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March Madness: Snowstorm Could Be a Wild Card in NCAA Basketball Championships

By David E. Hubler
Contributor, EDM Digest

Filling out your brackets for the 2017 NCAA collegiate basketball championship could be a little more complicated than usual, especially for first round games scheduled for Buffalo, NY, on Thursday and Friday.

A major snowstorm in Buffalo is nothing locals can’t handle. But the expected 12 to 18 inches of snow and wind gusts of 50 mph is causing transportation problems for the eight teams scheduled to play there.

For one, defending champions Villanova University of Philadelphia might use a “run and gun” offense to beat the storm.

“We’re looking at leaving [at] night right now to try to get out of here before the snow hits on Tuesday,” Villanova Coach Jay Wright told the Chicago Tribune Sunday evening. His team is scheduled to play Thursday at Buffalo’s Key Bank Center.

The Philadelphia area expects eight to 12 inches of snow. But current models of the storm predict several hours of sleet measuring one to two inches, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The other seven teams are Bucknell, Notre Dame, Princeton, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the winner of Tuesday’s play-in game between Mount St. Mary’s and New Orleans. Most of them could also face problems getting to the arena.

David E. Hubler brings a variety of government, journalism and teaching experience to his position as a Quality Assurance Editor. David’s professional background includes serving as a senior editor at CIA and the Voice of America. He has also been a managing editor for several business-to-business and business-to-government publishing companies.

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