In Reply to: Why were the women postponed?* posted by JakeB on January 11, 2025 at 19:42:28
EVANSTON, Ill. (January 10, 2025) – Due to concerns surrounding ongoing wildfires affecting the greater Los Angeles area, Northwestern University has made the decision to not travel to play its scheduled women's basketball games against UCLA on January 12 and USC on January 15. Northwestern Release
It does not appear to be a Big Ten decision.
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Northwestern University women’s basketball program has made the decision to not travel to Los Angeles this week to play scheduled games against UCLA (Jan. 12) and USC (Jan. 15). The Big Ten Conference is looking into all possible rescheduling options and will share additional information when available. Big Ten Release
At the time it seemed to be a good decision. The NHL had already postponed the Kings home game vs Flames on 1/8, the NBA had already postponed the Lakers home game vs Hornets on 1/9 (and would later postpone vs Spurs 1/11 and Clippers vs Hornets 1/11), and the NFL moved the Rams game (1/13) from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
On the other hand, Penn St. apparently made the trip and is still scheduled for @ sc Sunday (1/12) and @ UCLA Wednesday (1/15). Also, UCLA apparently offered an alternate venue.
"There is no immediate threat posed to UCLA's campus by the fires, per Bruins Safe Online. Based on available data on air quality in Westwood, UCLA is allowing indoor and outdoor activities and has provided alternative venue options for athletic competitions." UCLA Release