The SEC champion and No. 2-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide open up their 2021 NCAA Tournament campaign with a first-round matchup with the MAAC champion Iona Gaels on Saturday.
The game starts at 4 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on TBS. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of Alabama vs. Iona online:
(Note that with all of the following options, you’ll also be able to watch other NCAA tournament games, which are on TBS, TNT, TruTV or CBS)
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AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment”, “Choice”, “Ultimate” and “Premier.” TBS, TNT, TruTV and CBS are all included in every package, but it’s worth noting for basketball fans that NBA League Pass is currently being offered at no extra cost in the “Choice” and above bundles, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Firestick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for AT&T TV, you can watch Alabama vs. Iona live on the AT&T TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the AT&T TV website.
You can also watch the game via NCAA.com or the March Madness Live app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your AT&T TV credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours).
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of TBS, TNT and TruTV (CBS not included on Sling) and 45-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest streaming service with these channels, plus you can get $10 off your first month, and get Showtime, Starz, and Epix included for free:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch Alabama vs. Iona live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch the game via NCAA.com or the March Madness Live app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 50 hours of cloud DVR.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of TBS, TNT, TruTV, CBS and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch Alabama vs. Iona live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch the game via NCAA.com or the March Madness Live app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Alabama vs. Iona Preview
The second-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide (24-6) will look to get their 2021 NCAA Tournament run off to a good start on Saturday when they take on the 15th-seeded Iona Gaels (12-5) at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
Alabama comes into the tournament on a roll, fresh off winning both the SEC regular-season and conference tournament titles. The SEC tournament championship was the first for the program since 1991.
The Crimson Tide got past LSU in a thrilling conference final on Sunday, 80-79, thanks in part to SEC Player of the Year Herbert Jones, who made the go-ahead basket with 21 seconds left. The 6-8 senior, who also was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, averages 11.2 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game.
Alabama, who is led by the SEC Coach of the Year Nate Oats, utilizes a deep rotation, is tenacious on defense and scorches the nets from the perimeter. The Crimson Tide rank second in defensive efficiency (per KenPom’s metrics) and led the SEC in three-point field goals made.
Four Alabama players average in double figures, led by sophomore guard Jaden Shackelford, who averages 14.2 points per game. Sophomore Jahvon Quinerly, a guard who transferred from Villanova, is averaging 12.7 points per game and lights it up from downtown, shooting 44.3% from three-point range.
The Crimson Tide have an impressive list of notable wins on the season, which include games over Arkansas, Tennessee (twice), LSU (three times) and Florida.
Rick Pitino is back in the Big Dance, after leading Iona to the tournament in his first season at the helm in New Rochelle, N.Y.
The Gaels only played 13 regular-season games after they were forced to pause for 51 days due to COVID-19 protocols. Iona turned it on down the stretch, winning six games in a row, including four in five days to win the MAAC Tournament. The Gaels, who were ranked 9th in the conference tournament, defeated the seventh-seeded Fairfield Stags in the final, 60-51.
Iona is led by senior guard Isaiah Ross, who averages 18.4 points per game. The 6-4 Ross put up three 30-point games this season and shoots 40% from long range.
Pitino’s Gaels are stout on defense, ranking in the top 20 in the lowest effective shooting percentage allowed.
The winner of Alabama-Iona will face the winner of #7 UConn vs #10 Maryland in the second round of the East Regional on Monday.
Alabama vs. Iona: Tale of the Tape
| ALABAMA | IONA | |
| 79.6 | Points Per Game | 72.2 |
| 69.8 | Points Allowed Per Game | 65.9 |
| 1-3 | Record vs. Top 25 | — |
| 5 | AP Rank | — |
| 9 | BPI Rank | 139 |
| 1 | Conference Rank | 9 |
| Key Wins: Arkansas, Tennessee (twice), LSU (three times), Florida | Notable Games | Loss at Seton Hall by 22 |