Getty Kentucky Wildcats guard Keldon Johnson
The No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats (29-6; SEC at-large) take on the No. 3 seed Houston Cougars (33-3; American Athletic Conference at-large) in a Midwest Region Sweet 16 matchup at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri as 2018-19 NCAA Tournament action continues on Friday evening.
The game is scheduled to start around 9:59 p.m. ET, and will be televised on TBS. But if you don’t have cable, you can sign up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services that allow you to watch TBS on your computer, phone or streaming device:
FuboTV
FuboTV
TBS is one of 85-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports. Also included are TNT, TruTV and CBS (live in select markets), allowing you to watch every NCAA tournament game.
You can start a free 7-day trial of FuboTV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch the game (and other programs) on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
PlayStation Vue
PlayStation Vue
PS Vue–which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch–offers four different live-TV channel packages: All four include TBS. Also included are TNT, TruTV and CBS (live in select markets), allowing you to watch every March Madness game.
You can start a free 5-day trial of PS Vue right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.
If you can’t watch live, PS Vue comes with cloud DVR.
Hulu With Live TV
Hulu
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including TBS. Also included are TNT, TruTV and CBS (live in select markets), meaning you can watch every other NCAA tournament game.
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 (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
Kentucky vs Houston Preview
The largest question heading into the game is the status of PJ Washington for Kentucky. As of a few hours before the game, nobody knows if Washington will be in the starting lineup, and how effective he would be against Houston.
Kentucky made the Sweet 16 last season, falling abruptly to No. 9 seed Kansas State. The year before it was the Wildcats who were knocked out by the eventual National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels in an epic Regional Final game, a game pitting each as a No. 1 and No. 2 seed respectively, a scenario that could once again play out this season.
Houston’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 1984 has been a treat for fans, and head coach Kelvin Sampson. Sampson acknowledged to reporters while it’s certainly a thrill for fans, getting to the Sweet 16 isn’t the ultimate goal.
“I think it means more to the fans than it does to us. These guys weren’t born, so it means nothing to them. Phi Slama Jama is for the old guys. We’re living in the present; we’re not living in the past.”
The Cougars’ first two NCAA Tournament games have gone to plan, an 84-55 victory against Georgia State and 74-59 win against Ohio State. Kentucky had an easy time with Abilene Christian, 79-44, but came down to the wire against No. 7 seed Wofford, 62-56.
The Wildcats relied on “depth” to get by the Terriers. John Calipari got creative with his rotations; 6-foot-8 senior forward Reid Travis led the Wildcats in scoring with 14 points.
Houston’s top scorer remains senior Corey Davis Jr. Davis Jr. has eclipsed 20 points in each of the Cougars’ first two tournament games, 26 against Georgia State and 21 against Ohio State.
The winner of Kentucky vs Houston faces the winner of North Carolina vs Auburn in the Elite Eight. That game will take place at Sprint Center on Sunday, and be broadcast on TBS.