There is nothing worse than being torn away from the TV and dragged off to some family affair on the first weekend of the NCAA basketball tournament.

But don't despair, there are apps galore that should keep even the most dedicated March Madness followers up-to-date and satisfied. Sure, it will require a little surreptitious use of your smartphone, but unless you drop the phone in the middle of church you should not have a problem.

There are 250 results for March Madness apps in the Google Play store and 58 for the iPhone.

March Madness Live - This is the official app from the NCAA. It was developed by Turner Sports Interactive and if the user logs in with their TV provider they can watch games streamed live. Otherwise the app is happy to tell you what channel to tune in to. It also handles all the basics like game scores, general hoops news and will give you access to your all important bracket. (Android/iOS)

ESPN Tournament Challenge - ESPN has been running this app for several years and it is tied in with the website's massive bracket pool. Those participating gain access to all the basic news by tying into the ESPN SportsCenter app, but also gives users a chance to win $10,000.  At the end of the tournament, all Men's Tournament Challenge entries that finish in the top 1% are entered in a random drawing for the $10,000 Best Buy Gift Card prize.  (Android/iOS)

CBS Sports March Madness - This app does a particularly good job, probably because CBS itself is so heavily invested in covering college sports. It has live streaming video of each game and radio coverage for those who can't spend hours staring at their phone. There is a tremendous amount of information for each game including key match ups. The app integrates with Twitter and Facebook so you can bust on your office pool mates or friends when one of their teams loses. (Android/iOS)

Sporting News NCAA Basketball - The new app, designed by Zumobi, provides access to the latest scores, breaking news, video clips, and current March Madness tournament standings. It also supports push notifications to keep you up-to-date as the tournament progresses. (Android/iOS)

SeatGeeks - For those sick of following the action on their phone and would rather see it live SeatGeeks is your app. Much like Travelocity, this app goes through multiple online ticket sellers to find the seat you want and can afford. Also, it is a general purpose app for finding tickets to any live events. It will be useful even after the tournament is over. (Android/iOS)