Getty Head coach Jeff Walz of the Louisville Cardinals.
One of the biggest showdowns in women’s college basketball takes place this weekend when the No. 1 Louisville Cardinals (16-0) host the No. 2 NC State Wolfpack (11-1) Monday.
The game starts at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN2. But if you don’t have cable, here’s how to watch a live stream of NC State vs Louisville online for free:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN2 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 State vs Louisville 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 live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can use your FuboTV credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with cloud DVR space.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN2 and 30-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle. It’s the cheapest streaming service with the ESPN channels, plus you can get $10 off the first month, and get Showtime, Starz, and Epix included for free:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch NC State vs Louisville 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 live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ESPN2 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 State vs Louisville 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 live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can use your Vidgo credentials to do that.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN2 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 State vs Louisville 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 live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a TV provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials to do that.
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).
NC State vs Louisville Preview
This game is finally taking place after being postponed last month due to COVID-19 complications. For the Wolfpack, a win is now far more paramount after dropping a heartbreaker in overtime to Virginia Tech this week. It was the first loss of the season for NC State.
Center Camille Hobby led the Wolfpack in scoring with 19 points, and she was just a board shy of a double-double with nine rebounds. Guard Raina Perez added 16 points and Jakia Brown Turner chipped in 15, but it wasn’t enough.
NC State shot 42 percent from the floor while also hitting just five of 19 attempts from downtown. “We struggled all day offensively,” Wolfpack head coach Wes Moore said after the game. “We just seemed to stand around a lot and we wanted to run, get some transition going. We just couldn’t do it for whatever reason. It didn’t happen. We were fortunate to get it into overtime and have another chance.”
In OT, things fell apart for NC State, as the team was outscored by Virginia Tech, 26-14. “We just didn’t get it done,” Moore added. “I’ve got to figure out a way to help our players maybe get better looks and stress a little bit more about how important rebounding and having urgency is.”
It won’t get any easier against an undefeated Cardinals squad. Louisville is fresh from a 79-68 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels Thursday, and it was yet another impressive team effort. Six players scored in double figures for the Cardinals, led by forward Olivia Cochran, who had 17 points and seven rebounds, along with an impressive three-point shot just before halftime. Liz Dixon, Dana Evans and Kianna Smith also added 13 points apiece in the victory.
“I’m getting more in the groove and in the mix of things and how we play,” Cochran, who is settling in during her freshman season, told the Courier Journal. “Just like when we move the ball around and get each other looks, I feel like everybody gets great shots and play as a team.”
“Just really pleased with how we played as a whole from the beginning. When we play like that (early on) we are hard to beat,” Louisville head coach Jeff Walz added. “When we play like that, we’re a pretty darn good basketball team. We’re as good as anybody in the country.”
The Wolfpack beat former No. 1 South Carolina earlier this season, but Louisville will provide a more unique challenge. The Cards are averaging 82.5 points per game, which is tops in the ACC. They’re also stingy on defense, giving up just 60.8 points a game, third-best in the conference. The Wolfpack are scoring 81.8 points a game while surrendering 63.1 points per contest, though, so this should be a battle to the very end.