Looking to erase the memories of early-round exits the last two years, No. 3 seed Michigan State begin what they hope will be a deep NCAA tournament run when they take on Patriot League champs Bucknell on Friday in Detroit.
The game is scheduled to start at 7:10 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on CBS. If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch the game live on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
Amazon Prime: If you have Amazon Prime or want to start a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime, you can watch a live stream of your local CBS channel via the CBS All-Access Amazon Channel, which comes with a 7-day free trial. Once you’re signed up for both Amazon Prime and the CBS channel, you can watch CBS live on your computer via the Amazon website, or on your phone, tablet or other streaming device via the the Amazon Video app.
CBS All Access: This service lets you watch a live stream of your local CBS channel (most markets included), as well as all of CBS’ on-demand library. It’s ultimately the same as the above option, only you’re watching through CBS’ digital platform rather than Amazon’s. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and then you can watch on your computer via the CBS website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the CBS app.
Hulu With Live TV: If you want an extensive Netflix-like on-demand streaming library in addition to live TV, Hulu now also offers a bundle of live 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 CBS on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
FuboTV: CBS (live in select markets) is included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package. It comes with a free 7-day trial, and you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app
Note: You can also watch any tournament game on your computer via the March Madness Live website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the March Madness Live app. To watch these streams, you’ll have a free preview before needing to sign in to a TV provider to keep watching, but if you don’t have cable, you can do this by logging in with your Hulu credentials.
Preview
Despite a semifinal loss to Michigan in the Big Ten tournament and a No. 3 seed, Michigan State is undoubtedly a threat to get to San Antonio and cut down the nets.
Though they’re a bit young (five of the top six players in minutes per game are either freshmen or sophomores), the Spartans have two potential Top-10 picks in Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson, they move the ball extremely well (first in the nation in AST/FGM ratio), they can shoot the lights out (fourth in three-point percentage, ninth in effective field-goal percentage) and their length and athleticism makes them a force defensively (first in effective field-goal percentage defense).
There are few teams who are as complete as the Spartans.
That said, Bucknell is not an easy first-round opponent. After nearly upsetting No. 4 West Virginia in the first round of last year’s tournament, the Bison returned every major contributor from that team. They start four upper classmen and a sophomore, and their three main scorers (Zach Thomas, Nana Foulland, Stephen Brown) are all seniors. Experience and veteran leadership often leads to March success, and Nathan Davis’ team has that in droves.
Michigan State are favored by 14.5 points, so an upset will be difficult, but this still stands as a potentially entertaining–and underrated–matchup.
