NC winter storm forces college basketball changes across Triangle. What we know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- State of emergency declared; N.C. Central postponed four college basketball games.
- ACC will assess travel, safety and official availability before deciding postponements.
- Multiple ACC teams face weekend travel; games could be postponed if unsafe.
The approaching winter storm that has North Carolina under a state of emergency has already caused schools to postpone and change times for college basketball games.
- Duke’s men’s basketball game against Wake Forest will be played at noon on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It had originally been scheduled to start at 5:45 p.m.
- UNC will also play Saturday at noon at Virginia in a game that was originally slated for 2 p.m.
- N.C. State’s noon start time at Pittsburgh has not been affected.
This means all three Triangle Division I teams will tip off simultaneously, making for a television-watchers’ conundrum.
Duke-Wake Forest will be broadcast nationally on The CW network. UNC-Virginia will be on ESPN2, and N.C. State-Pitt will air on ESPNU.
Dick Vitale was scheduled to call the UNC v. Virginia game, but the potential snowstorm changed that, according to a post from Vitale’s X account.
“ESPN is concerned about travel & safety,” Vitale wrote. “These are certainly 2 quality teams in the improved [ACC].”
NC Central postpones games
At least one school has postponed its games. N.C. Central of Durham announced Thursday morning its women’s basketball game scheduled for Thursday night against Maryland-Eastern Shore would be postponed.
The school also postponed a Saturday doubleheader, where its men’s and women’s teams were to play Delaware State, as well as Monday night’s scheduled men’s basketball game against Maryland-Eastern Shore.
Makeup dates for those games have yet to be finalized.
NC in state of emergency
Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency for North Carolina on Wednesday, urging residents to “stay home and off the roads this weekend unless absolutely necessary so first responders can do their jobs safely and effectively.”
The winter storm is forecast to produce snow and ice in N.C. beginning Saturday. The storm is expected to impact a large swath of the country, which could lead to more sports schedules being impacted.
The National Weather Service in Raleigh on Thursday predicted the storm’s impact will begin late afternoon or evening on Saturday and continue through Monday morning.
With N.C. State’s men’s team scheduled to be in Pittsburgh on Saturday, head coach Will Wade was asked after the Pack’s win at Clemson about potential travel problems.
“I came from the South and we bussed everywhere,” Wade joked. “We’ll get on that bus and we’ll bus back if we need to. We’re not going to worry about that. As long as we can get up there and play the game, we’ll figure out how to get back.”
Last year, Stein called a state of emergency just before N.C. State’s men’s basketball game at UNC on Feb. 19, and urged Wolfpack and Tar Heel fans not to drive to the game in Chapel Hill. The game was played and the Smith Center had an open admission for anyone who could reach the game.
In January 2017, the Pack’s game at UNC was postponed one day because of snowy, icy conditions.
Women’s basketball schedule
- The Wolfpack women are scheduled to play Virginia on Sunday in Charlottesville, Virginia.
- The UNC women are set to host Syracuse on Sunday. North Carolina women’s basketball announced on Sunday morning that due to hazardous weather conditions fans are encouraged to watch its game against Syracuse on television. The Tar Heels (16-5, 5-3 ACC) host the Orange (16-3, 6-2) at Carmichael Arena at noon. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX, or it is available on the radio at 97.9 FM/1360 AM, GoHeels.com, the GoHeels App or the Varsity Network App.Carmichael Arena will be open to anyone who can walk to the venue safely. Parking and other services will be operating in a limited capacity.
- The Duke women were scheduled to play at Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon. That game has been moved to 4 p.m. Saturday, following the N.C. State-Pitt men’s basketball game.
The Wolfpack and UNC wrestlers also face off Friday night at Reynolds Coliseum — both teams nationally ranked and a large crowd expected.
Carolina Hurricanes schedule
Elsewhere, the Carolina Hurricanes have a home game Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks and then leave Friday for Canada and a Saturday game against the Ottawa Senators. The forecast in Ottawa is for sunny skies but with below-zero temperatures.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Staff writers Chip Alexander, Jadyn Watson-Fisher and sports editor Steve Wiseman contributed to this story.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 12:30 PM.