The 2023 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament starts Wednesday, March 8. SEC teams will battle it out to see who’s the best in SEC at the SEC championship game on Sunday, March 12. While all these games will air on ESPN and SEC Network, you don’t need cable to watch. In fact, with the tournament only lasting five days, you can watch the whole SEC Tournament for free by using a Free trial from a streaming service that carries those networks.
This article will tell you which services to use, and when every game airs so you can watch the entire SEC Tournament for free without cable.
Watch The SEC Tournament Free
The SEC Tournament will air on SEC Network and ESPN. The Championship game will air on ESPN. The following streaming services carry all three of those channels in their channel lineup and offer a free trial long enough for you to watch the entire SEC Tournament.
- DIRECTV STREAM – 5-day free trial
- fuboTV – Offers a 1-week free trial
- YouTube TV – offers a 1-week free trial
DIRECTV STREAM
You can watch SEC Network and ESPN as part of their “Choice” package for $108.99 per month and offer a 5-day free trial. Check out our review of DIRECTV STREAM for information on all the channels available through the service.
All DIRECTV STREAM plans include:
- the ability to watch on unlimited devices at the same time in the home (up to 3 on the go)
- a cloud-based DVR
- channels like ESPN, AMC, HGTV, Discovery, and more
- supported on Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, and more
You can try DIRECTV STREAM by signing up for online offer.
Watch The SEC Tournament on fuboTV
FuboTV is an excellent place to go for sports. In addition to SEC Network, ESPN, and ESPN2, over 90 channels are offered in its Pro Plan for $74.99. However, cancel before the free trial period, and you will not be charged, allowing you to watch the entire SEC Tournament for free.
Below are features included with the FuboTV “Pro” package:
- SEC Network, ESPN, ESPN2, and more are available in fuboTV’s channel lineup
- You can watch on three screens at the same time
- 250 hours of cloud DVR storage
- The FuboTV app is available on major platforms, including Apple TV, AndroidTV, Roku, and Amazon FireTV.
You can sign up for fuboTV or check out our review of FuboTV for more details.
Watch The SEC Tournament on YouTube TV
YouTube TV also offers SEC Network, ESPN, and ESPN2 streaming live. YouTube TV costs $72.99 a month. Remember to cancel before the free trial period, and you will not be charged. A subscription to YouTube TV includes the following:
- access to SEC Network, ESPN, ESPN2, and over 70 other channels
- unlimited cloud DVR storage
- stream on three devices at once
- YouTube TV supports Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and more. The YouTube TV app has also returned to Roku devices after settling a dispute between the two companies.
- Includes YouTube TV on-demand
Check out my review of YouTube TV for all the details and channels available on the service. You can also check your Zip Code on YouTube TVs Website to see the available channels in your area.
Watch SEC Tournament Through The ESPN App
Once you activate one of the fee trials to one of the services above, the easiest way to watch the tournament is through the ESPN App. The Games televised on SEC Network, ESPN and ESPN2 will all be available through the app. You can use the ESPN app on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Android devices. The steps below explain how to set up the app.
- Sign up for a Free Trial to fuboTV or a Free Trial to Hulu+ Live TV
- Go to the channel store on your streaming device.
- Please search for the ESPN app, and add it to your device.
- Open the app, and click the setting gear from the top right of the menu.
- Then select “Account Information” and then “TV Provider.”
- Your device will provide an activation code and a URL
- Using a web browser on your laptop or mobile device, go to the URL and enter the supplied code.
- You will then be asked for the TV provider. Use the one you signed up for in step 1. ( For example, I used my Hulu credentials)
- Once you successfully log in, The ESPN App screen will refresh and list your TV provider.
- The ESPN app is now set up. In the ESPN app, you should be able to go to “Featured,” then “NCAA Basketball” upcoming SEC Tournament games will be available to watch on your TV through the app.
SEC Tournament TV Schedule
Below is the TV schedule of all SEC Tournament games with the TV channel the game will air on. All times are eastern standard.
First round – Wednesday, March 8
- Game 1: No. 12 South Carolina vs. No. 13 Ole Miss at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network
- Game 2: No. 11 Georgia vs. No. 14 LSU at 9 p.m. ET on SEC Network
Second round – Thursday, March 9
- Game 3: No. 8 Florida vs. No. 9 Mississippi State at 1 p.m. ET on SEC Network
- Game 4: No. 5 Tennessee vs. Game 1 winner at 3 p.m. ET on SEC Network
- Game 5: No. 7 Auburn vs. No. 10 Arkansas at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network
- Game 6: No. 6 Vanderbilt vs. Game 2 winner at 9 p.m. ET on SEC Network
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 10
- Game 7: No. 1 Alabama vs. Game 3 winner at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Game 8: No. 4 Missouri vs. Game 4 winner at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Game 9: No. 2 Texas A&M vs. Game 5 winner at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network
- Game 10: No. 3 Kentucky vs. Game 6 winner at 9 p.m. ET on SEC Network
Semifinals – Saturday, March 11
- Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN
Championship – Sunday, March 12
- Game 13: SEC Championship at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
Other Viewing Options
The following streaming services also carry SEC Network, ESPN, and ESPN2. However, they either do not offer a free trial, or the free trial period isn’t long enough to watch the entire tournament for free.
Watch The SEC Tournament on Hulu Live TV
Hulu Live TV offers SEC Network, ESPN, and ESPN2 in its channel lineup for $76.99/month. Remember to cancel before the free trial period, and you will not be charged. Previously Hulu was known for its vast on-demand streaming library. Recently, they have added a Hulu Live TV service for $76.99 a month. Hulu Live TV is one of the best live TV streaming services available. It includes the following features:
- Unlimited cloud DVR storage. (Recordings save for 9 months)
- Watch on two screens at once. (Upgrades available)
- Comes with six customizable profiles
- Includes entire Hulu streaming library
Hulu + Live TV is supported on Roku, Fire TV Devices, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, iOS, Android, and more. See our review of Hulu + Live TV for more details.
Vidgo
Vidgo is a newer streaming service that offers fairly competitive pricing over other live streaming services. Vidgo includes SEC Network, ESPN, and ESPN2 in its Core package, along with over 60 other channels. New customers can sign up for the Core Plan for $69.99 per month.
Vidgo doesn’t force you into a contract so you can cancel any time. They do offer a 3-day free trial, which you can cancel within the first three days at no charge.
Vidgo is supported on available on Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV. You can also stream the service on up to 3 devices at the same time. We have the full details in our guide to Vidgo’s live streaming service.
Sling TV
While SEC Network isn’t available in Sling’s base packages, it can be added to Sling TV’s Orange package for $10/ month as part of its “Sports Extra.” This would bring the total amount to $55/month. ESPN and ESPN2 come standard in the Orange package.
Sling TV is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and more, so it’s not a problem to enjoy it on a TV, tablet, computer, or other smart devices. More channels are available on Sling TV than what I’ve discussed here. To find out more about what Sling TV has to offer and more information about Sling TV device compatibility, check out this detailed review of Sling TV.
The review includes information on a Sling TV free trial and ways to get discounted (and free) streaming devices, so be sure to check it out. Currently, there are offers for a 3-day trial and free Amazon fire stick if you sign up for two months.