Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images Kennedy Chandler and the Tennessee Volunteers have won seven-straight coming into the NCAA Tournament.
The SEC tournament champion Tennessee Volunteers take on the Big South champion Longwood Lancers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The game (2:45 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on CBS. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of Tennessee vs Longwood online:
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DirecTV Stream
Note: TNT, TBS and TruTV are also included, so you’ll be able to watch every NCAA tournament game with this option
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” CBS (live in most markets) is included in every one, but 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 Tennessee vs Longwood live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your 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. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
You can also watch the game live on the March Madness app or on the NCAA website. You’ll need to sign in to a cable or streaming service provider to watch this way, but you can do that with your DirecTV Stream credentials.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime subscribers (Prime comes with a 30-day free trial) can watch a live stream of their local CBS station via the Prime Paramount+ channel (“Premium” plan). You can try both Amazon Prime and the Paramount+ Channel at no cost with a free trial right here:
Once you’re signed up for the Prime Paramount+ Channel, you can watch Tennessee vs Longwood live on the Amazon Video app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, various smart TV’s, Xiaomi, Echo Show or Echo Spot, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Amazon website.
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of CBS and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Tennessee vs Longwood live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your 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. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
Paramount+
This is ultimately the same as the Amazon Prime option above, only you’ll watch on Paramount’s digital platforms instead of Amazon’s. You can watch your local CBS channel live via Paramount+ (“Premium” plan), which comes with a free trial:
Once signed up for Paramount+, you can watch Tennessee vs Longwood live on the Paramount+ app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Samsung Smart TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Paramount+ website.
Tennessee vs Longwood Preview
The third-seeded Tennessee Volunteers are out to prove they deserved a higher seed when they take on first-time March Madness participant, the Longwood Lancers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday in Indianapolis.
Tennessee comes into the tournament as one of the hottest teams in the country after winning the SEC Tournament title last weekend. With their No. 5 national ranking, many experts believed they should have drawn a better seed than No. 3 in the south region.
The upstart Lancers are fresh off dominating the Big South this season where they went 15-1 and then swept through the conference tournament en route to punching their first ticket to the Big Dance.
Here’s a look at the breakdown for each team as they head into Thursday’s first-round matchup:
No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers (26-7, 14-4 SEC)
Tennessee took home their first SEC tournament title since 1979 with wins over Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Texas A&M.
The Volunteers are a battle-tested group, with the fifth-toughest schedule per KenPom and they own 11 Quad 1 wins.
Tennessee’s strength lies in their defense, which ranks third in the nation in efficiency (per KenPom), eighth in steals, and 15th in creating turnovers.
Kenny Chandler, a five-star freshman, is the team’s leading scorer at 13.8 points per game and is one of three players on the roster to connect on at least 35 percent from three-point range. Chandler was named the SEC Tournament MVP following the Vols’ 65-50 title game win over Mississippi State last Sunday.
Junior Santiago Vescovi led the Volunteers in the SEC final with 17 points, including four 3-pointers. Vescovi is averaging 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game this season.
“This time of year is about players,” said Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes following Tennessee’s first SEC title in 43 years. “I just think it’s their moment. It’s their time to get the trophy. It’s their time to cut down the nets. They came to Tennessee to help us make it a special place. They’ve done that. It’s truly their time.”
No. 14 Longwood Lancers (26-6, 15-1 Big South)
Longwood comes into their first-ever NCAA Tournament winners of eight in a row and 19 of its last 20 games.
The Lancers are a dangerous threat from deep, ranking 18th in the nation with a 38 percent three-point shooting rate.
Sophomore point guard Justin Hill leads the way for Longwood with 14.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. Lancers senior guard Deshaun Wade averages 12.0 points per game and hits on a team-best 45 percent from beyond the three-point line.
Isaiah Wilkins, a transfer from Virginia Tech, was named Big South Tournament MVP after he tallied 19 points and eight rebounds in the title game win over the two-time defending Big South champion Winthrop University.
The Lancers had never recorded a winning record in conference play prior to Griff Aldrich taking the reigns at head coach four years ago.
“I really believe Longwood is a special place,” said Aldrich following the Big South championship game. “We have so many wonderful ingredients. We’ve got a lot of momentum. Forget the winning. The building blocks are there, of a great university, a great community, and I do want to say incredible support from our president. Taylor Reveley had a hare-brained notion to hire a former lawyer as a coach. But there’s been incredible support to build a sustainable program, not just a successful team, and that’s our goal.”