Getty Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats talks with his players.
The No. 5 seed Villanova Wildcats (16-6) will take on the No. 12 seed Winthrop Eagles (23-1) at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The game starts at 9:57 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on TNT. 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 Villanova vs Winthrop 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 Villanova vs Winthrop 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 Villanova vs Winthrop 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 Villanova vs Winthrop 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).
Villanova vs Winthrop Preview
Villanova is scoring 75.5 points a game, and it has four players scoring in double figures, led by forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who is averaging 15.7 points a game. Guard Collin Gillespie added 14 points and a team-high 4.6 points a game, and guard Justin Moore chipped in 12.6 points per contest.
Nova is coming off a nail-biting 72-71 loss to Georgetown in the Big East Championship, and they’re moving forward without starting point guard Gillespie, who was recently diagnosed with a torn MCL, forcing him to miss the tournament. It has been a devastating blow for a team that relies heavily on its point guard to direct traffic. Villanova coach Jay Wright told the Philadelphia Inquirer this week that Nova needs its other players to step up now more than ever.
“We lost our leading scorer and our most dynamic player, the guy that creates shots for everybody else, so we’ve been adjusting offensively to try to find other ways to create high-percentage shots,” Wright said. The team is now relying on sophomore Justin Moore to fill Gillespie’s shoes.
“Collin was so adept at creating shots when we needed for himself and making everybody else better in the process — getting Justin set up, taking pressure off Justin … Justin’s got to do all of that now.”
It will be an intriguing matchup for the Wildcats, who face a tricky-to-cover Eagles rotation featuring 10+ players who have averaged more than 10 minutes of playing time per game.
“Matchups are a big deal,” Wright said, via the Sacramento Bee. “We expect this to be a really difficult game because we don’t play with that much depth. We don’t play with as much speed. And they do, and they’re good at it.”
Per VUhoops.com, Winthrop runs its offense with the 11th fastest tempo in the country and it boasts the eighth-shortest possession length on offense. Eagles head coach Pat Kelsey plans to keep on doing what has worked for the team, and he’s expecting Nova to do the same.
“Basketball’s fun because there’s always different styles,” Kelsey said. “It’s a battle of wills. They have a style. We have a style. They have a thing. We have a thing. They have a brand, if you will. We have a brand. It’s the battle of wills as to whose strength is going to play out.”