Disclosure: Your support helps keep our site running! We earn referral fees for some of the products & services we recommend. Learn more

How to Watch Houston Cougars Basketball Without Cable

Last Updated:

The 2023 NFL football season has begun! Get all the information in our NFL Guide!

And you can follow the whole season with Fubo. Try it free!

The University of Houston basketball program is one of the most successful in the country but their games are not as well broadcast as they deserve. You can still watch them all, however. We have all the details below!

In a hurry? The ESPN channels generally cover the Cougars when they are on live TV. But many games are only available on ESPN+ so you are best off getting Hulu + Live TV, which includes it. Otherwise, these are all excellent choices:

  • Fubo: The best streaming service for international sports also provides 150+ well-selected channels. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.
  • DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great channel lineup with the best selection of RSNs in the industry. A 5-day free trial is now available for DIRECTV STREAM.
  • Sling TV: This low-cost service allows you to select just the channel lineup you want. Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV.

If you can’t watch your favorite sports because of your location, get ExpressVPN to access the content you deserve.

Unfortunately, we don’t know a streaming service in that covers this sport. But if you’ve already paid for the right service, and just can’t watch because of your location, there is an easy way to get the content you deserve. You need a VPN, like one of the following.

ExpressVPN
  1. ExpressVPN: Known as “The VPN that just works,” it combines remarkable ease of use with with state-of-the-art power, speed, security, and privacy. Get three extra free months when you sign up for a year. Unleash your streaming with this top-rated VPN.
Sign Up Now
HotSpot Shield
  1. Hotspot Shield: Connect to servers in 80+ different countries and 25+ US cities. HotSpot Shield features extremely fast servers and connections and is specially tuned for use with streaming services. And you can try it risk-free with a 7-day free trial and a 45-day money-back guarantee!
Sign Up Now
CyberGhost
  1. CyberGhost: Great low-cost service with ultra-fast servers in 90+ countries for smooth live sports streaming. It also provides great security and privacy. See if it’s right for you with a free 24-hour trial and test it out with a 45-day money-back guarantee.
Sign Up Now

If you’re overwhelmed and not sure where to begin, you’ll find all the answers in our full VPN guide.

If you are a college basketball fan and follow the Houston Cougars, you don’t have to miss a minute of the action. Below we discuss all your options and provide complete schedules with times and TV channels.

TV Channels to Watch Houston Basketball

Many Houston men’s basketball games and some of the women’s games are shown on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU. A handful of men’s games are broadcast by CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) and ABC.

But most games are not featured on live TV at all. Most games are streamed live on ESPN+.

Try Hulu + Live TV Today!

How to Stream Houston Cougars Basketball

Any time a large number of a team’s games are streaming-only on a service like ESPN+, it causes a bit of a problem. This is because it is generally the most important college basketball games that air on live TV. For example, ESPN+ only provides coverage of some regular season games — no playoff games stream on it.

For most Cougars fans, getting the live TV channels are important. More serious fans need to get both the live TV channels as well as ESPN+. Here are the options for everyone:

  • Hulu + Live TV: If you want to watch every game played by the Houston men’s and women’s basketball teams, this is the service you want. It gives you all the live TV channels you need as well as ESPN+ — all for $69.99/mo. (Hulu Live review)
  • Fubo (formerly FuboTV): This sports-first service will allow you to watch all the broadcast Cougars games. Get 130+ channels from $74.99/mo. (Fubo review)
  • Sling TV: The Sling Orange plan gives you ESPN and ESPN2 with tons of options starting at just $40.00/mo. (Sling TV review) (March Madness coverage and schedule)
  • DIRECTV STREAM: Get a great selection of live TV channels starting at $74.99/mo. (DIRECTV STREAM review)
  • Vidgo: Comes with 110+ channels that should appear to most NCAA fans for $69.99/mo. (Vidgo review)
  • YouTube TV: Offers a 100+ channel lineup for $72.99/mo.

