CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - DECEMBER 09: Head coach Mike Rhoades of the VCU Rams reacts to a play in the second half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on December 9, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
The No. 8 seed VCU Rams (25-7; Atlantic-10 at-large) take on the No. 9 seed UCF Knights (23-8; American Athletic Conference at-large) in an East Region Round of 64 matchup at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina as NCAA Tournament action continues on Friday afternoon.
The game is scheduled to start at about 9:40 p.m. ET (following the conclusion of the Duke game) and will be televised on CBS. 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 CBS on your computer, phone or streaming device:
Amazon Prime
If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch all CBS content (both live and on-demand) via the CBS All-Access Amazon Channel, which comes with a seven-day free trial.
Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Amazon website, or you can watch on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, or other streaming device via the Amazon Video app.
FuboTV
FuboTV
CBS (live in select markets) is one of 85-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports. Also included are TNT, TBS and TruTV, 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 CBS (live in select markets). Also included are TNT, TBS and TruTV, 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 CBS (live in select markets). Also included are TNT, TBS and TruTV, 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.
UCF vs VCU Preview
VCU was well on track to win both the Atlantic-10 regular season and conference tournament titles. The Rams won the regular season by two games, but fell short of their goal in the conference tournament, losing to Rhode Island in a shocking quarterfinal loss.
VCU head coach Mike Rhoades is now in his second season after Shaka Smart left for Texas. Despite an early exit in the A-10 Tournament, the Rams still soundly earned a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and a big part of that is being able to apply what Rhoades has built off of and continued after Smart left for a higher-paying job.
Rhoades told the Richmond Times-Dispatch during the week:
“The guys bought into it, and they held each other accountable. And you could see a lot of love among them. They were really excited for each other, and that’s the challenge I gave them a year ago — to get back to the NCAA Tournament our way.”
For UCF this is a historic season. Not only is this the program’s first berth as a member of the AAC, and fifth in total, but this is also its first at-large berth; this is also the highest seed the Knights have ever earned, as their previous highest was 14th, which last came in 2005 after an Atlantic Sun Tournament Victory.
The Rams have a spread out offensive attack, which is led by junior guard Marcus Evans. Evans averages 13.8 points per game heading into Friday. The Knights are led by senior guard B.J. Taylor. Taylor has averaged 16 PPG this season, but failed to register in double figures in the past two games.
UCF played a strong regular season slate, and saved its best performances for the stretch run. The Selection Committee took note of the Knights’ late-season victories against Houston (finished No. 11 in the AP Poll) and Cincinnati, (the eventual conference tournament champion), and rewarded them by holding them firm on the No. 9 line instead of penalizing them for a double-digit loss against Memphis in the AAC Tournament.
The winner of VCU-UCF takes on the winner of Duke-North Dakota State in the Round of 32 on Sunday.