If you’re a basketball fan like me, you probably know the feeling you get as March slowly creeps in and you know what’s about to go down. Yep, I’m talking about March Madness. The unfortunate part is although the excitement kicks in, I still have to go to work, eat, commute and so on. And that means I can’t possibly catch up with everything college basketball has to offer. God knows how many times I have to recheck the scores, see which players are performing well and so on! And I don’t even want to start on finding the time to watch an entire game.
This made me look for an easier way to keep up with college basketball games. You know, a way to stay in the now with the NCAA season schedule, scores, basketball rankings and more. Naturally, I started digging for apps that might help me with the problems and I stumbled upon this interesting list in the jungle we call the Internet.
Best 10 March Madness, NCAA & College Basketball Apps by AppGrooves
After a few minutes of browsing, a couple of apps caught my attention so I decided to give them a look. Finally, to help you out, I decided to review my top 3 so here we go.
NCAA March Madness Live – Frontline Action
Yes, I am aware March Madness is still a long way down the road but better safe than sorry, right? I decided to start with NCAA March Madness Live because this one definitely provides the main feature people like me look for – live games. I mean, it’s the official app of the NCAA, so it only makes sense to start with this one. What this app allows you is to watch all 67 games played during March Madness just as if you were in the frontlines with NCAA March Madness Live. It also allows you to tune in the radio broadcast in case you don’t have the time to actually sit down and watch the game. Although because of the obvious reasons I wasn’t able to watch any live games, I’m guessing the broadcast is on the top level since it shows live from channels like CBS, TBS and TNT to name a few.
The downside, you need to pay of course. But I mean, it’s only fair. They do make the app ad-free and you can clearly see a lot of work went into creating this one. Also, it seems you can watch the first 3 hours free without a subscription, that almost 3 whole games. If you decide to buy the description, you can easily put the video on your TV screen, grab some snacks and enjoy the game! So if you’re willing to put aside a couple of bucks, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
NCAA Sports – Up To Date College Sports News
If you don’t have extra cash to spare, I found another interesting app. NCAA Sports is a great choice if you want to follow the latest news not just for college basketball but football, ice hockey, beach volleyball and so on. I personally enjoy basketball and a little of football, but the greater number of sports you enjoy, the better. NCAA Sports provides live streaming video coverage, real-time scores and personalized news playlists. Since there’s so much content, it makes take time to organize so you only get what you’re interested in. For me, it took me around 15-20 minutes to get it done. After I was done, I was surprised by the accurate NCAA rankings and other notifications. I didn’t find a wrong one and you seem to get them as soon as the news goes live, which is important if you ask me.
Unfortunately, NCAA Sports does lack some elements the other 3 apps do have. For example, I didn’t find any in-depth NCAA March Madness game analysis or a section that gives extra info about the game. Don’t worry, the app does have current season scores and sports-related articles that are actually quite fun to read, but you know, it would be awesome if they go that extra mile. But that’s just me, maybe you won’t be bothered by this fact.
CBS Sports App for year-round sports coverage
Although CBS Sports App isn’t made exclusively for March Madness, it does cover the entire tournament and gives a bit more meaning, it doesn’t stop giving with the end of college basketball tournament. What I like about CBS’ app is you can get the latest news and detailed information on and off-season. I imagine it like silently preparing for the next Madness, just tinny steps so I don’t get rusty. Same as NCAA Sports, it provides info on any sport you can imagine – from NCAA to NBA and NHL. Finally, I did find this app’s interface easiest to use. Considering the content they provide, they managed to pack it pretty well. Best of all, no need for a subscription.
Now, since CBS is a worldwide provider, meaning it doesn’t specialize in a specific sport, but it gives overall coverage, you might miss some of the March Madness games. So although it’s a polished app, if you’re a huge fan of college basketball, I do suggest you grab one more app just to be sure.
Although March Madness lasts for 6 weeks, there are plenty more weeks for us to wait until the next one. That’s actually the main reason I decided to include the second two apps that aren’t strictly related to March Madness. Because love for the sport doesn’t last 6 weeks, but all the year around. So no matter if you’re an all-around sports lover or just a fan of college basketball, I hope you’ll find a useful app to help you on your quest.