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Texas Longhorns Basketball: Learn How to Watch Every Game

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The Texas Longhorns are one of the best schools in the NCAA. But its football program tends to overshadow its excellent basketball programs. Read on to learn how you can watch every game without cable.

In a hurry? Watching Longhorns basketball is a bit complicated since many games air on Longhorn Network and ESPN+. If you want to be covered, you should sign up for ESPN+ ($9.99/mo) along with one of these services that provide the Longhorn Network:

  • Sling TV: Get Sling Orange ($40.00/mo) with the Sports Extra ($11/mo) for the best deal in streaming.
  • Vidgo: A great option for NCAA fans with 110+ channels for $69.99/mo.

The basketball program managed by the University of Texas at Austin, better known as the Texas Longhorns, has been active for more than a century.

Longhorns fans are lucky in the sense that their team’s prominence in the NCAA grants them various broadcasting options. Depending on the tournament series and game schedule, Longhorns games can be seen on six TV channels that broadcast on cable and through the internet; all of the options are available through various streaming platforms.

A couple of things that stand out about the Longhorns include their numerous NCAA tournament appearances and their draft contributions to the National Basketball Association.

This is the team where NBA superstars such as LaMarcus Aldridge and P.J. Tucker were drafted from in 2006. In the following year, Kevin Durant was picked by the Seattle SuperSonics, and he has made the All-Star roster 13 times as of 2023.

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

TV Channels to Watch Texas Basketball

The University of Texas at Austin is known as a college athletics powerhouse; as such, the school rates its very own regional video sports network. The Longhorn Network is home to more than a dozen athletic programs, and two of the most widely viewed are Longhorns men’s and women’s basketball. This channel operates under a joint venture agreement with ESPN; this means that the Longhorn Network does not have exclusive broadcasting rights for every game.

ESPN and ESPN2 carry quite a few Longhorns games, even if they are played at home. The college sports-focused ESPNU channel also broadcasts some Longhorns games, particularly when they go on the road to play regional teams outside of their conference.

When the NCAA tournament shifts into conference play, the Big 12 Now channel splits broadcasting of some Longhorns games with ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+. Big 12 Now was acquired in whole by ESPN a few years ago, and the network is currently managed under ESPN+.

In essence, there are six channels that broadcast Longhorns men’s basketball games, and all of them are owned or managed by ESPN. The situation is similar for the Lady Longhorns games, but not on the main ESPN channel or ESPNU. If you wish to watch Longhorns women’s basketball, your four options are ESPN2, ESPN+, Big 12 Now, and the Longhorn Network.

Streaming Texas Basketball

You can watch a lot of Texas basketball games by getting a general live TV streaming service because of the games that air on the major ESPN channels. But if you are a fan, you will want Longhorn Network, and only two streaming services offer it:

  • Sling TV: Sling Orange ($40.00/mo) gets you ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3. You can get all the ESPN college channels (including Longhorn Network) with the Sports Extra add-on for another $11/mo. (Sling TV review) (Sling TV March Madness guide and schedule)
  • Vidgo: Get all the ESPN channels in its base package for $69.99/mo. (Vidgo review)

Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage but limits you to watching on one device at a time. The base Vidgo plan comes with a trial 20-hour DVR, which you will have to upgrade to keep. It does, however, allow you to live stream on up to 3 devices at once.

Both these services support the most popular streaming devices including Amazon Fire TV, Android Mobile, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, and web browsers. Sling TV supports many other devices.

If you are more of a generalist when it comes NCAA sports, these are great services. They just don’t offer Longhorn Network:

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

Texas Longhorns Basketball

When the Longhorns basketball program started in 1906, it only took a few years for it to become a college sports dynasty.

From 1912 to 1950, the men’s basketball team posted just one losing season. Since 1939, the Longhorns men’s team has participated in 35 NCAA tournaments, and it has accumulated 28 conference championships.

The women’s team has played in the NCAA tournament 33 times, and it has emerged as Big 12 champion twice.

One of the most memorable streaks for the Longhorns took place from 1998 to 2015, when head coach Rick Barnes took the men’s team on a 16-year journey of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. Barnes is credited with having made a very strong impression on Kevin Durant to become a versatile player.

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

Texas Longhorns Men’s Basketball

The hasty and scandalous departure of head coach Chris Beard will weigh heavily on the Longhorns during the 2023 season, but the team has done quite well with Rodney Terry as interim coach.

As of mid-February, the Longhorns were on track to advance to the March Madness portion of the tournament. The return of players such as Marcus Carr and Dylan Disu has prompted sports betting analysts in Las Vegas to increase Texas’ ranking to the ninth most likely team to make the Final Four.

