Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. Deals

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Houston vs Duke live stream: Can you watch for free?

Add as a preferred source on Google

The blueblood with 17 Final Four appearances and five national championships in school history will enter as the underdog in the Sweet 16 tonight, as fourth-seeded Duke heads into the state of Texas to take on No. 1 Houston.

The game is scheduled to start soon, at 9:39 p.m. ET, but more accurately, it will be about 30 minutes after the Marquette vs NC State game ends. It will be televised on CBS, but if you want to watch a live stream, don’t worry. There are a bevy of ways you can watch March Madness online for free.

Is There a Free Houston vs Duke Live Stream?

YouTube TV on Roku.
Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

If you want to watch Houston vs Duke without paying anything at all, you’ll need a streaming service that includes a live stream of CBS and offers a free trial.

YouTube TV (“Base Plan”), DirecTV Stream (“Entertainment” plan or above) and Fubo (“Pro” plan) all fit that description. You’ll want to go with YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream if you want to watch all of the other tournament games, as they both also include TBS, TNT and truTV, while Fubo does not. But if you simply want to watch this game–and any other CBS game this weekend–for free, any of these options will work perfectly fine.

Of course, even if you happen to have already used up all three of those free trials, you’re still not out of options.

While Paramount+ is mostly about its library of on-demand TV shows and movies, it also includes a live stream of your local CBS channel. You’ll need to get the “with SHOWTIME” option, which is the more expensive of its two offerings, but you can watch for free for a week.

Similarly, Paramount+ is also offered through Amazon Prime Channels. You need a Prime subscription for this option, but you can start a 30-day free trial of Prime and a seven-day trial of the Paramount+ Channel at the same time.

If all five of those options don’t work, you can also try out the NCAA’s official March Madness Live app/website, which streams every game of the tournament. It doesn’t cost anything, but it does require you to sign in with a cable provider to watch. However, if you haven’t watched on this platform before, you get a three-hour free preview before you have to sign in.

How to Watch the Houston vs Duke Live Stream from Abroad

The NordVPN app on the App Store on Apple TV.
Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

You have one of those streaming services (which are US-only) but want to watch from abroad? Simple: Get a virtual private network (VPN). These services mask your IP address and location, allowing you to circumvent geo-locks and stream content as if you were actually in the United States (or whatever country of your choosing).

NordVPN is our recommendation, as it tops our list of the best VPN services. It doesn’t come with a free trial, but you can get your money back within 30 days of signing up for any reason, allowing you to test it without any risk.

Tim Keeney
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Tim is a long-time sports journalist who has written about everything from the NFL to more popular sports such as chess…
Christopher Nolan’s personal take on smartphones is surprisingly practical
Christopher Nolan says not owning a smartphone helps him think better
Christopher Nolan sits in front of an IMAX camera.

Christopher Nolan has spent his career embracing cutting-edge filmmaking technology while resisting one of the most common gadgets on the planet: the smartphone. The Oscar-winning director behind Oppenheimer, Inception, and the upcoming The Odyssey says his decision isn't about rejecting technology altogether. It's about protecting something he believes has become increasingly rare - time to think.

In an interview with The Telegraph ahead of the premiere of The Odyssey, Nolan explained that he still doesn't own a smartphone, despite living in a world where QR codes, digital tickets, and messaging apps have become everyday necessities. His reasoning, however, is far more practical than philosophical.

Read more
Letterboxd could find a new home at Netflix, but Sony is fighting for it, too
Netflix wants Letterboxd, but Hollywood isn't letting it go without a fight
Letterboxd

Letterboxd, the fast-growing social network for film lovers, could soon have a new owner. According to a report by Puck News, the New Zealand-based platform has been exploring a potential sale, attracting interest from several major entertainment companies, including Netflix, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Paramount Skydance.

While no deal has been confirmed, the discussions highlight how valuable online fan communities have become as streaming platforms compete not just for viewers, but also for the audiences that influence what people watch next.

Read more
Disney+ is exploring a free tier to fight back against YouTube’s growing TV dominance
Disney is eyeing a free tier as YouTube keeps stealing its TV audience
The Disney+ app on a TV screen while blue lights illuminate the wall behind.

Watching Disney+ without paying for a subscription could eventually become an option. According to Business Insider, Disney is considering a free tier that would let people watch some content without a paywall.

The idea is still in the early stages, with no timeline or launch details, but it reflects a growing challenge. YouTube and other free, ad-supported platforms like Tubi and Roku are attracting more TV viewers, forcing streaming services to rethink how they compete.

Read more