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Do we have a mini rivalry brewing? Washington and Auburn kicked off their 2018 college football seasons with a then-Top-10 matchup in September, and now they’re set to meet on the hardwood, as the No. 25 Huskies travel to Auburn Arena to take on the No. 11 Tigers on Friday night.
The game is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch a live stream of the game (or DVR it) on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 50-plus live TV channels, including all the ESPN channels and SEC Network. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
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).
SEC Network is included in the “Sling Orange” plus “Sports Extra” add-on bundle. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
ESPN Platforms
Additionally, you can also 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. You’ll need to log in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can still sign up for one of the above options and then use your Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on the ESPN digital platforms.
Preview
Entering the season with expectations of returning to the NCAA tournament for the first time since Isaiah Thomas was the team’s leading scorer, Washington was half-way impressive in their opener against a good Western Kentucky squad on Tuesday.
The Huskies’ first half of the year was a sloppy one, as a 17-0 run from the visitors put UW down by nine at the half. But after the break, the Dawgs locked down defensively, started pounding the ball inside to Noah Dickerson and began looking like the tournament team they hope to be. The end result was a 46-19 second half and a 73-55 win over the Conference USA favorites.
It’s clear the Huskies aren’t going to get much from their 41st-ranked freshmen class, at least early in the season, so there isn’t a whole lot of depth on this squad. But with three very good seniors–Dickerson finished with 18, point guard David Crisp had 13 points, seven assists and one turnover, and Matisse Thybulle was his normally disruptive self on defense with six blocks, one steal and countless deflections–and a stud sophomore in Jaylen Nowell, the Huskies have the pieces to make some noise come March.
Friday night serves as a massive litmus test for those expectations.
Auburn, the No. 11 team in the country, lived up that billing in their season opener on Tuesday, steamrolling South Alabama, 101-58. All five starters scored in double figures, Jared Harper controlled the game flawlessly with 20 points, 13 assists and just one turnover, and Chuma Okeke stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks.
The Tiger starters were a red-hot 15-of-29 from long range, and it’ll be interesting to see what kind of looks they can get against Washington’s stingy 2-3 zone. Western Kentucky found success in the first half against the Huskies’ zone, going 5-for-10 from deep, but the Huskies made necessary adjustments and continually ran the Hilltoppers off the three-point line in the second half, limiting them to just three attempts and zero makes.
Ultimately, this stacks up as a fairly close matchup between two teams capable of challenging for conference titles, but the home-court advantage swings the odds drastically towards Auburn. The Tigers are 10-point favorites.