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With a path to what would be their fifth Final Four of the John Calipari Era suddenly wide open, fifth-seeded Kentucky takes on No. 9 Kansas State in a Sweet 16 matchup at Philips Arena in Atlanta Thursday night.
The game is scheduled to start at about 9:37 p.m. ET (25 minutes after the conclusion of Loyola vs Nevada, which starts at 7:07 p.m. ET) and will be broadcast nationally on CBS. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch the game live on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
Amazon Prime: If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch a live stream of your local CBS channel via the CBS All-Access Amazon Channel, which comes with a 7-day free trial. Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can watch CBS live on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone, tablet or other streaming device via the the Amazon Video app.
Hulu With Live TV: If you want an extensive Netflix-like on-demand streaming library in addition to live TV, Hulu now also offers a bundle of live channels, including CBS (live in select markets). You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of CBS on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
FuboTV: CBS (live in select markets) is included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app
Note: You can also watch any tournament game on your computer via the March Madness Live website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the March Madness Live app. To watch these streams, you’ll have a free preview before needing to sign in to a TV provider to keep watching, but if you don’t have cable, you can do this by logging in with your Hulu credentials.
Preview
It seems not long ago that John Calipari was complaining about his team’s path in the South region. But with UMBC’s history win over Virginia, Arizona’s collapse and more madness in the lower half of the region, the earliest Kentucky would have to play a Top 4 seed would be the Final Four. The Wildcats beat No. 12 Davidson and No. 13 Buffalo, and if they’re able to get past Kansas State, they’ll get either No. 11 Loyola-Chicago or No. 7 Nevada in the Elite Eight.
That said, the Wildcats shouldn’t overlook the other Wildcats on Thursday night.
While Kentucky’s offense has been rolling, averaging 81.6 points per game over the last 10, they’ll get a difficult test against Kansas State. Ranked 20th in the nation in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency and fourth in steal percentage, K-State has won its first two games of the tournament on the defensive end. They held Creighton, one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country, to just 0.89 points per possession, and followed that up by completely shutting down a UMBC squad that had just ripped apart Virginia a few days earlier.
Moreover, K-State is likely to get back All-Big 12 First Team selection Dean Wade, who averages 16.5 points per game and can help pull Kentucky’s bigs away from the basket with his shooting. His return is a massive boost for a team that can sometimes really struggle offensively.
Of course, Kentucky is favored by six points for a reason. The defense has always been an efficient unit, but now that the offense is clicking, the ‘Cats are scary. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken his game to a new level, averaging 21.8 points, 6.6 assists and 2.4 steals during postseason play, while guys like PJ Washington and Wenyen Gabriel are starting to provide more consistent contributions.
If Kentucky continue to play offense like they did against Buffalo, when they scored a ruthlessly efficient 1.28 points per possession, it’s hard to imagine anyone stopping them from getting to San Antonio. But this tournament has proven unpredictable at every turn, and Kansas State will be ready for the challenge.
