Winter Storm Disrupts College Hoops: NBA, ACC, and UConn Games Affected
An impending winter storm is causing a stir in the world of college basketball, with the NBA and numerous college games across the country being rescheduled. The storm, predicted to be as severe as a major hurricane, is expected to bring snow, ice, and frigid temperatures from New Mexico to New England starting Friday. Meteorologists warn of potential catastrophic damage, widespread power outages, and bitterly cold weather.
The NBA has already taken action, moving the start time of the Washington Wizards' game against the Charlotte Hornets to noon on Saturday. The ACC has also adjusted the start times for three men's basketball games on Saturday: Wake Forest at Duke, North Carolina at Virginia, and Virginia Tech at Louisville.
Several women's basketball games involving ranked teams have also been rescheduled. No. 1 UConn's game at Seton Hall has been moved from Sunday to Saturday, and No. 14 Baylor's home contest against Houston has been postponed from Sunday to Tuesday. Cincinnati has also shifted its women's basketball game to a noon start on Saturday against Arizona State.
The impact of the storm extends beyond basketball, with the Sun Belt Conference, the American Athletic Conference, and North Carolina Central all adjusting their schedules. Appalachian State moved its men's basketball game with Louisiana-Lafayette to Thursday morning, while Marshall made its home game against Louisiana-Monroe a noon kickoff on the same day. Middle Tennessee State moved its Conference USA showdown with Jacksonville State from Saturday to Friday evening.
Tennessee's swim meet at Georgia and the USC Upstate women's basketball game at Longwood were also pushed to Friday from Saturday due to the forecast. Among other women's basketball games moved up several hours on Saturday were No. 20 Princeton at Brown and North Florida at Eastern Kentucky, along with men's games involving Towson at North Carolina A&T and Texas State at James Madison.
Rice adjusted the tipoff times for its men's and women's basketball home games this weekend. The Rice men's home game against Tulsa, originally scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m., has been changed to Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Rice women's game against Tulane, originally scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m., has been moved up an hour to 1 p.m.
Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers canceled their annual Fan Fest event scheduled for Saturday due to the weather forecast for frozen precipitation in North Texas, prioritizing the safety of players, fans, and employees.
This storm comes just a year after another storm forced postponements across U.S. sports, serving as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of winter weather and its impact on various sporting events.
