5 Apps To Help You Keep Track Of March Madness

March Madness is officially underway, which means basketball fans everywhere are busy talking tip-off times and brackets. Whether you're sneaking in glimpses from your office desk or watching from the comfort of your own couch, make sure you have these March Madness apps on your side. After all, everyone will have a hard time peeling their eyes away from the hardwood courts in the coming weeks. But while it's always fun to make a bracket and root for your favorite teams, keeping up with all those games and scores can be a challenge. Luckily, there's an app — or actually, apps — for that.

The following apps, currently available on either iTunes, Google Play, or both, are all free and incredibly useful for keeping track of the latest news in the tournament. Using these, you can do everything from tuning into the live streams of the games to tracking updates on the latest wins and losses to activating personalized notifications to keep track of the action. Regardless of the teams you're rooting for, these apps will definitely help anyone, from non-sports lovers to serious basketball fans, stay on top of all of the tournament's latest news, scores, previews, and summaries. So load up your tablet or smartphone and check them out. Let the Madness begin!

1. NCAA March Madness

What better way to start off than with the official app of the tournament? This app allows users to stream every game on your phone or tablet, no matter what television station it's playing on. All you have to do is to log in with your cable provider information to watch the live streams. The app also offers extra features like behind-the-scenes videos and push notifications to keep you up to speed on scores. You can download on iTunes or Google Play.

2. Bracket the Madness

There are many bracket apps out there, but this one has proven to be a favorite among sports fans. As its name suggests, the app allows people to create their own pools that can be shared with friends via Facebook, email, or even text. Want to keep people from seeing your picks? Enable the Bracket Shield that keeps prying eyes away. The app also has a built-in messaging service and a consistently updated bracket that keeps you in the loop as time goes on. You can download on Google Play.

3. March Mania

Keeping up on all the March Madness news can be difficult. This app aggregates all the biggest headlines into one place, so you won't have to visit eight different sites to get all your information. You also have the option of personalizing your feed so that it focuses on only your favorite teams. You can download on iTunes.

4. CBS Sports

CBS is broadcasting a good number of the games this year, so why not download the app to stay on top of things? You can watch live videos of the tournament games via the app and also tune in to the radio broadcasts. It also offers great analyses of each game, with links to breaking news and expert picks. You can download on iTunes or Google Play.

5. The Score

While this app covers all sports, it zeroes in on college basketball for the month of March Madness. In addition to making it easy to track your favorite team, the app allows you to personalize what notifications you get, so you always stay updated on the games that are most important to you and on any major upsets. You can download on iTunes or Google Play.

Images: iTunes; Google Play