Getty LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MARCH 30: Ty Jerome #11, Kyle Guy #5, Mamadi Diakite #25, and De'Andre Hunter #12 of the Virginia Cavaliers celebrate during overtime of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at KFC YUM! Center on March 30, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The first National Semifinal game features the Virginia Cavaliers (33-3; ACC at-large) against the Auburn Tigers (30-9; SEC tournament champion) as the 2019 Final Four emanates from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday night.
The game is scheduled to start at 6:09 p.m. ET and will be televised on CBS. But if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of CBS on your computer, phone or streaming device via one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
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.
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.
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.
PS Vue–which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch–offers four different live-TV channel packages, all of which include CBS (live in select markets).
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.
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).
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 Auburn Preview
Virginia reached its first Final Four since 1984 after a thrilling 80-75 overtime victory against Carsen Edwards (42 points) and Purdue in the Elite Eight. Head coach Tony Bennett is making his first Final Four trip with the Cavaliers; one year after undermanned Virginia fell to UMBC, the first time in history a No. 1 (overall) seed lost to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cavaliers played at the second slowest-pace in the nation; behind the Texas Tech Red Raiders, according to KenPom, who play in the second National semifinal on Saturday. Bennett, usually a defensive stalwart on the sideline, commends how his team has responded to adversity in this year’s tournament, while adjusting and adapting to different styles.
“Predominantly, it’s your personnel. It’s your versatility, how the guys have improved individually. Just how they’ve gotten better to a man and the emergence of players, being able to play a little differently.”
De’Andre Hunter (14.9 points per game this season) entered March as Virginia’s most talented player, but it was junior guard, First Team All-ACC, Kyle Guy who answered the call against Purdue. Guy recorded a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds against the Boilermakers. A heavy dose of Guy, and blend of a big lineup with Mamadi Diakite and Jack Salt (eight rebounds vs. Purdue), is what helped Bennett propel the Cavs to Minneapolis.
Auburn is currently on a 12-game winning streak, including wins against blueblood programs Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky consecutively in the 2018-19 NCAA Tournament, and averaging 80.1 points per game entering Saturday. The program, as well as head coach Bruce Pearl, are each making their first Final Four appearance.
The Tigers bounced back quickly after losing 6-foot-8 sophomore Chuma Okeke in the Sweet 16 victory against Midwest Region No. 1 seed, the North Carolina Tar Heels. After Auburn fell to the Kentucky Wildcats twice during the regular season, the third time proved to be the charm in a 77-71 overtime win in the Elite Eight at Sprint Center in Kansas City.
It is the same versatility Bennett touched on, that concept or idea, that Pearl uses when coaching the Tigers. After losing Okeke, Pearl has decided to continue sticking with deeper rotations, which has benefited the team — the result, back-to-back 97- and 77-point efforts.
“Some people think nine’s a lot, but it isn’t for me,” Pearl said. “I’ve always played nine, 10 guys double-digit minutes. I think it makes for a healthy locker room. And when your guys begin to trust and rely on each other, it makes you, I think, a little bit more of a dangerous team.”
The Tigers’ shooting barrage has guided them through their four March games. Senior guard Bryce Brown (16 PPG) has risen to the occasion, with 25-point and 24-point performances against Kansas and Kentucky respectively. In addition, junior guard Jared Harper finished with a team-high 26 points against the Wildcats last Sunday.
The winner of Auburn vs Virginia plays the winner of Michigan State vs Texas Tech for the National Championship on Monday. The game will be broadcast on CBS.