Florida schools, South Carolina move home games ahead of Ian

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Three Sunshine State universities took steps Tuesday to salvage house video games as Hurricane Ian approached.

Florida moved its sport towards Jap Washington from Saturday to Sunday. Central Florida did the identical with its sport towards SMU. South Florida relocated its Saturday sport towards East Carolina from Tampa, Florida, to Boca Raton.

Though South Carolina is a safer distance from the most important storm, the Gamecocks did not wish to wait to decide concerning their sport towards South Carolina State. These faculties will now play Thursday evening, two days sooner than beforehand scheduled and not less than a day earlier than Ian reaches the world.

Stetson canceled its house sport towards San Diego scheduled for Saturday within the Pioneer Soccer League.

No. 23 Florida State and Twenty second-ranked Wake Forest, in the meantime, are “intently monitoring” the storm whereas anticipating to play as deliberate in Tallahassee.

“We stay assured that we will safely host Saturday’s sport towards Wake Forest at its scheduled kickoff time,” FSU athletic director Michael Alford mentioned Wednesday.

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson was cautiously optimistic.

“It’s a kind of offers that you just actually hope that the ACC workplace makes the fitting choice,” Clawson mentioned. “And in the event that they don’t, we’ll. We’re not going to journey down there and put anyone in danger. … Clearly, that is within the league’s arms and Florida State’s arms. We’d hope that they make the fitting choice. But when we really feel there’s any hazard to our gamers happening there, we’re not going to go.”

The storm is anticipated to hit the state’s southwest coast Wednesday. It tore into western Cuba on Tuesday as a serious hurricane, with nothing to cease it from intensifying right into a catastrophic Class 4 storm earlier than it hits Florida, the place officers ordered 2.5 million individuals to evacuate earlier than it crashes ashore Wednesday.

Universities throughout the state closed campuses for the week. However is massive enterprise and a much-needed income supply for a lot of. Taking part in the cross-country sport at Florida ensures Jap Washington $750,000, a major payday for a faculty with an athletic funds round $17.5 million.

South Carolina State additionally depends on its “paycheck sport” from South Carolina.

“There’s no good plan, however we’re attempting to place collectively the most effective factor for our group at this second,” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer mentioned.

The Gamecocks final moved a sport as a consequence of climate in 2016, enjoying a scheduled Saturday sport on Sunday.

The NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers relocated their operations to the Miami space Tuesday in preparation for Sunday evening’s sport towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.

The Buccaneers are anticipated to observe on the Dolphins’ coaching complicated in Miami Gardens beginning Wednesday. To this point, there was no change for the sport, which is scheduled for Sunday evening at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

“We’re not discussing any potential (relocation) websites,” the NFL mentioned Wednesday in a press release. “We proceed to watch the storm and are in fixed communication with the golf equipment and native authorities. Determination may very well be made as late as Friday.”

The Dolphins play at Cincinnati on Thursday evening. They modified their journey plans for Wednesday and are leaving a couple of hours sooner than initially scheduled, in anticipation of extreme climate.

Additionally in Tampa, the Rays produce other issues moreover clinching an AL wild card. As they opened a three-game sequence in Cleveland, gamers and coaches had been keeping track of the approaching hurricane. The Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg space was final straight hit by a hurricane in 1921.

“Watching the information, watching the pc,” Rays supervisor Kevin Money mentioned. “I do know the Bay space has been fairly lucky over many, a few years now, however simply eager about all people there and hopefully individuals have accomplished proper to arrange and wherever it goes, it doesn’t hit as exhausting because the hypothesis.”

In the meantime, the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning postponed preseason video games scheduled to be performed at house Wednesday towards Carolina and Thursday towards Nashville.

The NBA’s Orlando Magic known as off observe on what would have been their second day of coaching camp Wednesday, and mentioned their plans for Thursday had been unsure. Forecasters say Orlando — within the central a part of the state — might see flooding and, at minimal, tropical storm situations as Ian nears the coast.

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AP Sports activities Writers Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, Pete Iacobelli in Columbia, South Carolina, Tim Reynolds in Miami and Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed.

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Extra AP sports activities: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports activities