Northwestern Decides Not to Travel for Scheduled UCLA, USC Games Due to Fires

The Big Ten is looking into rescheduling options after Northwestern opted not to travel for upcoming games against UCLA and USC due to concerns about the ongoing wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area.

Mar 25, 2022; Greensboro, NC, USA; A general shot of the game ball for the NCAA Women's tournament displaying the Final Four logo in the Greensboro regional semifinals of the women's college basketball NCAA Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

The Northwestern women's basketball team announced it will not make the trip to Los Angeles for scheduled games against UCLA (January 12) and USC (January 15) due to concerns about the ongoing wildfires in the area.

The Big Ten stated it is looking into all rescheduling options for the Wildcats contests against the current No. 1 and No. 4 teams in the country, adding that additional information will be shared when available.

The Big Ten has announced schedule changes for @nuwbball, @UCLAWBB and @USCWBB. https://t.co/wTJGjQMvRU

— Big Ten Women's Basketball (@B1Gwbball) January 10, 2025

The greater Los Angeles area continues to deal with numerous active wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and surrounding structures. At least 11 people have been killed and more than 100,000 are under evacuation orders amid the tragic circumstances.

UCLA's basketball arena, Pauley Pavilion, is located only several miles from the site of one of the largest fires. However, the university stated there is no immediate threat posed to the campus.

Scheduling changes due to the blazes are not reserved to NCAA women's basketball, as the NFL notably moved the wildcard playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings from Los Angeles to Glendale, Arizona.

The top ranked Bruins are currently scheduled to next play against Penn State this upcoming Wednesday. While the Trojans, who are in the midst of an 11-game winning streak, are also set to host the Nittany Lions this Sunday before heading to Indiana on January 19.

Both previously scheduled games against Northwestern are listed as postponed pending further updates from the Big Ten regarding when and where they may be made up at a later date.