Why You Can Trust CNET Pac-12 tournament 2019 schedule: How to watch NCAA basketball games without cable
The West Coast lead-up to March Madness airs on Pac-12 Network and ESPN starting March 13.
Although Oregon (in green) beat Washington on March 9, the Huskies (white) retain the number one seed in the Pac-12 tournament.
College basketball fans and bracket jockeys from California to Colorado have a tournament just for them, and it makes perfect preparation for the big March Madness tourney starting later this month. It's the 2019 Pac-12 tournament.
The Pac-12 Conference is home to 2019 NCAA tournament hopefuls Washington and Arizona State, the top two seeds of the conference. And despite the fact that Washington lost to Oregon on March 9th, it has retained the number one seed. The Huskies and the Sun Devils are scheduled to play Thursday, along with Utah and Oregon State.
Before that happens, the lower-ranked teams, seeds 5-12, will face off starting Wednesday March 13. The Pac-12 tournament wraps up Saturday March 16, leading up to March Madness Selection Sunday March 17.
So how can you polish up your bracketology and watch all that Pac-12 action this year? The early round games on are on the dedicated Pac-12 Network, while one of the semifinal games, as well as the championship, air on ESPN. Thanks to live TV streaming services, namely Sling TV, you can watch even if don't have a cable subscription. Here's how.
2019 NCAA Basketball Conference Championships
- ACC tournament (March 12-16)
- Big 12 tournament (March 13-16)
- Big East tournament (March 13-16)
- Big Ten tournament (March 13-17)
- SEC tournament (March 13-17)
When are the Pac-12 tournament games on?
With 12 teams invited to battle it out in the Pac-12, the NCAA holds three rounds leading up to the championship. (All times PT.)
March 13: First Round
Game 1: No. 8 USC vs. No. 9 Arizona at 12 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
Game 2: No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Cal at 2:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
Game 3: No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Stanford at 6 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
Game 4: No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Washington State at 8:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
March 14: Quarterfinals
Game 5: No. 1 Washington vs. Game 1 winner at 12 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
Game 6: No. 4 Oregon State vs. Game 2 winner at 2:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
Game 7: No. 2 Arizona State vs. Game 3 winner at 6 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
Game 8: No. 3 Utah vs. Game 4 winner at 8:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
March 15: Semifinals
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner -- 6 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner -- 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
March 16: Championship
Game 11 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
How can I watch the games live?
Many cable and satellite services carry Pac-12 Network and ESPN, but if you don't have cable can use a TV streaming service to watch live.
Unfortunately most streaming TV services, including DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV and PlayStation Vue, don't carry the Pac-12 Network. That means the only way you can stream it without cable is via Sling TV and Fubo TV -- and Fubo TV lacks ESPN.
With that in mind, here are some notes on live TV streaming services:
- You'll need a solid internet connection.
- You can watch any of them on TV as long as your smart TV has the service's app. You can also watch on your TV using a media streamer, including Roku , Fire TV , Apple TV and Chromecast .
- You can also watch on iPhones, Android phones and tablets and PC browsers.
- You can sign up and cancel anytime, no contract required.
- All of them offer free trial periods, so you can sign up to watch the tournament and then cancel.
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Sling TV costs $25 a month for Sling Orange, which includes ESPN, and it's running a special right now that gives gives you the first three months for $15 each. To get the Pac-12 Network you'll need the Sports Extra package, which adds another $5 per month.
Note that you can also get Sports Extra with Sling TV Blue, but that package lacks ESPN.
Fubo costs $45 a month and includes Pac-12 Network but not ESPN.