All of these services allow you to live stream on multiple devices at one time. They also all include a cloud DVR (you must upgrade with Vidgo).

And they all allow you to stream on the most popular devices including Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, and web browsers. You can also stream on mobile devices with Android and iOS. And most also support a number of smart TVs and gaming devices.

Try Hulu + Live TV Today!

Houston Basketball

The Houston Cougars men’s basketball team first suited up shortly after Harry Truman took the oath of office. This was a time when television was still broadcast in black and white.

With Alden Pasche pacing the sidelines, the Cougars hit the ground running and finished top of the Lone Star Conference in each of their first two seasons. The women’s program started in 1975.

The list of great players who have suited up for the men’s and women’s Cougars teams is a long one. But four names really stand out. The 1983 Cougars team, which came within one point of a national championship, spawned two Hall of Fame professional careers: Clyde “The Glide” Drexler and Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon.

On the woman’s side, Chandi Jones and Sancho Lyttle both went on to play in the WNBA and represent their countries in international competition.

The 2023 WNBA Playoffs are scheduled to begin on September 13 — secure it at a discounted price via Sling TV! Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV.

Starting next season, the Cougars will be playing in the Big 12 Conference along with teams including the UFC Knights, the BYU Cougars, and the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Try Hulu + Live TV Today!

Houston Men’s Basketball

Houston’s six appearances in the NCAA Final Four have earned the Cougars the dubious distinction of being the most successful program to never come home with the coveted trophy. The Cougars came closest to a National Championship in 1983 when they were pipped by a basket in the Championship Game by Jim Valvano’s NC State Wolfpack.

Cougars fans are hoping to finally put that pain behind them in 2023, and Houston does have a team that could go all the way. The Cougars are number two in the AP Top 25 college basketball rankings. And they sit atop the American Athletic Conference (AAC) standings with only one loss in their first 19 games.

Kelvin Sampson has been the head coach of the Cougars since 2014. Through last year, he’s seen Houston to a 199-70 (74%) record. And they’ve done even better this year.

Standout players on the current Houston roster include point guard Jamal Shead, shooting guard Marcus Sasser, small forward Tramon Mark, power forward J’Wan Roberts and center Jarace Walker.

2022-23 Men’s Basketball Schedule

  • Mon Nov 7 : vs Northern Colorado (ESPN+)
  • Fri Nov 11 : vs Saint Joseph’s (CBSSN)
  • Mon Nov 14 : vs Oral Roberts (ESPN+)
  • Wed Nov 16 : vs Texas Southern (ESPN+)
  • Sun Nov 20 : at rv/rv Oregon (ESPN)
  • Sat Nov 26 : vs Kent State (ESPN+)
  • Tue Nov 29 : vs Norfolk State (ESPN+)
  • Sat Dec 3 : vs Saint Mary’s (ESPN2)
  • Tue Dec 6 : vs North Florida (ESPN+)
  • Sat Dec 10 : vs Alabama (ABC)
  • Tue Dec 13 : vs North Carolina A&T (ESPN+)
  • Sat Dec 17 : at Virginia (ESPN2)
  • Wed Dec 21 : vs McNeese (ESPN+)
  • Wed Dec 28 : at Tulsa (ESPNU)
  • Sat Dec 31 : vs UCF (ESPN+)
  • Thu Jan 5 : vs SMU (ESPN2)
  • Sun Jan 8 : at Cincinnati (ESPN)
  • Wed Jan 11 : vs South Florida (ESPN+)
  • Tue Jan 17 : at Tulane (ESPN+)
  • Sun Jan 22 : vs Temple (ESPN)
  • Wed Jan 25 : at UCF (ESPN+)
  • Sat Jan 28 : vs Cincinnati (CBS)
  • Thu Feb 2 : at Wichita State (ESPN2)
  • Sun Feb 5 : at Temple (ESPN2)
  • Wed Feb 8 : vs Tulsa (ESPN+)
  • Thu Feb 16 : at SMU (ESPN2)
  • Sun Feb 19 : vs Memphis (ESPN)
  • Wed Feb 22 : vs Tulane (ESPNU)
  • Sat Feb 25 : at East Carolina (ESPN2/ESPNU)
  • Thu Mar 2 : vs Wichita State (ESPN2)
  • Sun Mar 5 : at Memphis (CBS)

Try Hulu + Live TV Today!

