including live sports.) There’s no long-term contract so you can sign up just to stream March Madness basketball games and cancel after, if you want.

Sling Orange & Blue starts at just $30 for your first month and will get you access to games on TBS, TNT, truTV and ESPN. It also gives you 50 hours of DVR (Cloud) storage so you can record any games you miss or watch good games back, and you can watch on up to three devices (so you could hypothetically share this subscription with everyone else in your bracket pool). The best part of Sling? there’s no contract or long-term commitments. Cancel whenever you want — even if that’s right after your team loses!

Sling TV also offers NBA TV through its Sports add-on. For $11 extra each month, you can get NBA TV, NHL Network, MLB Network, Tennis Channel and more. 

Sling TV Orange & Blue, $30 (reduced from $60) for your first month

Hulu + Live TV

A subscription to Hulu Live TV offers access to all major channels airing 2023 March Madness games including your local CBS channel, TBS, TNT and truTV. Plus, Hulu + Live TV can now be bundled with ad-supported Disney+ and ESPN+, giving you access to every 2023 March Madness game. You’ll also get access to more than 65 other live and on demand channels with live sports, news and entertainment. 

Hulu + Live TV, $70 and up per month

DirecTV Stream: TBS, TNT, TruTV, CBS Sports Network, ESPN

DirecTV Stream certainly isn’t cheap, but its $110 “Ultimate” tier gives you all the networks an NCAA fan could want, including TBS, TNT, TruTV, CBS Sports Network (which also offers NCAA Tournament coverage in addition to CBS) and ESPN. Plus NBC, Fox and more. 

Prices on DirecTV Stream services start at $75 a month. But to get every channel you’ll need for March Madness, you need the “Ultimate” tier, which costs a whopping $110 per month. 

DirecTV Stream, $75 and up per month 

Watch local CBS with an Amplified HDTV antenna

Most March Madness games will be broadcast on local CBS affiliates, so a digital antenna is a great option for watching the game if you don’t have a cable or streaming subscription. This HDTV antenna, an Amazon best seller, claims a 200-mile range and comes with an 17-foot-long coaxial cable. Rated 4 stars by Amazon reviewers.

Amplified HDTV antenna, $22 after coupon (reduced from $27)

Who is playing in NCAA March Madness 2023?

There will be 68 Division I college basketball teams playing in this year’s NCAA March Madness tournament. 

To see the full bracket of teams, head to our sister site, CBS Sports. 

2023 March Madness timeline: 

2023 March Madness schedule (Men’s): 

Mar. 12: Selection Sunday
Mar. 14-15: First Four
Mar. 16-17: First Round
Mar. 18-19: Second Round
Mar. 23-24: Sweet 16
Mar. 25-26: Elite Eight
Apr. 1: Final Four
Apr. 3: NCAA Championship Game

2023 March Madness schedule (Women’s):

Mar. 15-16: First Four
Mar. 17-18: First Round
Mar. 19-20: Second Round
Mar. 24-25: Sweet 16
Mar. 26-27: Elite Eight
Mar. 31: Final Four
Apr. 2: Women’s NCAA Championship Game

The best TV deals ahead of March Madness 2023 

If you’re looking to create the ultimate at-home NCAA tournament experience, it might be time to upgrade your home theater. Keep reading to check out the best deals on great TVs for watching sports and more. 

LG G2 series OLED evo Gallery Edition smart TV: $1,997

According to the brand, this LG TV designed to compete with Samsung’s “The Frame” features a gallery design that “hugs the wall.” This smart TV is meant to blend in seamlessly with any other wall art you might have. 

The OLED TV features 4K-upscaling, a Filmmaker Mode to enhance your viewing experience with Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos, plus built-in access to Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV plus, Disney Plus and LG channels.

An Amazon customer called the TV “the best 4K panel I’ve ever owned.” “The panel actually does look like wall art hanging in my viewing room,” they commented.

65″ LG G2 series OLED evo Gallery Edition smart TV, $1,997 (regularly $3,000)

65″ Sony Bravia XR OLED 4K TV: $1,698

The 65-inch Sony Bravia XR OLED 4K TV features a cognitive processor meant to deliver intense contrast with pure blacks, high peak brightness and natural colors. Thanks to its Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology, the screen is the speaker. This smart TV comes with access to Google TV and works with most voice assistants.

65″ Sony Bravia XR OLED 4K TV, $1,698 (reduced from $2,300)

75″ Amazon Fire TV Omni series 4K smart TV: $800

This 75-inch Amazon Fire TV offers a 4K UHD display and enhanced color and clarity thanks to Dolby Vision. The TV also supports voice control with Amazon Alexa. Its high-quality picture quality and large size make this TV a solid choice for football fans — plus, it’s hard to find such a big screen at such a low price. This deal is exclusively for Prime members, but non-Prime shoppers can still get the TV on sale for $800.

75″ Amazon Fire TV Omni series 4K smart TV, $800 (reduced from $1,100)

65″ TCL Roku smart TV: $368

This top-rated TCL Roku TV is an ultra-affordable option that uses the user-friendly Roku interface.

“I recently bought this tv last week and I’m really impressed with it amazing picture, great sound and easy set up,” wrote a Walmart customer. “If you want a tv that’s affordable TCL is the way to go. I don’t have anything negative to say about the tv and I would buy TV’s again from this brand in the near future.”

65″ TCL Roku 4K smart TV, $368

Amazon Fire 4-Series TV 55″ 4K TV with Alexa built in: $340

A mid-size television, 55 to 65 inches along the diagonal, is the ideal size for many living rooms. The best viewing distance for a 55-inch 4K TV, such as this model, is between 4.5 and seven feet. That leaves enough space for people to get up and walk by for more snacks from the gameday spread.

Amazon Fire 4-Series TV 55″ 4K TV with Alexa built in, $340 (reduced from $520)

55″ Elements 4K outdoor Roku TV: $1,168

This IP55 weatherproof TV with HDR10 is designed for outdoor use in all seasons — it works in temperatures from -4ºF to 104ºF. It features a tempered, anti-glare screen that’s bright enough for use in partial sun.

55″ Elements 4K outdoor TV, $1,168

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