VCU men’s basketball will host Wednesday’s game against Fordham without spectators due to the ongoing water outage and boil advisory in Richmond, Va., where VCU is located.
The university announced the decision Wednesday afternoon just hours before the scheduled 7 p.m. ET tip-off because water service at the Siegel Center had not yet been restored. The game will still be broadcast on local radio and television, as well as on ESPN+.
“We had to make the very difficult decision this afternoon to hold our game tonight without any spectators or members of the general public,” athletic director Ed McLaughlin said in a statement. “We wanted to wait as long as possible but water service has not returned to the Siegel Center, despite assurances throughout the last two days that it would.”
Unfortunately, fans will not be permitted tonight, but the game will be played as scheduled.
It will still be broadcast on MASN, ESPN+ and @910TheFan.
We will release more info to ticket purchasers over the next 24 hours. For more info, please visit https://t.co/5zKKSbQPng. pic.twitter.com/PL4sDn9zXr
— VCU Basketball (@VCU_Hoops) January 8, 2025
The city of Richmond has had water issues since Monday, when a winter storm-created power outage caused the city’s water reservoir system to fail, pausing citywide access to running water. Service has since been restored for a portion of city residents, but some are still without running water, and the city remains under a boil advisory. Mayor Danny Avula said Wednesday the advisory is unlikely to be lifted before Friday.
University of Richmond women’s basketball also announced that fans would not be permitted to its 6 p.m. ET matchup against George Mason on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, and tickets will be honored at any remaining Spider women’s basketball game this season. Richmond men’s basketball is on the road at George Mason but has a home game scheduled for this Saturday, Jan. 11.
🚨GAME UPDATE🚨
Fans will not be permitted at tonight’s women’s basketball game vs George Mason due to ongoing water restoration efforts in Richmond.
🎟️Tickets will be honored at any remaining Spider women’s basketball game. Contact 1-877-SPIDER1 for other options. #OneRichmond pic.twitter.com/rxuw3dnwxV
— Richmond Women’s Basketball (@SpiderWBBall) January 8, 2025
VCU athletics said it will release more information to ticket purchasers for Wednesday’s men’s basketball contest over the next 24 hours, and anticipates welcoming fans back for its next-scheduled home game on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
“Shutting our doors to fans has major financial implications for our department and major impact on the student-athlete experience. We did not make this decision lightly and gave it as much time as humanly possible,” said McLaughlin. “As a city resident still without water, I know what the length of this outage has done to many homes in our community.”
(Photo: Rob Carr / Getty Images)
