SL/Getty Images Before the big March Madness tourney starting later this month, there's a slate of conference championships happening this week. One of the first up is the 2019 ACC tournament. The Atlantic Coast Conference is home to some of the biggest powers in college basketball, starting with the Duke Blue Devils. Zion Williamson returned to the court from injury on Thursday and led Duke to a first-round win over Syracuse with 29 points and shooting a perfect 13-13 from the floor. Next up for Duke is rival North Carolina in the semifinals on Friday. Virginia takes on Florida State in the other semifinal game on Friday. The ACC 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 ACC action this year? It's all on ESPN and ESPN 2, and thanks to live TV streaming services, you can watch even if don't have a cable subscription. Here's how. Other 2019 NCAA Basketball Conference Championships Now playing: Watch this: March Madness 2019: Everything you need to know When are the ACC tournament games on? Four teams remain. March 15: Semifinals No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 4 Florida State at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 3 Duke at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN March 16: Championship Virginia/FSU vs. UNC/Duke at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN How can I watch the games live? Just about every cable and satellite service has ESPN and ESPN 2, but if you don't have cable, you can use a TV streaming service to watch live. Every major service except for Sling Blue and FuboTV carries both. First, 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 , Apple TV and 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. Disclosure: CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of products featured on this page. Sling TV costs $25 a month for Sling Orange, which includes ESPN and ESPN2. It's also running a special right how that gives gives you the first three months for $15 each. YouTube TV costs $40 a month and includes ESPN and ESPN2. Hulu with Live TV costs $45 a month and includes ESPN and ESPN2. PlayStation Vue's $45 Access plan includes ESPN and ESPN2. Following a price hike, DirecTV Now's cheapest package is now the $50-a-month Plus, which includes ESPN and ESPN2. Originally published March 11. Update, March 15: Adds detail about semifinal matchups and DirecTV's new pricing.<doc-sep>JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The LSU basketball team is a slight favorite going into its NCAA tournament second-round game against Maryland on Saturday. According to www.BetOnline.ag, No. 3 seed LSU, which advanced with a 79-74 win over Yale on Thursday, is favored by 2½ points over sixth-seeded Maryland. The total posted on the game is 147½ points. Maryland (23-10) held off Belmont 79-77 in its first-round game on Thursday, just after LSU (27-6) got a little scare from Yale before surviving. LSU and Maryland will play at 11:10 a.m. Saturday with the game to be televised by CBS. LSU is the second-smallest favorite on the eight-game NCAA slate for Saturday. The smallest is fellow Southeastern Conference member Auburn, which is a 2-point favorite over Kansas. Here is the complete second-round rundown: Florida State (-4½) over Murray State Over/Under: 144 LSU (-2½) over Maryland Over/Under: 147½ LSU sports news in your inbox If you're a Tiger fan you won't want to miss this newsletter. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Michigan State (-10½) over Minnesota Over/Under:142 Auburn (-2) over Kansas Over/Under: 147½ Michigan (-7) over Florida Over/Under: 121 Kentucky (-5½) over Wofford Over/Under: 138½ Purdue (-4) over Villanova Over/Under: 137 Gonzaga (-13) over Baylor Over/Under: 148<doc-sep>We very nearly got to see this game twice last season. If not for an overtime loss to Tennessee in the Bahamas Purdue would have played Villanova in the Battle 4 Atlantis. We also would have played them in the Elite Eight had we beaten Texas Tech. Both games would have followed a memorable 79-76 loss to the Wildcats early in the 2016-17 season. That Gavitt Games contest in Mackey Arena is one of only four games Purdue has lost at home in the past four seasons, and it is the lone non-conference game. Playing the Wildcats in march is obviously scary. They have won two of the last three national championships and have not lost on a neutral floor since being upset by Wisconsin in 2017. They are a true blueblood program that is well coached and dangerous even in a year where they are down from last season’s lofty heights. This is going to be one of Purdue’s toughest tournament games ever. Villanova Wildcats From: Philadelphia, PA Date: Saturday, March 23, 2018 Tip Time: approx. 8:40pm Location: Hartford, CT Arena: XL Center (16,294) Television: TNT Online: March Madness On Demand Radio: Purdue Radio Network SiriusXM Satellite: XM (Ch. 381); Internet (Ch. 968) Live Stats: bit.ly/PurdueLiveStats Odds: No Line Yet KenPom: 26 NET: 26 2017-18 Record: 36-4, 14-4 Big East (National Champions) 2018-19 Record: 26-9, 13-5 Big East (Big East regular season and Tournament champions) Opponent Blog: VUHoops Series with Purdue: Villanova leads 3-0 Last Villanova Win: 79-76 at Purdue on 11/14/2016 Last Purdue Win: None NCAA Tournament History: 43 appearances, 3-time National Champions Coach: Jay Wright (447-172 in 19th season at Villanova, 569-257 overall) If the pattern continues, Purdue is going to win. In the last five years during an odd numbered year Villanova has lost in the round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. In an even numbered year they have won the national title. They are currently on a run where they have won at least 32 games in four consecutive seasons, but that will end this year because the maximum number of games they can now win is 31. Purdue’s record for wins in a season is 30, set last year. The run Villanova has been on is really incredible. They have been pretty much the elite of the elite for four years, so seeing them as a six seed is bizarre. They are merely “very good” as opposed to “title contenders” this year, and you cannot count out a team that is now 14-1 in the last four NCAA Tournaments. They did not get off to a great start this year. They were drilled by Michigan at home 73-46 back in November and followed that with an overtime loss to Furman. They lost their first Philly