Albany’s game at Duke cancelled over controversial North Carolina law

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s ban on state-sponsored, non-essential travel to North Carolina has caused Albany’s scheduled game at Duke this season to be cancelled, according to the Durham Herald-Sun.

The Great Danes were initially scheduled to play at Cameron Indoor as part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament.

The ban came about after North Carolina passed House Bill 2, which states that transgender people must use the public restroom that corresponds with their gender at birth. The law spurred immediate backlash, with similar bans coming from cities and states across the country.

State University of New York system spokeswoman Holly Lapis gave the following statement to the Herald-Sun:

"The State University of New York supports Governor [Andrew] Cuomo's executive order banning all non-essential travel to the state of North Carolina, and we instructed our campuses to immediately review any existing travel plans by faculty and staff," Liapis said. "SUNY and its campuses continue to support the Governor on taking this stand."

Because Albany is a public school, it is subject to Cuomo’s ban, along with Stony Brook, Binghamton and Buffalo. Syracuse, a private university that plays in the ACC, is not subject to the ban and is still scheduled to play at North Carolina and NC State this season.