LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MARCH 28: Ryan Cline #14 of the Purdue Boilermakers reacts after a three pointer against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at the KFC YUM! Center on March 28, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The No. 1 seed Virginia Cavaliers (32-3; ACC at-large) take on the No. 3 seed Purdue Boilermakers (26-9; Big Ten Conference at-large) in a South Region Elite Eight matchup at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky as 2018-19 NCAA Tournament action continues on Saturday evening.
The game is scheduled to start around 8:49 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
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
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
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.
Virginia vs Purdue Preview
Virginia needs one more game to erase the stench of last year’s embarrassing 20-point loss to No. 16 seed UMBC in the Round of 64. Following a back-and-forth 53-49 win against Oregon in the Sweet 16, head coach Tony Bennett has his Cavaliers one game away from their first Final Four trip since 1984, when they did so as a No. 7 seed before the tournament field expanded to 64 teams.
Purdue played Tennessee tough in one of the absolute best games of this year’s NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16. After needing overtime, and a 27-point (seven three-point field goals made) performance from 6-foot-6 senior guard Ryan Cline, the Boilermakers knocked off the Volunteers 99-94. Head coach Matt Painter, who has also never appeared in a Final Four as Purdue head coach, has his program one win shy of its first trip since 1980.
Bennett told reporters in the postgame press conference following the Cavaliers’ win against the Ducks how difficult it was to combat what Dana Altman and company did on both ends of the floor.
“Offensively, there were struggles, but you’ve got to hang in there defensively. That’s how we’re built. We will have a test — you look at the offensive output that Purdue had and how they move — and I know Matt, and I think he’s one of the finest coaches.”
Despite Cline’s ridiculous Sweet 16 game, it is still Carsen Edwards who is igniting the Boilermakers on offense. In three tournament games, Edwards has 26 (against Old dominion), 42 (against Villanova) and 29-point games to lead all players. Purdue’s offensive output the past two games is in serious jeopardy when they run into a Virginia team whose bread and butter is defense. According to KenPom, the Cavaliers are third in the country in defensive efficiency; the only team remaining higher is Texas Tech.
One of Virginia’s strengths is two-way balance. Four of the Cavaliers’ five starters finished in double-figures against the Ducks, with 6-foot-5 junior guard Ty Jerome leading the way with 13 points in the low-scoring affair. virginia will need strong offensive efforts from de’Andre Hunter — just 10 and 11-point nights against Oklahoma and Oregon — and Mamadi Diakite (seven points against Oregon after 17 and 14-point efforts in consecutive games) in order to keep pace with Purdue.
The winner of Virginia vs Purdue advances to the Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota next weekend, and will take on the winner of the Midwest Regional Final between SEC powerhouses No. 2 seed Kentucky and No. 5 seed Auburn. The starting time of that game is to be determined, and will be broadcast on CBS.