Big 5 game since 1674 to Penn 78-75 and also lost at Kansas in their non-conference. They still recovered to win the Big East yet again, then run through the Big East Tournament. They have won that tournament three years in a row now and four of the last five. They have won the Big East regular season title in five of the past six years. Villanova is led by senior guard Phil Booth, who is trying to go down as pretty much a college basketball legend at this point. He redshirted after three games during the 2016-17 season (still scoring 7 points against us before he was injured), but has played a major role on two national championship teams. He averages a career best 18.6 points per game with 3.8 assists and he is shooting 36.7% from three. He had 20 against St. Mary’s Thursday night with six assists. Eric Paschall, a 6’8” senior forward, is also a guy that has been through everything. He sat out the 2015-16 championship season after transferring from Fordham, but had 11 points in the win over us in Mackey Arena. These guys were not the main focus of the last few seasons, but they have played critical minutes and have been through the wars. Rarely will you see players with this much experience in March anymore. Collin Gillespie, a 6’3” sophomore guard, is the third player who averages in double figures at 11.1 points per game. He also shoots 39.4% from three. That is where this team is really going to test us. Purdue has struggled to defend the three against poor three-point shooting teams like Minnesota, Florida State, and Texas. For the Wildcats, EVERYONE can shoot the three. Only Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, a 6’9” center, has zero attempts among the regular rotation. Everyone else has more than 40 attempts from long range. They shoot it pretty well, too, at 35.9%. The good news is that Villanova does not play with a lot of pace. They are fine with playing a slow, half-court oriented game like Purdue that wears down defenses. They haven’t scored more than 80 points since February 13 at Providence. Their defense has been solid, however. St. Mary’s played slow with them and didn’t crack 60. These are two very efficient offensive teams. Per KenPom, Purdue is 5th in Adjusted Offense nationally and Villanova is 16th. On adjusted defense Purdue is 30th and Villanova is 78th. In adjusted tempo Purdue is 276th and Villanova is 333rd, so points will likely be at a premium. These are the types of games Purdue needs to win if it is ever going to break through in March, however. They are not the same big bad Villanova of the past few seasons, but they are still really good with a ton of experience and an elite level head coach. They still have several players left that walked into Mackey Arena two and a half years ago and won. Not many people have done that. Where Purdue does have an advantage is size. Matt Haarms and Trevion Williams should have an advantage in the paint with Cosby-Roundtree as they best post player. Paschall also fouled out two years ago trying to defend Isaac Haas and Caleb Swanigan. Saddiq Bey and Jermaine Samuels are versatile inside-out forwards, but Haarms and Williams have an advantage on the block.<doc-sep>Records Ohio State 19-13 (No. 11 seed) Iowa State 23-11 (No. 6 seed) Broadcast, TV, Game Time Date: Friday, March 22 Game Time: 9:50 PM (approximately) Venue: Bank of Oklahoma Center, Tulsa, OK Network: TNT | You can also tune in online with FuboTV. (Try it for free) Now all the madness begins. After an roller coaster season that saw Ohio State barely get into the NCAA Tournament, it now has new life in a one and done format. And the challenge is a big one. Iowa State underachieved most of the year, but then put it all together to make a run through the Big Twelve Tournament and win the whole thing. The Buckeyes will need to fire all weapons and play a smart and aggressive game to try and pull an upset. Next … The Ohio State Game Plan<doc-sep>
Welcome to March Madness, Liberty. Of the few upsets in the first round, Liberty’s win over Mississippi was a surprising one. They’ll try to do one more against in-state school Virginia Tech, who cruised to one of the easiest victories of the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 against Saint Louis. How to Watch the NCAA Tournament Second Round: Liberty vs. Virginia Tech Date: Sunday, March 24 Time: 7:10 p.m. ET Location: San Jose, CA TV Channel: TBS Live Stream: fuboTV – start your 7-day free trial to watch every NCAA Tournament game #12 Liberty Liberty has made their way into the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in 2019, but the Flames are still searching for their hot streak as they look to win their first game in the competition. Nobody expected them to beat Mississippi State except themselves. A late-game surge put the Flames ahead as they knocked off a good Bulldogs squad to advance to the second round of March Madness. Liberty started their season by going 11-4 in non-conference games, but they lost only twice in their last 19 games of the campaign, which included winning the Atlantic Sun’s championship and post-season tournament. They finished with a 28-6 overall record and beat Lipford 74-68 in the final to clinch a maiden Atlantic Sun title. #4 Virginia Tech Thanks to a third straight year of great success under head coach Buzz Williams, who led his team to a 24-8 regular season record and the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament, the Virginia Tech Hokies earned their highest ever seed in the NCAA Tournament and entered March Madness with hopes of a deep run. The Hokies won six of their last nine games, all of them without senior point guard and Virginia Tech’s all-time assists leader, Justin Robinson. The good news for Virginia Tech is that Robinson was cleared to play in the tournament after recovering from a foot injury, and his return along with the great play of sophomore guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the team’s top scorer. The Hokies beat Duke less than a month ago, proving they can defeat anyone. After a first round full of close games, Virginia Tech’s offensive explosion against Saint Louis proves that they’re one to fear in their region, even with Duke looming in the Sweet Sixteen. We recommend interesting sports viewing and streaming opportunities. If you sign up to a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.