Watch Kentucky Wildcats Online: Best Streaming Services With NCAA Coverage

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I follow one of the best men’s basketball teams in the NCAA, the Kentucky Wildcats. Being able to watch them is never difficult since their massive local and national following means every game is broadcast on major networks.

In a hurry? Wildcats games are usually aired on ESPN-related channels. These services provide all you need to see every Kentucky game and a lot more.

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The Kentucky Wildcats are one of the founding members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and they currently sponsor 13 sports at the varsity level.

In addition to the men’s and women’s basketball team and men’s football team, the school participates in other mainstream sports such as soccer, gymnastics, and tennis.

Let’s take a closer look at the history of the school, its athletic programs, and how you can watch Kentucky athletics from wherever you happen to be.

Kentucky Wildcats in the March Madness Tournament

The Kentucky Wildcats men’s team had an outstanding season and will now participate in the 2024 March Madness. They are No 12 in the Coaches and AP rankings.

The women’s team had a poor season ending toward the bottom of the SEC. They will not move on to the tournament.

Watching Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Live: TV Channels and Streaming Services

Kentucky basketball games are featured on a variety of channels but almost all of them are related to ESPN. The most common channel is SEC Network (SECN) or its substation (SECN+). Games also appear on ESPN itself and CBS.

If Kentucky is playing a non-conference opponent, it’s possible that the contest will be shown on a network that typically broadcasts teams featuring that conference. For example, if the Cats were playing against an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent such as Syracuse or Clemson, that game might be shown on the ACC Network.

The women’s team games appear on the same channels as the men’s team games although there are a lot more that appear on SECN+. This station should be available with any subscription that includes SECN — either directly or via TV Everywhere.

Streaming Services for Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Games: A Comprehensive Guide

Most of the major streaming services provide access to the ESPN channels, SEC Network channels and local channels. Here are our favorites.

FuboTV’s Guide to Streaming Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Live

FuboTV starts at $79.99/month, and the lowest service tier comes with ESPN and ESPN2. There are over 35 sports channels with CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) in the lineup. There are also all the major four local channels in the base package. With the Fubo Extra add-on for $7.99/mo, you get 58 extra channels including ESPNU, SEC Network, and Pac-12 Network.

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The base plan comes with unlimited cloud DVR and simultaneous streaming on up to ten devices. Our FuboTV review has all the details.

DIRECTV STREAM: Your Access to Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Live

DIRECTV STREAM Entertainment plan provides CBS, CBSSN, ESPN, and ESPN2. To get SEC Network and ESPNU, you’ll need to upgrade to the Choice plan, which costs $114.99/month. But there are many other advantages to this plan.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free Trial

Choice plan has over 100 channels, unlimited cloud DVR and watching on unlimited streaming devices. See our DIRECTV STREAM review.

Hulu + Live TV for Streaming Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: A How-To Guide

For $82.99/month, Hulu Live provides local network affiliates, ESPN, ESPN2, and CBSSN. It is one of three streaming services that offer SEC Network in its base package. In all, you get 100+ live TV channels, as well as Disney+ and ESPN+.

Get Hulu + Live TV Free

This plan comes with unlimited cloud DVR (9-month storage) and streaming on up to two devices at a time. Get more information in our Hulu + Live TV review.

Sling TV: Catching Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Games Live

Sling Orange comes with ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3 (includes ABC Sports) plus roughly 30 other channels for just $40.00/month. If you want SEC Network, you can add Sports Extra for $11/mo more. CBSSN is not available. It’s still a great deal.

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

This plan limits you to using one screen at a time, but it does come with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage. See our Sling TV review for more information, as well as our guide and schedule to March Madness.

Watching Kentucky Wildcats Games With YouTube TV

YouTube TV goes for $72.99/month. For that price you get 100+ channels. There are four ESPN channels: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPNews. You also get local channels including ABC. SEC Network is also part of its channel lineup.

A cloud DVR is available and you can watch on several streaming devices at the same time.

Streaming Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Games on Paramount+

Paramount+ Premium gives you access to all content shown on CBS and CBSSN. This is the best streaming service to pair with Sling TV, which does not offer CBS or CBSSN for an additional cost of $12.99/month. Read more about this in our Paramount+ review.

Try Paramount+ for Free!

Best Devices for Streaming Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Live

Fubo, Sling, DIRECTV, and Hulu all support the major streaming devices: Amazon Fire TV, Android mobile, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS (iPad, iPhone), Roku, and web browsers.

Sling, Fubo, Hulu Live, and Paramount+ support Vizio smart TVs, LG smart TVs, Samsung smart TVs, and Xbox gaming systems. PlayStation and Nintendo Switch units are supported by Hulu.

All three streaming services support other less popular devices. See our individual reviews for complete lists.