2022-23 Men’s Basketball Schedule

  • Sat Oct 29 : vs Arkansas
  • Mon Nov 7 : vs UTEP (Longhorn Network)
  • Thu Nov 10 : vs Houston Christian (Longhorn Network)
  • Wed Nov 16 : vs Gonzaga (ESPN2)
  • Mon Nov 21 : vs Northern Arizona (Longhorn Network)
  • Sat Nov 26 : vs UTRGV (Longhorn Network)
  • Thu Dec 1 : vs Creighton (ESPN)
  • Tue Dec 6 : Illinois New York, New York (ESPN)
  • Sat Dec 10 : vs Arkansas (Longhorn Network)
  • Mon Dec 12 : vs Rice (Longhorn Network)
  • Sun Dec 18 : vs Stanford (ESPN2)
  • Wed Dec 21 : vs Louisiana (Longhorn Network)
  • Tue Dec 27 : vs Texas A&M (Longhorn Network)
  • Sat Dec 31 : at Oklahoma (Big 12 Now/ESPN+)
  • Tue Jan 3 : vs Kansas State (Longhorn Network)
  • Sat Jan 7 : at Oklahoma State (ESPNU)
  • Wed Jan 11 : vs TCU (ESPN2)
  • Sat Jan 14 : vs Texas Tech (ESPN)
  • Tue Jan 17 : at Iowa State (Big 12 Now/ESPN+)
  • Sat Jan 21 : at West Virginia (ESPN)
  • Tue Jan 24 : vs Oklahoma State (Longhorn Network)
  • Sat Jan 28 : at Tennessee (ESPN)
  • Mon Jan 30 : vs Baylor (ESPN)
  • Sat Feb 4 : at Kansas State (ESPN2)
  • Mon Feb 6 : at Kansas (ESPN)
  • Sat Feb 11 : vs West Virginia (ESPN2)
  • Mon Feb 13 : at Texas Tech (ESPN)
  • Sat Feb 18 : vs Oklahoma (Big 12 Now/ESPN+)
  • Tue Feb 21 : vs Iowa State (Longhorn Network)
  • Sat Feb 25 : at Baylor (ESPN or ESPN2)
  • Wed Mar 1 : at TCU (ESPN2 or ESPNU)
  • Sat Mar 4 : vs Kansas (ESPN)

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

Texas Longhorns Women’s Basketball

In 2023, the Lady Longhorns are in their third year under coach Vic Schaeffer, and they have already advanced to the Elite Eight twice. If the team makes the Final Four this time around, this could be the beginning of the “Schaeffer Era,” which would be comparable to the Rick Barnes era for the men’s team.

Players to watch for this season include senior guard Anissa Gutierrez, who brings plenty of experience to the court, but her position is being challenged by sophomore Rori Harmon.

2022-23 Women’s Basketball Schedule

  • Sun Oct 30 : vs DePaul (Longhorn Network)
  • Fri Nov 4 : vs Wayland Baptist
  • Fri Nov 11 : vs Louisiana (Longhorn Network)
  • Mon Nov 14 : at Connecticut (FS1)
  • Sat Nov 19 : vs Marquette
  • Sun Nov 20 : vs Louisville
  • Mon Nov 21 : vs Rutgers
  • Sun Nov 27 : vs Princeton (Longhorn Network)
  • Fri Dec 2 : vs South Florida (Longhorn Network)
  • Sun Dec 4 : vs Southern (Longhorn Network)
  • Sun Dec 11 : vs Alabama State (Longhorn Network)
  • Wed Dec 14 : at Jackson State
  • Sun Dec 18 : vs Southern California (ESPN2)
  • Wed Dec 21 : vs Houston Christian (Longhorn Network)
  • Wed Dec 28 : vs Texas A&M-Commerce (Longhorn Network)
  • Sat Dec 31 : vs Kansas State (Longhorn Network)
  • Wed Jan 4 : at TCU (Big 12 Now/ESPN+)
  • Sat Jan 7 : at Oklahoma State (Big 12 Now/ESPN+)
  • Tue Jan 10 : vs Kansas (Longhorn Network)
  • Sun Jan 15 : vs Iowa State (ESPN2)
  • Wed Jan 18 : at Texas Tech (Big 12 Now/ESPN+)
  • Sun Jan 22 : at Baylor (ESPN2)
  • Wed Jan 25 : vs Oklahoma (Longhorn Network)
  • Sat Jan 28 : vs Oklahoma State (Longhorn Network)
  • Wed Feb 1 : at West Virginia (Big 12 Now on ESPN+)
  • Sat Feb 4 : at Kansas (Big 12 Now on ESPN+)
  • Wed Feb 8 : vs Texas Tech (Longhorn Network)
  • Sat Feb 11 : vs TCU (Longhorn Network)
  • Mon Feb 13 : at Iowa State (ESPN2)
  • Sun Feb 19 : vs West Virginia (ESPNU)
  • Sat Feb 25 : at Oklahoma
  • Mon Feb 27 : vs Baylor (ESPN2)
  • Sat Mar 4 : at Kansas State

Wrapping Up

With all the above in mind, it is important to remember that the broadcasting of all Longhorns men’s and women’s basketball games falls under the umbrella of ESPN as of 2023. This is important to remember when choosing streaming packages because you want to choose one that is as ESPN-friendly as possible.

The scheduling and programming of college basketball games can also change in the future. College sports analysts see the Texas Longhorns basketball program sticking with ESPN for years to come, particularly if the teams continue to perform at the top of the Big 12 conference.

We recommend Sling TV for Texas Longhorns basketball fans. Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV.

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

FAQs

What is Big 12 Now?

Big 12 Now is a branding channel for ESPN+. In fact, the full name is Big 12 Now on ESPN+. It’s just the place that ESPN+ puts its Big 12 events. So if you see Big 12 Now mentioned as a place to watch a game, just load your ESPN app and you will find it under ESPN+.

How can I watch other college basketball teams?

Check out our guides:

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

Image cropped from Cory Joseph (5) and Alexis Wangmere (right) of Texas Longhorns vs Navy Midshipmen, Coaches vs Cancer Classic, November 8, 2010, Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas by Randall Chancellor under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Page Updates ▼▲

  1. Changed a few bits of content.

  2. Added links to streaming services. Additional links.

  3. Linking.

  4. Reworked one section.

Frank Moraes
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