Northwestern has been issued two forfeitures after opting not to travel to Los Angeles in January for matchups against UCLA and USC amidst wildfires in the region, the Big Ten announced Wednesday.
The Wildcats’ record changes from 2-13 in conference play to 2-15 in conference play. They now no longer control their destiny for a Big Ten Tournament bid.
NU must win its final regular season game against Nebraska, Purdue must lose to Indiana and Rutgers must beat Penn State on Sunday for the ‘Cats to qualify for the postseason tournament.
“Northwestern Athletics accepts the decision by the Big Ten Conference to strictly apply the Conference bylaws as written, in issuing forfeits for missed competitions by Northwestern women’s basketball after the team’s decision not to travel to Los Angeles during the tragic wildfires in Southern California,” Athletic Director Mark Jackson said in a statement.
While scheduled to make the cross-country journey to Los Angeles to play UCLA on Jan. 12 and USC on Jan. 15, the team said in a Jan. 10 statement it “made the decision to not travel” to play its games “due to concerns surrounding ongoing wildfires affecting the greater Los Angeles area.”
Penn State, who played USC and UCLA that same week but faced the Trojans on Jan. 12 and the Bruins on Jan. 15, traveled to Los Angeles to participate in those contests. The Nittany Lions lost both games.
The Los Angeles wildfires, which raged from Jan. 7 to Jan. 31, ravaged 23,448 acres and destroyed 6,837 structures, claiming the lives of at least 29 people.
“While we acknowledge that bylaws and rules are in place for a reason and we will abide by them, it does not diminish this team’s sound reasoning for not participating during this natural disaster. We will continue to support our women’s basketball student-athletes and hope for a strong recovery for the Southern California region,” Jackson said.
Several professional sports leagues, including the NBA and NFL, rescheduled or relocated games set to be played in the Los Angeles area. The NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, set to host a playoff game, were forced to relocate its matchup to Glendale, Arizona. The NBA postponed two games, home matches of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, because of the wildfires.
Should it not qualify for the Big Ten Tournament, NU will conclude its season on Sunday against Nebraska. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
This story has been updated to better reflect Northwestern’s pathway to making the Big Ten Tournament after Purdue’s win over Penn State Thursday.
Email: h.frieman@dailynorthwestern.com
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