Getty MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 19: Cameron Johnson #13 of the North Carolina Tar Heels attempts a layup over Ebuka Izundu #15 of the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center on January 19, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The No. 1 seed North Carolina Tar Heels (27-6; ACC at-large) take on the No. 16 seed Iona Gaels (17-15; Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament champion) in a Midwest Region Round of 64 matchup at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio as NCAA Tournament action continues on Friday afternoon.
The game is scheduled to start around 9:20 p.m. ET (after conclusion of UW vs Utah State) and will be televised on TNT. But if you don’t have cable, you can sign up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services that allow you to watch TNT on your computer, phone or streaming device:
FuboTV
FuboTV
TNT is one of 85-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle, which is largely tailored towards sports. Also included are TruTV, TBS and CBS (live in select markets), allowing you to watch every NCAA tournament game.
You can start a free 7-day trial of FuboTV right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch the game (and other programs) on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
PlayStation Vue
PlayStation Vue
PS Vue–which doesn’t require an actual PlayStation console to sign up or watch–offers four different live-TV channel packages: All four include TNT. Also included are TruTV, TBS and CBS (live in select markets), allowing you to watch every March Madness game.
You can start a free 5-day trial of PS Vue right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the PS Vue website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation (3 or 4), or other supported device via the PS Vue app.
If you can’t watch live, PS Vue comes with cloud DVR.
Hulu With Live TV
Hulu
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of 60-plus live TV channels, including TNT. Also included are TruTV, TBS and CBS (live in select markets), meaning you can watch every other NCAA tournament game.
You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch a live stream of the game on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
UNC vs Iona Preview
North Carolina head coach Roy Williams is looking to lead the Tar Heels to their second National Championship victory in the past three seasons. North Carolina, as a No. 1 seed, defeated Gonzaga to win the title in 2016-17 before disappointing with an abrupt Round of 32 exit in last year’s NCAA Tournament to Texas A&M.
Williams is proud his Tar Heels earned the distinction of entering the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed, which is the 17th time they have earned it — most in NCAA history.
“It’s special to be a No. 1 seed. The most special thing is to see the way our kids reacted when they saw our name as a No. 1 seed, and they put North Carolina up there. I just love the way they were genuinely excited. … We’re playing in the NCAA Tournament, and people think we’ve had a pretty good year.”
Senior guard Cameron Johnson led the Tar Heels in scoring this season with 16.9 points per game. Not far behind him is freshman guard Coby White, who is averaging 16.3 PPG. Senior forward Luke Maye caps the trio with 14.7 PPG; Maye was an important secondary player on the Tar Heels team that captured the national title two seasons ago.
Iona has reached the NCAA Tournament now six times in the past eight seasons. Head coach Tim Cluess has quietly built one of the most sustainable mid-major programs in the country and grown its reputation in his nine seasons in New York.
Cluess understands on paper this is a mismatch, but is embracing the challenge for his team.
“It’s a great opportunity to play against one of the best teams in the country. I got to watch them on TV the other night against Duke, and we look forward to the challenge.”
The Gaels have won 10 straight games, and have turned it on in the second half of the season when needed. Iona has four players averaging double-figures in scoring, with junior guard E.J. Crawford leading the way with 17.9 PPG.
The winner of North Carolina-Iona takes on the winner of Utah State-Washington in the Round of 32 on Sunday.
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