Game between teams pushed to Monday
To beat Snowmageddon II, the Virginia basketball team arrived in College Park on Monday for its game Wednesday night against Maryland. But Tuesday afternoon the Cavaliers were back on a bus to Charlottesville after the game was postponed.
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On Tuesday morning, the mere threat of snow was enough to convince officials from both schools and the ACC to move the game to Monday. Tickets for the original game will be honored. The change will stress the schedules of the Terps and Cavaliers. Starting Saturday, both teams will play four games in eight days.
Maryland (16-6, 6-2 ACC) would have preferred to play tonight and keep its rhythm intact following Sunday’s 92-71 romp over North Carolina. But now the Terps will fight anxiousness as they await Saturday’s game at Duke (19-4, 7-2), which will decide first place in the conference.
After that, Maryland will return home to play Virginia (14-7, 5-3) on Monday, travel to North Carolina State (14-10, 2-7) for a 9 p.m. game Wednesday, then return to Comcast Center for a Feb. 21 game against Georgia Tech (17-6, 5-4).
With Maryland canceling its customary day-before press conference Tuesday, coach Gary Williams was unavailable to comment on the Terps’ altered schedule.
The postponement leaves the Cavaliers with an even more arduous week than the Terps, as they will play in three of the most hostile arenas in the ACC — Virginia Tech’s Cassell Coliseum Saturday night, at Comcast on Monday and at Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. In addition, Virginia plays Florida State (17-6, 5-4) in Charlottesville on Wednesday.
The remaining schedules for Maryland and Virginia left Monday as the only date available that would not put one team at a disadvantage. Both teams have eight games left in the ACC regular season, which ends March 6. Both play the next four Saturdays and have mid-week games (Tuesday or Wednesday) each week in between.
Four games in eight days is unusual, but far from unprecedented. Maryland had four games in a span of six days in November, but three were at the same location as the Terps played in the Maui Invitational.
