Getty Iowa Hawkeyes center Luka Garza.
The No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes basketball team will host the North Carolina Central Eagles at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday in each team’s season opener.
The game starts at 4 p.m. ET and will be televised on Big Ten Network. But if you don’t have cable, here’s how you can watch a live stream of NC Central vs Iowa online for free:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of Big Ten Network, the BTN alternate channels (for when there are multiple games on BTN) and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which you can use for free with a seven-day trial right here:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch NC Central vs Iowa live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch the game live via FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app. You need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can do that with your FuboTV credentials.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch the game on-demand within three days of its conclusion, even if you don’t record it.
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of Big Ten Network and 65+ other TV channels on Vidgo, which you can use for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch NC Central vs Iowa live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
You can also watch the game live via FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app. You need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can do that with your Vidgo credentials.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of Big Ten Network and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch NC Central vs Iowa live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch the game live via FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app. You need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can do that with your Hulu credentials.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of Big Ten Network and 50-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue + Sports Extra” bundle. It comes with a free three-day trial, but if you bypass that, you can get $10 off your first month, and get Showtime, Starz, and Epix included for free:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch NC Central vs Iowa live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch the game live via FoxSports.com or the Fox Sports app. You need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can do that with your Sling credentials.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
NC Central vs Iowa Preview
The Hawkeyes went 20-11 overall and 11-9 in Big Ten play before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the 2019-20 season. They’ll return their top four per-game scorers this time around: center Luka Garza and guards Joe Wieskamp, CJ Fredrick, and Jordan Bohannon.
“I’m very excited to be back with my teammates and look toward winning a national championship, winning a Big Ten championship,” Garza said in October, according to 247Sports. “We have big goals in mind. Once we get back on the court, we’re going to start getting to work, and hopefully we can make some history this year.”
Among Big Ten players, Garza ranked first in points per game (23.9), fourth in rebounds per game (9.8), and ninth in blocks per game (1.8) last year en route to being named the conference’s player of the year and a consensus All-American.
He also shot 35.8 percent from 3-point range, hoisting 3.5 deep balls per contest. The senior recently told ESPN that he worked on his range over the offseason.
“I think I’ve been able to stretch my range a little bit further and I’ll be able to shoot the ball with a little bit more consistency,” Garza said. “I’ve definitely been working on my free throws, and hopefully, you’ll see a much more improved me at the free throw line (Garza shot 65.1% from the line last season, down from 80.4% in 2018-19).
“And also in the post, you’ll see a variety of moves. Some of the ones you’ve seen before. You know, I’ve always added to my post game and I’m working on my fadeaway and different kinds of moves that are going to help me score. But you’ll also see an improved passer out of the double-team, trying to find guys and pick apart defenses. You know you’ll definitely see a guy who is still going to play as hard as he can and an improved guy on the defensive end, trying to block shots and help this team out as much as he can.”
North Carolina Central sat atop the MEAC with a 13-3 mark (18-13 overall) when the 2019-20 season came to its abrupt end. The Eagles saw the departures of its two leading per-game scorers, forward Jibri Blount — the conference player of the year — and guard Randy Miller Jr.
Guard C.J. Keyser, now a senior, was third in scoring for the Eagles last year, scoring 11.3 points per game and hitting 40.9 percent of his 3-pointers.
“There’s been so much to deal with since that March date that they’ve gotten over that,” North Carolina Central head coach LeVelle Moton said of his players, according to WRAL. “They’re just grateful for their health and I think they just see life through a different prism.”