Buffalo vs Southern Illinois Live Stream: How to Watch Online Without Cable

Buffalo vs SIU Live Stream

Getty BOISE, ID - MARCH 17: CJ Massinburg #5 of the Buffalo Bulls reacts during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 17, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

In their first game as a Top-25 team in school history, No. 25 Buffalo gets an intriguing test on Monday night when they head to Carbondale to take on Southern Illinois.

The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET. While it won’t be broadcast nationally on television anywhere in the US, you can still watch a live stream of the game on your computer, phone or streaming device via ESPN+, the new digital streaming service from ESPN that broadcasts dozens of mid-major college basketball games every week.

You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

If you can’t watch live, all games–including Buffalo vs Southern Illinois–that are streamed on ESPN+ are also available to be watched afterwards on-demand via ESPN.com or the ESPN app.


Preview

Buffalo got some national attention last March when they stomped future No. 1 pick DeAndre Ayton and Arizona in the NCAA tournament, and it appears the Bulls aren’t ready to give up the spotlight. Following a 15-point home win over St. Francis (PA) to start the season, Nate Oats’ team went into the always hostile WVU Coliseum, and behind senior guard CJ Massinburg’s 43 points, they took down then No. 13 West Virginia in a 99-94 OT thriller.

On Monday, the Bulls were voted into the AP Top 25 for the first time in school history. It was also the first time since Kent State in 2008 that a MAC team climbed into the Top 25.

“This is a great feat for the players that are here and the players that have been here in the past that helped build this,” said Oats. “If we hadn’t beaten Arizona last year in the NCAA Tournament, I don’t know that people would be talking about us the way they are so it’s a tribute to the guys we have on this team that people all over are starting to recognize how hard we play and what we have been able to accomplish here at Buffalo.”

In their first game as a Top 25 squad, Buffalo gets a sizeable test on the road against Southern Illinois.

The Salukis are just 0-1 on the young season, but it was a reminder that not all defeats are made equally. They went into Rupp Arena and gave Kentucky–the then No. 2 team in the country–a real scare, leading the Wildcats by as many as seven in the second half before ultimately faltering down the stretch.

“There’s a difference between losing and getting beat,” head coach Barry Hinson said after the game. “Tonight, we got beat. Losing is unacceptable.”

The effort even earned them a single vote in this week’s AP poll. Though Southern Illinois hasn’t been to the Big Dance since 2007, they return all five starters from a team that won 20 games a year ago, and they look ready to challenge in a tough Missouri Valley Conference.

All-in-all, it stands as a very good challenge for Buffalo, who will be looking to avoid a letdown after last week’s huge win. The Bulls are favored by 3.5.