The 7th-seeded Clemson Tigers (16-7) take on the 10th-seeded Rutgers Scarlet Knights (15-11) in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Friday night in Indianapolis, Ind.
The game starts at 9:20 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 Clemson vs Rutgers 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 Clemson vs Rutgers 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 Clemson vs Rutgers 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 Clemson vs Rutgers 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).
Clemson vs Rutgers Preview
The Clemson Tigers and Rutgers Scarlet Knights will look to grind out a win when they meet in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
This Midwest Regional matchup expects to be a gritty contest between two of the top defensive teams in the tournament.
Clemson allows only 62 points per game, while Rutgers is 17th in the nation in defensive efficiency per KenPom’s metrics.
The Tigers wield an 11 man rotation and excel at controlling the pace, ranking in the bottom 15 in the country in KenPom’s adjusted pace.
This deep and experienced Clemson roster has six players that hit on at least 34% from 3-point range, but have only one double-digit scorer – senior forward Aamir Simms (13.3 points per game).
Clemson struggled mightily from the field as a whole during the season, ranking 12th in the ACC in field goal percentage (42.8%).
The Tigers boast an impressive list of wins against non-conference opponents this season – Alabama, Purdue, Maryland and Mississippi State. However, Clemson will be coming off a loss in last week’s ACC Tournament, when they were tripped up by the 13th-seeded Miami Hurricanes, 67-64.
Rutgers is a spitting image of their opponent – excellent on the defensive side of the ball and struggles to put the ball in the basket on offense.
One thing is for sure – the Scarlet Knights will be ecstatic to take the floor on Friday night. Rutgers will be playing in their first NCAA Tournament since 1991.
Leading the charge for Rutgers on the offensive end is Ron Harper Jr. who averages 15.4 points per game.
The Scarlet Knights pack an inside-punch with a 6-11 duo of Myles Johnson (8.3 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game, 2.5 blocks per game) and Cliff Omoruyi (4.0 points per game, 4.0 rebounds per game). Johnson and Omoruyi lead a defensive effort that ranked 9th in the country with 5.9 blocks per game.
If it’s a close game down the stretch, Rutgers could get in trouble, as they rank 332nd in free throw percentage at 63.2%.
The Scarlet Knights made an early statement this season when they knocked off Illinois in December. Rutgers had five Quad 1 wins and six Quad 2 wins this season, as they worked their way through a tough Big Ten schedule.
The winner of Clemson-Rutgers will face the winner of #2 Houston vs. #15 Cleveland State on Sunday in the second round.
Clemson vs Rutgers: Tale of the Tape
| CLEMSON | RUTGERS | |
| 65.9 | Points Per Game | 70 |
| 62 | Points Allowed Per Game | 68.2 |
| 2-1 | Record vs. Top 25 | 1-7 |
| 38 | BPI Rank | 46 |
| 5 | Conference Rank | 6 |
| Alabama, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Syracuse | Key Wins | Illinois, Maryland, Purdue, Michigan State |