The Legacy and History of Kentucky Wildcats Basketball

The Wildcats got their nickname from a quote that was uttered after a football game played in 1909 against Illinois. Speaking at a church service the morning after the contest, the head of a nearby military college said that the team had fought like the ferocious jungle creatures. Several years later, the school officially adopted the moniker for all of its sports programs.

In recent years, the Kentucky men’s and women’s basketball teams have had varying levels of success. The men’s program won its most recent national championship in 2012 and appeared in the national championship game in 2014. The women’s team made the NCAA tournament in 2021 and advanced to the second round before being eliminated by Iowa.

Although the school is best known for its success in men’s basketball, the women’s team was the first to make its debut in 1902. The men’s squad would be created a year later. In the 1920s, the women’s program would be abolished until 1974 based on the strange premise that women weren’t physically capable of doing so.

The Wildcats have rivalries Tennessee Volunteers, Louisville Cardinals, Indiana Hoosiers, and Florida Gators.

Kentucky Wildcats Men’s Basketball: Team Insights and Analysis

The men’s team is currently coached by John Calipari in his 14th season with a record of 386–111 (78%). He has led them to 6 SEC regular season championships and 6 SEC Tournament championships in that time. And the team has participated in the postseason (March Madness) 11 times — going to the finals twice and winning once in 2012.

It plays its home games at Rupp Arena in Lexington. It is named after Adolph Rupp, who was one of the most successful coaches in school history. He was hired by the school in 1930 and would remain there until 1972. During that time, his teams won four national championships as well as a National Invitational Tournament (NIT) title.

Throughout its history, the basketball team representing the University of Kentucky has produced a number of top players who have gone on to have long professional careers. Those players include Devin Booker, John Wall, and Anthony Davis. In 2010, four Kentucky players were selected by NBA teams in that year’s draft.

The current squad includes Antonio Reeves (points leader), Reed Sheppard (assists, steals leader), Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards, DJ Wagner, Tre Mitchell (rebounds leader), Aaron Bradshaw, Adou Thiero (blocked shots leader), Ugonna Onyenso, and Jordan Burks. Zvonimir Ivisic joined the team late in the season and is already having an impact.

2023-2024 Men’s Basketball Schedule

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Kentucky Wildcats Women’s Basketball: Team Insights and Analysis

The women’s team has had excellent teams recently — going to the NCAA Tournament 7 of the last 10 years.

Kyra Elzy is in her fourth season as head coach of the Wildcats. The team plays its home games at the Memorial Coliseum. This is the same arena where the men’s team played until 1976 when Rupp Arena was built.

The team features Emma King, Eniya Russell, Brooklynn Miles, Saniah Tyler, Ajae Petty (points, rebounds, blocked shots leader), Cassidy Rowe, Janae Walker, Maddie Scherr (assists, steals leader), and Amiya Jenkins.

In 1983, the Wildcats were ranked fourth in the nation, which was the school’s highest ranking. That squad was led by all-time greats Valerie Still and Lea Wise.

2023-2024 Women’s Basketball Schedule

Exploring Other Sports Beyond Kentucky Wildcats Basketball

As noted above, the Wildcats have a lot of sports worth watching.

Kentucky Wildcats Football

Both basketball programs were created about a decade after the school started playing football. Kentucky’s football team was coached by the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant for eight seasons from 1946 to 1954, and the team was retroactively named the 1950 national champions in 2004.

During the 1950 season, the Wildcats defeated Oklahoma in its bowl game, and at the time, the Sooners were the top ranked team in the country. It’s believed that Kentucky would have likely been the consensus pick to win the title that year if the NCAA had a formal process for naming a champion.

Kentucky’s football team went 9-3 during the 2021 season and qualified for the Citrus Bowl. The team has featured several notable names in recent years including current quarterback Will Levis and 2019 first round NFL draft pick Josh Allen.

The Wildcats are currently coached by Will Stoops and play their home games at Kroger Field. Kentucky’s top rivals in football include Louisville, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. In a typical year, the Wildcats will play the Louisville Cardinals during the final week of the season for the Governor’s Cup.

The Wildcat football games appear on the same channels as the basketball games.

Other Kentucky Wildcats Sports Programs

Since 2012, the track and field team has won 29 individual conference championships and an additional six at the national level. The school’s cheerleading team has won 24 national titles and have made the cheerleading tournament finals every year that it has existed.

The school’s baseball and softball teams have had a sustained run of success over the past decade thanks to new coaches and new stadiums. In 2018, the baseball team moved to Kentucky Proud Park while the softball team moved into John Cropp Stadium in 2013. In 2012, the baseball team earned its only number one ranking during a year in which it won 45 games and advanced to the NCAA tournament.

These games appear on ESPNU, SECN, SECN+, as well as ESPN+.

Wrapping Up

The Kentucky Wildcats are a popular team and so often featured on live TV. Any of the streaming services listed above will provide good coverage.

We recommend FuboTV for Wildcats fans.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.

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