By R.L. Bynum
Watching Carolina’s Sunday’s exhibition men’s basketball game will be the biggest challenge in years, requiring more effort than usual.
North Carolina meets Indiana at 5 p.m. Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for a game that won’t air on a traditional television channel.
If you aren’t in the arena, the only way to watch is to stream it on B1G+, the Big Ten Network’s subscription streaming service.
Most B1G+ plans require a monthly or annual commitment, but the network knows Tar Heels and Hoosiers fans may not want a long-term subscription to see one game.
So, for this game only, the network created a one-time, pay-per-view pass for $8.99.
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Getting in takes only a few steps. Fans can head to this webpage, follow the prompts to the offer, enter their payment details and purchase the Carolina vs. Indiana PPV. There was a glitch Thursday evening, with error messages going up, but there’s plenty of time to buy it before Sunday. Hopefully, the channel fixes that (it has been informed.)
You can only buy the pass on the web, though you can watch on mobile and other connected devices once the purchase is complete.
After fans secure the pass, they can watch at bigtenplus.com or through the B1G+ app (get it on the Apple App Store or Google Play) on Android phones or tablets, iPhones or iPads, Roku, Firestick, Apple TV, Xbox and Samsung Smart TVs. With the pass, you can also watch on Google TV.
It is the first of two consecutive UNC exhibitions with only a streaming option, but the second will be easier. You can watch the 7:30 Tuesday, Oct. 27, preseason game against Charlotte on ACC Network Extra, which you can access on the ESPN app.
UNC’s women’s basketball exhibition at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at Maryland will also be offered only on B1G+, but there’s no word on whether a one-time option will be available for that game. If you want to stream both, it might make sense to buy a Monthly Pass for $12.99.
The good news for UNC fans is that every regular-season men’s game will be on a regular TV channel.
Photo via gainbridgefieldhouse.com
