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The NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four is set and the first match-up is the Tigers of LSU taking on the Hokies of Virginia Tech on Friday night.
The game (7 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2 (Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi broadcast), but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on ESPN+, FuboTV or DirecTV Stream.
Here’s a full guide on the different ways you can watch a live stream of LSU vs Virginia Tech:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN, ESPN2 and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch LSU vs Virginia Tech live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials if you don’t have that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN and ESPN2 are included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch LSU vs Virginia Tech live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials if you don’t have that.
ESPN+
If you’ve used up all your free trials for other streaming services, ESPN+ is the cheapest way to watch a live stream of the game:
ESPN+ will include the regular broadcast, the Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi broadcast and two other alternate angle broadcasts, plus it has dozens of other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year (or $13.99 per month for a bundle of all three of ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu).
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch LSU vs Virginia Tech live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com.
Compatible devices for the ESPN app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN, ESPN2 and 40-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” package. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with ESPN, and you can get your first month half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch LSU vs Virginia Tech live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials if you don’t have that.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN, ESPN2 and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no extra cost:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch LSU vs Virginia Tech live on the Hulu app or Hulu website.
Compatible devices for the Hulu app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch the game live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a participating cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials if you don’t have that.
LSU vs Virginia Tech Preview
While the NCAA men’s bracket is all over the place in 2023, the women’s bracket is a bit more chalk. There are two 1 seeds, a 2 seed and a 3 seed in the Final Four. The 3 seed might be seen as the underdog, but don’t underestimate LSU head coach Kim Mulkey and star player Angel Reese.
Kim Mulkey previously took Baylor to four Final Fours, including winning a national title in 2005. Now she’s back in the Final Four in just her second year at LSU. She also led Louisiana Tech as a player from 1980 to 1984, winning two national titles while there. All told, Mulkey has been involved in every NCAA tournament from the inaugural one in 1982 to the present as either a player or a coach except for two years — 1985 and 2003.
In her pre-game press conference, Mulkey said that she certainly misses Baylor, but when LSU called her, it was time to return to her home state and “put women’s basketball back where it properly belongs.”
“You never spend 21 years of your life building a dynasty, and that’s what we did at Baylor. I think we can all agree with that. … my heart will always be there,” said Mulkey. “But the timing in my life told me it was time to come back to LSU and put women’s basketball back where it properly belongs. I have lifelong friends there. … I love Baylor University, the fans there, the Lady Bear fans there. But it was time. Timing is everything in life.”
She also said that after LSU beat Miami to advance to the Final Four, she told her team that they need to get ready to take on a No. 1 seed.
“Last thing I shared with them in the middle of the floor was, you’re getting ready to play a No. 1 seed. We’ve not done that. You’re getting ready to play a young lady who is the finalist for not one but two awards. We don’t have anybody on our team that’s a finalist for any award,” said Mulkey.
She continued, “Are we satisfied? Are we patting ourselves on the back and saying, hey, this is as far as we can go? Or are you still hungry? And the responses that I received are, Coach, we’re ready to move on and get to the next game. When you have kids that are hungry and not satisfied to just be there, you’re going to go compete. Whether we win or lose, I know we will compete.”
LSU finished the regular season with a record of 15-1 in the SEC, 32-2 overall. They were second in the SEC behind undefeated South Carolina. Virginia Tech was 31-4 overall, 14-4 in the ACC conference.
The NCAA women’s semifinal between LSU and Virginia Tech tips off Friday, March 31 at 7 p.m. Eastern time on ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN Plus.