An NBA matchup and numerous college basketball contests throughout a broad region of the nation are being rescheduled due to an impending significant winter storm.
The storm, which meteorologists indicate could cause damage comparable to that of a major hurricane, is anticipated to deliver snow, ice, and extremely low temperatures from New Mexico to New England beginning Friday. Forecasters caution that this weather system may result in severe damage, widespread power outages, and intensely cold conditions.
In the NBA, the start time for the Washington Wizards game against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday has been adjusted to noon.
The ACC has advanced the start times for three men’s basketball games on Saturday: Wake Forest at Duke, North Carolina at Virginia, and Virginia Tech at Louisville.
Xavier has also moved the start time for its Saturday game against St. John’s forward by one hour.
Two women’s basketball games featuring ranked teams have experienced scheduling alterations. No. 1 UConn’s matchup at Seton Hall has been shifted from Sunday to Saturday, while No. 14 Baylor’s home game against Houston has been rescheduled from Sunday to Tuesday. Additionally, Cincinnati has changed its women’s basketball game to a noon start on Saturday against Arizona State.
The number of states adjusting college games reflects the extensive reach of the impending storm. This forecast comes precisely one year after another storm led to postponements across U.S. sports.
The Sun Belt Conference proactively modified its women’s basketball schedule, adjusting the start times for several games from Thursday through Saturday. The American Athletic Conference has also revised its weekend men’s and women’s basketball schedules, moving some games to Friday.
North Carolina Central has postponed two men’s and two women’s basketball games that were set to take place from Thursday through Monday in Durham, North Carolina.
Appalachian State has advanced its men’s basketball home game against Louisiana-Lafayette to Thursday morning, and Marshall has scheduled its home game against Louisiana-Monroe for a noon tipoff on Thursday.
Middle Tennessee State men’s basketball has shifted its Conference USA clash with Jacksonville State from Saturday to Friday evening.
Tennessee’s swim meet at Georgia and the USC Upstate women’s basketball game at Longwood have been rescheduled to Friday from Saturday due to the forecast.
Other women’s basketball games moved up several hours on Saturday include No. 20 Princeton at Brown and North Florida at Eastern Kentucky, along with men’s games featuring Towson at North Carolina A&T and Texas State at James Madison.
Rice has 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 set for Sunday at 3 p.m., has been rescheduled to Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Additionally, the Rice women’s game against Tulane, initially planned for Saturday at 2 p.m., has been moved up an hour to 1 p.m.
George Mason’s women’s basketball game against Richmond has been advanced three hours to 11 a.m. on Sunday morning, with no spectators allowed to attend the game.
The Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball have canceled their annual Fan Fest event scheduled for Saturday due to the weather forecast predicting frozen precipitation in North Texas and “in the interest of safety for players, fans, and employees.”
