March Madness 2012 Live Stream: Pros and Cons to Watching Online

The 2012 NCAA tournament is almost here, which means everyone's least productive days of work and school are right around the corner. 

With all 32 games of second-round coverage coming on Thursday and Friday from 12:15 p.m. to 9:57 p.m. ET, a lot of life can get in the way of much-needed March Madness viewing. 

A lifesaver in recent years for tournament fanatics has been the NCAA's own free live stream on the computer. However, changes are coming this year which could be either beneficial or detrimental to bracket obsessors like yourselves. 

With yet another much-hyped Big Dance on its way, preparation is key to having an outlet to watch the games while avoiding the obstacles.

Here is the link for this year's stream.  

On the eve of the tournament, let's look at some pros and cons of this year's new online stream.

Pro: Watch the Madness Anywhere

Like I mentioned before, life has a knack of getting in the way during the bracket-busting second round. You can thank the NCAA for dropping the most exciting two days of the Big Dance on weekdays. 

Thankfully, NCAA's stream came along years ago with the ability to watch any tournament game online. Getting through those last few hours of work or tuning out the most boring lecture of your life has never been easier. 

Just don't let your boss or professor notice. 

Con: Pay-to-Watch for the First Time Ever

One of the biggest assets to tournament watchers over the last few years has been the NCAA's own free live stream. This year, you can kiss the free part goodbye.

They are charging a flat $3.99 rate for access to "NCAA March Madness Live," an application which features all 67 games. Upon paying, you will create an account which allows access to the games on any computer and select phones or tablets.

Always thinking about their pocketbooks before anything else, the NCAA has found yet another way to milk their unpaid players for all they're worth (which is a whole, whole lot).

Although, with the customer in mind, they've made it available to pay conveniently through both iTunes and PayPal. Aren't they so thoughtful?  

Pro: Supports Many Phones, Tablets

With a first-ever $3.99 price for NCAA tournament viewing comes more convenience than ever.

The NCAA March Madness Live app will be available on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch as well as other select Android devices. With the all-inclusive app, you won't be missing the madness just because you forgot your laptop, or because your daughter's piano recital is on Thursday night. 

However, the NCAA recommends your wife doesn't catch you watching Long Beach State knock off New Mexico while little Sally plays "Yankee Doodle." 

Con: Video Quality Often Subpar

How often do you see a loading or buffering sign on your TV screen?

Although a blurry screen is awfully better than repeatedly hitting the refresh button on a game-cast, a bad reception could void your chances of catching the game at all. 

Unfortunately, your $3.99 can only go so far. It won't magically create a crystal-clear image on your handheld device, and it won't allow for a foolproof outlet in which to watch the games.

Be weary of how many bars your phone has in that underground classroom before making the last-minute buy. 

Pro: Integration

This year's app allows a direct outlet to Facebook and Twitter to account for the highly-unlikely event that you're too lazy to open up a new window to see what your friends are saying about the madness. 

It will also have an interactive bracket included, so you can see how things will pan out if your own bracket's championship team gets bounced Friday afternoon. 

On the app, you can also sign up for alerts to ensure that you don't miss out on any of the action. 

If watching the game doesn't float your boat, the app also has full live radio coverage of all 67 games. 

Con: The Madness Is Delayed

Imagine if Christian Laettner's shot in the 1992 NCAA tournament happened this year (which it could, considering Kentucky and Duke are set for an Elite Eight matchup). 

If you were watching the game on your laptop and on Twitter simultaneously, you probably would see "Duke wins! Duke wins!" all over social media while the ball was still in Grant Hill's hands. 

With the recent excitement of the NCAA tournament, one or two buzzer-beaters are inevitable. Don't be waiting for your stream to buffer as your buddy calls you with the great (or not-so-great) news. 

Pro: Switching Between Games

One of the most exciting features of March Madness is that everyone who filled out a bracket has a team to root for in each game.

This makes it tough when there's four games on at once, and the best game worth watching isn't on TV.

There have been improvements on TV's side, but it isn't all foolproof. Once just shown on CBS, now there will be games on CBS, TNT and TruTV to compensate for games being shown simultaneously—although TruTV doesn't come on most standard cable packages.

The NCAA March Madness Live app allows you to switch back and forth between games whenever you'd like. Last time I checked, the makers of television haven't worked out an asset like that.