The 7th-seeded Florida Gators (14-9) and the 10th-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies (15-6) officially tip-off March Madness on Friday afternoon with their first-round matchup from Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
The game starts at 12:15 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on CBS. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of Florida vs Virginia Tech online:
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Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime subscribers (Prime comes with a 30-day free trial) can watch a live stream of CBS on the Prime Paramount+ Channel. You can try both Amazon Prime and the Paramount+ Channel at no cost with a free trial right here:
Amazon Prime Paramount+ Free Trial
Once you’re signed up for the Prime Paramount+ Channel, you can watch Florida vs Virginia Tech live on the Amazon Video app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Nvidia Shield, Xiaomi, Echo Show, Echo Spot, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, various Smart TV’s, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via the Amazon website.
AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment”, “Choice”, “Ultimate” and “Premier.” CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV (all four will combine to broadcast every NCAA tournament game) 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 Florida vs Virginia Tech 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).
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of CBS (live in most markets) and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which you can use for free with a seven-day trial right here:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Florida vs Virginia Tech live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch the game on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
Paramount+
This is ultimately the same as Amazon Prime option above, only you’ll watch on Paramount’s digital platforms instead of Amazon’s. You can watch a live stream of your local CBS channel via Paramount+, which comes with a free 30-day trial:
Once signed up for Paramount+, you can watch Florida vs Virginia Tech live on the Paramount+ app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Paramount+ website.
Florida vs Virginia Tech Preview
The Florida Gators and Virginia Tech Hokies will end a two-year wait for March Madness, officially kicking off the 2021 NCAA Tournament with their South Region first-round matchup on Friday at 12:15 p.m. ET.
With the tournament being canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the anticipation of this year’s tournament has been building even more than usual for months. And now, it has finally arrived!
Florida, the region’s 7th seed, struggled down the stretch, losing three of their last four contests, including a quarterfinal round matchup to Tennessee in the SEC Tournament.
The Gators have had to overcome more than their share of adversity this season. A few games into the season, their best player and the SEC Preseason Player of the Year, Keyontae Johnson, collapsed on the court during a game and although he has recovered, he did not return to action this season. Florida also had ten games postponed or canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
Florida is led by sophomore guard Tre Mann, who is averaging 14.7 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per game. Mann has been on fire lately, averaging 23.5 ppg over his last four games, including a career-best 30 point performance against Tennessee in the SEC tournament.
The Gators are a well-balanced team on offense, with four players averaging double-digit points per game and they ranked first in the SEC with a 46.4% field goal percentage. They also led the conference in free throw and 3-point field goal percentages.
Where Florida gets tripped up is with their lack of depth and their 301st ranking in defensive rebounding rate.
One of the Gators’ biggest wins this season came at the beginning of the season when they knocked off West Virginia on the road in Morgantown in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Virginia Tech also knows too well about stopping and starting their season, as they had eight games canceled or postponed due to COVID-19 protocols, including five of their last seven regular season games.
When they were on the court, the Hokies were hot, winning 13 of their first 16 contests, including an upset over then-ranked #3 Villanova in the Air Force Reserve Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament on Nov. 28.
Virginia Tech, who was projected to finish 11th in the ACC this year, ended up finishing third in the conference. Mike Young, who came over from Wofford two years ago, was named ACC Coach of the Year.
The Hokies are led by junior forward transfer Keve Aluma. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 15.6 points per game and 8 rebounds per game and was named to the Second-Team All-ACC.
On paper, Virginia Tech has an advantage in rebounding prowess coming into the game, as they rank in the top 40 in defensive rebounding rate. Three of their players (Aluma, Justyn Mutts and Tyreece Radford) average more rebounds per game than any Florida player.
Two years ago, the Hokies made it to the Sweet 16, where they fell to the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils by two points in a thriller that came down to the final seconds.
The winner of the Florida-Virginia Tech game will face the winner of #2 Ohio State vs. #15 Oral Roberts in the second round on Sunday.
Florida vs Virginia Tech: Tale of the Tape
| FLORIDA | VIRGINIA TECH | |
| 74.0 | Points Per Game | 72.1 |
| 69.8 | Points Allowed Per Game | 65.5 |
| 2-2 | Record vs. Top 25 | 4-0 |
| — | AP Rank | 25 |
| 32 | BPI Rank | 38 |
| 5 | Conference Rank | 3 |
| Tennessee, Florida, LSU | Key Wins | Villanova, Virginia, Clemson |