Getty ETSU guard Bo Hodges.
With East Tennessee State, Furman and UNC Greensboro leading the way, a competitive Southern Conference Tournament kicks off from Harrah’s Cherokee Center Asheville on Thursday, with the championship game slated for Monday.
Here’s a look at the complete tournament schedule and live stream options for every game, followed by a more complete guide on how to watch every game on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV or other streaming device if you don’t have cable:
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| Date | Game | Start Time (ET) | TV Channel | Live Stream |
| Fri, Mar 6 | VMI vs Samford | 5 p.m. | ESPN+ | |
| Fri, Mar 6 | The Citadel vs Wofford | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+ | |
| Sat, Mar 7 | ETSU vs VMI/Sam | Noon | ESPN+ | |
| Sat, Mar 7 | W. Carolina vs Mercer | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN+ | |
| Sat, Mar 7 | Furman vs CIT/WOF | 6 p.m. | ESPN+ | |
| Sat, Mar 7 | Chattanooga vs UNC-G | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN+ | |
| Sun, Mar 8 | Semifinal 1 | 4 p.m. | ESPN+ | |
| Sun, Mar 8 | Semifinal 2 | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+ | |
| Mon, Mar 9 | Championship | 7 p.m. | ESPN | AT&T TV Now |
How to Watch 2020 SoCon Tournament Online Without Cable
Round 1, Quarters & Semis: ESPN+
The first eight games (first round through semifinals) won’t be televised, but anyone in the U.S can watch all of those games live on ESPN+:
ESPN+ is the digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage of over 1,500 college basketball games this season (including many other conference tournament games), plus other live sports every day, all the 30-for-30 documentaries, and additional original content (both video and written) all for $4.99 per month.
Or, if you also want the new Disney+ streaming service and Hulu, you can get all three for $12.99 per month, which works out to 25 percent savings.
Get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can then watch the first eight games of the Southern Conference tournament live on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
AT&T TV Now (formerly DirecTV Now) offers six different channel bundles. They range from 45 to 125 live TV channels, and they all include ESPN, which will have the championship game. The “Plus” and “Max” bundles come with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for AT&T TV Now, you can watch a live stream of the SoCon Championship on your computer via the AT&T TV Now website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other compatible streaming device via the AT&T TV app. You can also watch the game on the ESPN app if you sign in using your AT&T TV Now credentials.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV Now — no matter what channel package you choose — comes with included cloud DVR.
Other cable-free, live-stream options that include ESPN: Sling TV, Hulu With Live TV or YouTube TV
2020 SoCon Tournament Preview
Here’s how the final standings unfolded in the Southern Conference:
- No. 1 ETSU (16-2, 27-4)
- No. 2 Furman (15-3, 25-6)
- No. 3 UNCG (13-5, 23-8)
- No. 4 Mercer (11-7, 17-14)
- No. 5 Western Carolina (10-8, 18-11)
- No. 6 Chattanooga (10-8, 19-12)
- No. 7 Wofford (8-10, 16-15)
- No. 8 Samford (4-14, 10-22)
- No. 9 VMI (3-15, 8-23)
- No. 10 The Citadel (0-18, 6-23)
East Tennessee State will be the top seed, having won the regular season title in a thriller in their season finale. The Bucs edged Western Carolina 68-67 on a late 3-pointer.
“I don’t think for college basketball it gets any better than that,” ETSU coach Steve Forbes said. “I don’t know how it can. I care a lot about those guys. I think we all care about each other. I just wanted it so bad for them.”
ETSU could not have done it without Patrick Good, who scored 17 of his 26 points in the final four minutes, including the eventual game-winning 3-pointer with under 10 seconds left.
“We found a way to win and we had a supernatural performance by Patrick Good,” ETSU coach Steve Forbes said. “I don’t know if you could script it better than that. I have no expert analysis for that. We drew up a couple plays, but he just broke off and made buckets.”
Furman will be the No. 2 seed, finishing the conference season with a 15-3 record. The Paladins were one of two SoCon teams to beat ETSU this season, besting the Bucs on Jan. 4, 65-56.
“Man, they overachieved,” Furman coach Bob Richey said. “The best thing about it is, they’re not done yet. We’re going to go up, and we’re going to have some fun in Asheville. This team is going to be ready to lead, and they’re going to be ready to play connected. We’ll take them one at a time up there.”
ETSU last won the SoCon tournament during the 2016–17. They’ve only been past the first round twice in the NCAA Tournament in program history. It’s been 40 years since Furman has made it to the Big Dance.
UNCG is the No. 3 seed and is another competent contender. The Spartans finished the regular season with a respectable 13-5 conference record, but lost their final two games.
UNCG will see No. 6 seed Chattanooga in the first round — a team that beat the Spartans 74-72 to close out the regular season.
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