Louisville and UConn are scheduled to open the women\u2019s college basketball season against each other on Nov. 4 in a marquee clash of nationally-ranked teams at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The Huskies, the reigning national champions, were ranked atop the preseason Associated Press Top 25 Poll released earlier this week, while the Cardinals checked in at No. 20.<\/p>\n
But now that matchup is in jeopardy.<\/p>\n
The government shutdown means that paychecks for active duty military members aren\u2019t rolling in and many facilities are scaling back. The Ramstein Air Base\u2019s website says<\/a> that \u201ccivilian personnel not engaged in excepted activities will be placed in a non-work, non-pay status,\u201d and the American Legion notes<\/a> that many of the base\u2019s offices and programs are closed or offering \u201climited services.\u201d<\/p>\n ESPN Events is the organizer of the game, presenting it as part of the Peraton Armed Forces Classic, which has hosted college basketball games at various U.S. military venues across the globe since 2012.<\/p>\n When reached by SB Nation on Wednesday, an ESPN spokesperson said in a statement: \u201cWhile our goal is to host this year\u2019s Armed Forces Classic as planned at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, we are exploring contingency plans due to the circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Louisville women\u2019s basketball simply said, \u201cThe game is still operating as scheduled.\u201d A spokesperson for UConn declined to comment. Requests for comment from the Ramstein Air Base were not immediately returned.<\/p>\n According to sources familiar with the situation, all parties involved are supposed to meet next week about options.<\/p>\n Louisville coach Jeff Walz first publicly raised concerns about the viability of the game earlier this week while speaking at the program\u2019s tip-off luncheon.<\/p>\n \u201cOur first game, as you know, is hopefully going to be on the Air Force base \u2014 if we open back up,\u201d Walz said, according to WDRB<\/a>.\u201cWe\u2019re closed right now, our country.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible that, should the shutdown continue, it could be moved to a campus site at either Louisville or UConn. It could also remain a neutral site game by moving it to an arena with an open date.<\/p>\n The shutdown is now in its 15th day. It began on Oct. 1 when the Senate failed to advance a House-passed GOP bill to keep the government at existing funding through Nov. 21. Democrats in the Senate are demanding health care policy changes \u2014 specifically regarding extending subsidies for the Affordable Care Act marketplaces \u2014 that President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have refused to entertain. The bill that passed the House did not include an extension of the health care tax credits. More than 24 million people use the ACA marketplaces to purchase health plans.<\/p>\n News organizations such as the Associated Press, USA Today and CBS have characterized the shutdown as having \u201cno end in sight\u201d as politicians point fingers at each other. NPR<\/a> said \u201cRepublicans and Democrats appear no closer to an agreement\u201d after the Senate failed again on Wednesday \u2014 for the ninth time \u2014 to advance a bill that would reopen the government.<\/p>\n