Houston Women’s Basketball

The Houston women’s team posted an impressive 17-8 record in 2021, but they only managed to finish one game over 500 last year. They currently sit second in the AAC. But they will not be able to catch first-place South Florida.

The Houston Cougars reached the NCAA Tournament in 1988, 1992, 2004, 2005 and 2011, but they have never progressed beyond the second round.

That won’t bother the current players too much though because Houston has some of the most loyal and passionate college basketball fans in the country. The women play their home games on campus at the Feritta Center, and they are greeted by a capacity crowd just about every time they take the court.

If the Cougars do make a splash in this year’s tournament, it will probably be thanks to the scoring of Laila Blair, Tiara Young, and Bria Patterson. Blair is particularly dangerous with the ball in her hands. She scores more than 15 points per game, and she gets almost a third of those points from beyond the three-point line.

2022-23 Women’s Basketball Schedule

  • Mon Nov 7 : at Louisiana (ESPN+)
  • Sat Nov 12 : at New Mexico
  • Tue Nov 15 : vs Texas A&M Commerce (ESPN+)
  • Sat Nov 19 : vs Florida State (ESPN+)
  • Thu Nov 24 : vs Portland
  • Sat Nov 26 : vs Florida
  • Thu Dec 1 : vs UT Arlington (ESPN+)
  • Sun Dec 4 : at Kansas State (ESPN+)
  • Wed Dec 7 : vs UMBC (ESPN+)
  • Sat Dec 10 : at Rice (ESPN+)
  • Wed Dec 14 : at Middle Tennessee (ESPN+)
  • Mon Dec 19 : vs UTSA (ESPN+)
  • Wed Dec 21 : vs Washington State (ESPN+)
  • Fri Dec 30 : vs SMU (ESPN+)
  • Thu Jan 5 : at Tulane (ESPN+)
  • Tue Jan 10 : vs UCF (ESPN+)
  • Sat Jan 14 : at Tulsa (ESPN+)
  • Wed Jan 18 : vs South Florida (ESPN+)
  • Sat Jan 21 : at SMU (ESPN+)
  • Wed Jan 25 : at Cincinnati (ESPN+)
  • Sun Jan 29 : vs Tulane (ESPNU)
  • Wed Feb 1 : at Memphis (ESPN+)
  • Sat Feb 4 : vs Temple (ESPN+)
  • Sun Feb 12 : at South Florida (ESPN2)
  • Wed Feb 15 : vs Memphis (ESPN+)
  • Sat Feb 18 : at Temple (ESPN+)
  • Wed Feb 22 : at East Carolina (ESPN+)
  • Sat Feb 25 : vs Tulsa (ESPN+)
  • Wed Mar 1 : vs Wichita State (ESPN+)

Wrapping Up

The NCAA basketball season is heating up, and March Madness will soon be upon us. This could be the year that the Cougars finally win it all, so you won’t want to miss a minute. You won’t have any excuses if you do because there are plenty of streaming options available, and some of them cost less than a haircut.

We recommend Hulu + Live TV for Houston Cougars fans.

Try Hulu + Live TV Today!

College Basketball Team Viewer’s Guides

We have guides for watching many teams:

Image cropped from SMU Mustangs vs Houston Cougars Women’s Basketball Game at the Fertitta Center in Houston, Texas by Michael Barera under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Page Updates

  1. Added links to streaming services. Added links.

  2. Mentioned channel info. Linking. Mentioned offers. Various content updates.

Frank Moraes
Follow me
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap