The Big 12 tournament champion and third-seeded Texas Longhorns will kick-off their 2021 NCAA Tournament with a matchup against 14th-seeded Abilene Christian in first-round action on Saturday.
The game starts at 9:50 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on TruTV. But if you don’t have cable or don’t have that channel, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of Texas vs. Abilene Christian 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 Texas vs. Abilene Christian 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 Texas vs. Abilene Christian 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 Texas vs. Abilene Christian 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).
Texas vs. Abilene Christian Preview
Fresh off their Big 12 tournament title run, the No. 3 Texas Longhorns will face the Southland Conference tournament champion, No. 14 Abilene Christian Wildcats on Saturday in an East Regional first-round matchup from Lucas Oil Stadium.
Texas heads into Indianapolis on a roll, having captured their conference tournament championship with a win over Oklahoma State in the final, 91-86.
The Longhorns, who are led by coach Shaka Smart in his sixth season, will be looking to advance past the first weekend in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008.
Texas is battle-tested, coming out of one of the best conferences this season and throughout their campaign picked up eight wins against Quad 1 opponents (including two over Kansas).
The Longhorns are solid on both ends of the floor, ranking 21st in offensive efficiency and 36th in defensive efficiency, per KenPom’s metrics.
The Texas backcourt features three guards who all play at least 30 minutes per game and average double-digit points per game. One of those guards, Andrew Jones, is a leukemia survivor who has been with the team since 2016. The redshirt junior is averaging 14.6 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game this season.
Jones is joined in the backcourt by fellow guards Courtney Ramey and Matt Coleman, who fill it up from long-range, each hitting over 38 percent from three-point distance.
The Longhorns also boast a formidable inside game, anchored by projected NBA first-round prospects – 6-9 freshman Greg Brown and 6-11 sophomore Kai Jones. Brown averages 9.6 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game and Jones averages 8.8 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game. In addition to Brown and Jones, 6-10 senior center Jericho Sims adds his size and strength to the mix, averaging 9.2 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Texas’ opponent, Abilene Christian, will be champing at the bit for the opportunity to go up against the Longhorns in the Big Dance. The small school based out of Abilene, Texas won the Southland Conference Tournament and earned the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. The Wildcats romped the conference’s top seed Nicholls state in the final by 34 points.
Abilene Christian utilizes a deep rotation that features 10 players who all average double-digit minutes.
The Wildcats are a top-notch defensive unit, who force the most turnovers per game in the country (20.3). Their 61.1 points allowed per game is the 8th fewest permitted in the nation this season.
Abilene Christian is led by 7-0 Kolton Kohl who averages 12.3 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Seven Wildcat players have made at least 20-three pointers and as a team they connect on 35.3% from long range.
The winner of the Texas-Abilene Christian game will face the winner of #6 BYU vs. #11 UCLA in the East Regional second round on Monday.
Texas vs. Abilene Christian: Tale of the Tape
| TEXAS | ABILENE CHRISTIAN | |
| 75.2 | Points Per Game | 77.6 |
| 68.8 | Points Allowed Per Game | 60.5 |
| 7-6 | Record vs. Top 25 | 0-1 |
| 9 | AP Rank | — |
| 20 | BPI Rank | 81 |
| 3 | Conference Rank | 2 |