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College basketball has arrived, promising another season of the sport’s usual upsets and excitement.
Last season was wrapped up with a thrilling March Madness that saw Miami, FAU, UConn, and San Diego State in the Final Four. At the start of last season, San Diego State was ranked at No. 19 and the other three were unranked. To make things even more interesting, FAU, Miami, and San Diego State had never made it to the Final Four. But the best part? That kind of unexpectedness is, well, expected when it comes to college basketball.
However, as much as we love it, figuring out how to watch NCAA basketball can be extremely challenging as broadcasts are spread out across more than a dozen TV channels. And this landscape is doubly difficult for cord-cutters looking to keep costs down.
Luckily, there’s a relatively affordable solution for college basketball fans: Sling. The popular streaming service carries almost every channel for college basketball, making it a streamlined solution for watching NCAA basketball at home. Below is a quick rundown of what Sling has to offer, and why we think it’s worth it for college basketball fans.
What Sling Channels Show College Basketball Games?
College basketball is broadcast on 19 channels, which can be separated into three different types of channels: national channels, local channels, and college sports channels. National channels with NCAA basketball livestreams are ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), Fox Sports 2 (FS2), USA, and CBS Sports Network. Local channels with college basketball coverage are ABC, NBC, FOX, and CBS. And the college channels are SEC Network, SEC Network+, ESPNU, Longhorn Network, ACCN, ACCNX, Pac12 Network, and Big Ten Network.
Obviously, you don’t need every single one of these channels to keep up with college basketball — especially if you’re just following a few teams. But it is a pain to figure out which ones you’ll need throughout the whole season, which is why we recommend one of Sling’s comprehensive plans.
How Much is Sling? Packages Breakdown, Pricing
Sling offers three different subscription packages: Orange, Blue, and Orange + Blue. Sling Orange carries all three ESPN channels as part of a 32-channel lineup and starts at $40 a month. Sling Blue carries local channels (Fox, NBC, and ABC), FS1, and USA in a 40-channel lineup, and also starts at $40 a month. Sling Orange + Blue carries all of the above with a total of 46 channels and starts at $55 a month.
For NCAA basketball viewers, we recommend getting Sling Orange + Blue for $55 a month. You’ll get a ton of content, and at $55 a month, it’s still significantly cheaper than most other live TV streaming services. If you don’t want to pay that much, Sling Orange is also a great choice at $40 a month as ESPN broadcasts many games throughout the season.
Sling also offers a Sports Extra add-on, which includes SEC Network, ACCN, ESPNU, SEC Network+, ACCNX, and Longhorn Network. This add-on costs $11/month, on top of your base package. No matter which package you go with, you’ll likely want to get the Sport Extra add-on as well.
Does Sling Offer Any Deals?
To make things even more appealing for new customers, Sling is running two deals right now. Here’s what they are:
Take 50% off Your First Month of Any Sling Plan
The first current Sling deal slashes 50% off your first month’s payment. That means the Orange package or Blue package starts at just $20 for your first month, while the Orange + Blue package starts at just $27.50 for your first month with the deal (the Sports Extra package isn’t included in the deal, however). This is great for testing out Sling without committing to a full-priced payment upfront. Check out that deal here.
Save $90 When You Prepay 5 Months of Sling Orange + Blue + Sports Extra
Another current Sling deal is geared specifically towards college basketball fans. Sling Orange + Blue and the Sports Extra add-on (the most comprehensive setup for NCAA basketball) normally costs a total of $66 a month, which equates to about $330 for the whole five-month NCAA basketball season. Right now, however, if you pay for those five months upfront, Sling will knock $90 off the total. That means you get five months of college basketball livestreams — plus all of Sling’s other programming — for just $274. Grab that deal here.
Note: Sling pricing and channel availability may vary depending on user location.
