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In a battle of No. 1 seeds, the Baylor Bears (36-1; Big 12 Conference tournament champion) take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (35-3; ACC tournament champion) in the Women’s College Basketball National Championship Game on Sunday night from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN. But if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of ESPN via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
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 ESPN.
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.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including ESPN.
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.
ESPN is included in the “Sling Orange” channel bundle.
You can start a free seven-day trial right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
ESPN Platforms
Additionally, you can 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 PlayStation Vue, Hulu or Sling TV credentials to sign in and watch on the ESPN digital platforms.
Baylor vs Notre Dame Preview
Baylor, the top-overall seed in the 2018-19 Women’s NCAA Tournament, and Notre Dame are almost mirror images of each other. In addition to each team’s naturally suffocating defensive style, both teams are strong inside the paint; Notre is No. 1 in the nation in paint points per game this season with 50.3, while Baylor sits at No. 2 with 46.1.
The Bears are led by 6-foot-7 center Kelani Brown (15.7 points, 8.1 rebounds per game; 61% FG), and 6-foot-4 power forward Lauren Cox (13.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 52% FG). Brown and Cox are a formidable inside-outside duo, on both ends of the floor.
Baylor was sixth in the nation in points per 100 possessions (113.1), and second in the country in points per 100 possessions against (76.4). Baylor was 3rd in the nation in FG% (50.3) and 1st in opponent FG % against (31.4). In addition, Baylor was second in the nation in total rebounds per game (47.6) and first in rebound rate (61.6%).
But, wait; there is more! The Bears allowed the fewest rebounds per game (29.7) and lowest rebound rate in the nation (38.4%), while also finishing first in assists per game (22.5); led by Chloe Jackson, who averaged 5.3 per game. Baylor also led the nation in blocks per game (7.2) and block rate (20.7%) — no big deal.
The Fighting Irish are led by Arike Ogunbowale (21.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.9 APG, 35% from three-point range) and Jackie Young (15.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 5.1 APG). Notre Dame was third in points per 100 possessions (117.5), and first on FG % (51.6).
Moving on, Notre Dame was fourth in the nation in assists, averaging 20.6 per game; fourth in the nation in rebounds (44.4 per game) and rebounds rate (56.7%), led by 6-foot-4 center Jessica Shephard (16.8 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 3.2 APG). Notre Dame are the defending champs thanks in large part to Ogunbowale, who hit an epic shot against Connecticut in the Final Four last year, and another in the title game against Mississippi State.
Unlike last year, Notre Dame will have 6-foot-3 power forward Brianna Turner (14.4 PPG, 7.5 RPG), who missed most of the season last year with a torn ACL, and who is undoubtedly Notre Dame’s best defender (2.8 blocks per game). Turner will play a big role in trying to slow down Baylor’s interior of Brown and Cox.
Baylor (2005, 2012) and Notre Dame (2001, 2018) have each won two National Championships in program history. This will be the third straight National Championship Game that doesn’t feature UConn, and second straight with Notre Dame; Mississippi State reached back-to-back title games before falling to South Carolina in 2017, and Notre Dame last year.