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Albany vs. Duke cancelled due to HB2

Duke v Yale

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils reacts in the second half against the Yale Bulldogs during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Dunkin’ Donuts Center on March 19, 2016 in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

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While the NBA waits to make a decision on whether to host its All-Star Game in North Carolina, the state’s controversial bathroom bill has canceled a college basketball game.

Albany’s scheduled visit to Duke on Nov. 12 has been cancelled due to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s ban on state-sponsored, non-essential travel to the state of North Carolina in response to HB2, the state’s law that requires transgendered people to use the bathroom as assigned by the gender on their birth certificate, according to the Herald-Sun.

“The State University of New York supports Governor Cuomo’s executive order banning all non-essential travel to the state of North Carolina,’' SUNY spokesperson Holly Liapsis told the Herald-Sun. “We instructed our campuses to immediately review any existing travel plans by faculty and staff. SUNY and its campuses continue to support the Governor on taking this stand.”

In May, the U.S. Justice Department ruled the law violated the Civil Rights Act, but the state is fighting the decision. While the stakes of such a fight are vast and broad, it’s clear that sports - whether its Albany or the NBA’s signature weekend - will be brought into the fray as it plays out.

New York’s ban won’t affect the state’s highest-profile program, Syracuse, because it is a private institution.