The Big 12 Wrestling Championships will take place at the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK, on Saturday and Sunday.
Session 1 (prelims and quarters, Saturday at Noon ET), Session 2 (semifinals and consolation quarters, Saturday at 6 p.m. ET) and Session 3 (consolation semis, 3rd and 5th place matches, Sunday at 11 a.m. ET) will be exclusively on ESPN+, while Session 4 (championship matches) will be on ESPN2.
Here’s a rundown of all the different ways you can watch all the action online:
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Sessions 1 through 3: ESPN+
The first three sessions (prelims, quarters, semis and consolation matches) won’t be on TV anywhere, but anyone in the US can watch all those matches live on ESPN+ right here:
ESPN+ is a streaming service that has dozens of different live sports, including college sports, MLB, UFC and international soccer, as well as every 30-for-30 documentary and other original content (both video and written) all for $5.99 per month.
Or, if you also want Disney+ and Hulu, you can get all three for $12.99 per month, which works out to about 31 percent savings:
Get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch Sessions 1 through 3 live on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
Session 4: FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN2 and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which you can use for free with a seven-day trial right here:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Session 4 live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space.
Session 4: AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment”, “Choice”, “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN2 is included in every package, but it’s worth noting NBA League Pass is available in the “Choice” and up bundles, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want for your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but when you sign up and select whatever bundle and extras you want, you’ll see that — if you’re a new customer — the “due today” amount is $0. You won’t be charged for 14 days, and you can cancel at any time:
Once signed up for AT&T TV, you can watch Session 4 live on the AT&T TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the AT&T TV website.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours).
Session 4: Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN2 and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch Session 4 live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Big 12 Wrestling Championships 2021 Preview
Last year, in the 24th iteration of the Big 12 Wrestling Championships, the Oklahoma State Cowboys claimed their eighth consecutive title and 18th overall. A victory this time around would set a new program mark for consecutive conference titles; they also won eight in a row from 1921 to 1928.
Two of the three Cowboys who won individual titles last year are back in the field and have top seeds: 149-pounder Boo Lewallen and 165-pounder Travis Wittlake. In 2020, Wittlake became the 26th Oklahoma State freshman to claim an individual conference title.
The redshirt sophomore is 12-0 in 2021.
“I try to prepare the same every time,” Wittlake said in February, according to The Oklahoman. “I go through the same warmup every time. Mentally, I’m telling myself the same thing every match, no matter who I’m wrestling.
“What helps me a lot and what changed in me last year was rather than going out and wrestling to win or wrestling not to lose and being conservative, I really try to tell myself to go out and execute my offense. Execute my offense. That’s what I repeat in my head multiple times. That’s what’s able to keep my mind level, keep my nerves low, and that’s what brings that consistency.”
A third Cowboys wrestler, 133-pounder Daton Fix, is seeded atop his class as well.
The Iowa State Cyclones will also have three No. 1 seeds: 141-pounder Ian Parker, 157-pounder David Carr and heavyweight Gannon Gremmel.
“We actually as a coaching staff decided we were going to quit arguing and fussing and fighting this year … and I thought [the Big 12’s five-person seeding panel] did pretty good considering it’s such a crazy year,” Cyclones head coach Kevin Dresser said, according to the Iowa State Daily.
He added: “And yeah, you could say, well, maybe I deserve to be seeded here a little bit higher, but I’m like, well, then you gotta go wrestle and get it if you think you deserve a higher seed.”
Parker and Carr are defending conference champions. Carr said the Cyclones coaching staff has worked to simulate a tournament environment in practice, as the team hasn’t competed in any tournaments this season due to the pandemic.
“We’ve actually done like, different simulations of just dual meets and practice scenarios, where it’s on weekends, or during our practice, like starting practice at different times … I think they all play into it,” Parker said, per the Iowa State Daily. “Everyone on our team has been wrestling since they were a little kid; they know how a tournament works. So while we haven’t had them in a while, I think we’ll get used to them right away.”
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How to Watch Big 12 Wrestling Championships 2021 Online