What To Watch For This Week In Florida Sports (March 31 – April 6)

WATCH FOR three Florida basketball teams experiencing March Madness to carry it into April as the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles and South Florida Bulls women’s team are two wins away from National Championships in the NCAA and NIT Basketball Tournaments.  Of the 18 teams still playing in four Division I Basketball tournaments on April 1, the State of Florida boasts the most of 13 states with teams still playing at three.  Connecticut and Texas have two and should the Louisville women’s team defeat Maryland tonight in a NCAA Regional Final, Kentucky would match Connecticut and Texas with two.

The Gators advanced to the NCAA Final Four with wins over UCLA and Dayton last weekend in Indianapolis to run their current win streak to 30 games and improve their record to 36-2.  

They have a chance to avenge their last loss, on December 2, when they meet the Connecticut Huskies Saturday night in AT&T Stadium in North Texas.  The winner advances to the Championship Game to meet the winner of the Kentucky/Wisconsin game.  Florida defeated Kentucky twice during the regular season and in the SEC Tournament and their only other loss this year was to Wisconsin on November 12.  Should the Gators stretch their win streak to 32 games, it would be the third NCAA Basketball National Championship for Florida and head coach Billy Donovan since 2006.

The Florida State Seminoles also have an opportunity to avenge a loss from the regular season and advance to the finals of the National Invitational Tournament when they meet the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Madison Square Garden tonight.  FSU, 22-13, lost to Minnesota in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on December 3.  With a win, the Seminoles will face the winner of the Clemson/SMU semifinal game on Thursday night.

The South Florida Bulls (23-12) play the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the Women’s NIT Semifinals tomorrow in the USF Sun Dome.  The Bulls advanced to the semifinals with a three-point buzzer beater to score a 60-58 win over Mississippi State.  With a win, USF plays for the WNIT Championship against the winner of the UTEP/South Dakota State game on Saturday.

WATCH FOR the Miami Heat and Tampa Bay Lightning wrap up their regular seasons and qualify for the 2014 NBA and NHL postseasons.  The Heat are battling the Indiana Pacers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with nine games remaining through April 16.  Fortunately for Miami, six of their nine remaining games are at home in the American Airlines Arena, including a crucial April 11 matchup against the Pacers in South Florida.  Miami is gunning for its third consecutive deep post-season run after winning the last two NBA Finals Championship.

The Lightning have an even more favorable home schedule down the stretch with six of their seven remaining games at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.  Tampa Bay is currently fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with 91 points and can clinch a playoff spot as early as tonight.  Should they clinch tonight, it will be the first post-season appearance for the Lightning since the 2010-11 season.

WATCH FOR the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays as they open their 2014 seasons with homestands and build on opening day wins.  The Marlins started the season with a 10-1 win over the Colorado Rockies and the Rays scored a 9-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.  Both teams featured strong pitching performances by two of the brightest young aces in Major League Baseball.  The 2013 Rookie of the Year, Jose Fernandez, struck out nine to tie a Marlins Opening Day record and David Price, the 2012 Cy Young Award winner, pitched into the eighth inning for the Rays.

The Marlins continue their series against the Rockies through Thursday before welcoming the San Diego Padres to Miami for a three-game weekend set.  The Rays play three more against the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field and then host the Texas Rangers for three games through Sunday.

If pre-season success carries over into the regular season, the Rays and Marlins are in for a good year.  The Rays compiled the best 2014 Florida Grapefruit League record with a 16-7 slate and the Marlins finished with the next best Spring Training record of 18-12.  

WATCH FOR athletes of all ages to compete in upcoming amateur sports opportunities offered by the Florida Sports Foundation.  Two local Senior Games qualifiers will take place with The Villages Senior Games and Lake County Senior Games.  

While the Sunshine State Games calendar of events doesn’t begin until May, registration is open for several events.  Online registration is available for the following events at http://www.flasports.com

Sunshine State Games Basketball Championships, Alachua County, May 9-11
Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships, Ellenton Ice Complex, May 16-18
Sunshine State Games Lacrosse Series, Broward County, May 16-18
Sunshine State Games Lacrosse Series, Sarasota County, June 7-8
Sunshine State Games Sarasota County Festival, June 6-8
Sunshine State Games Polk County Festival, June 21-22
Sunshine State Games Water Polo Championships, Coral Springs, June 27-29

WATCH FOR two FSF granted events to bring nearly 13,000 visitors and over $7 million in economic impact to the State of Florida in the first few weeks of April.  The 2014 YMCA Masters National Championship, will be held at Sarasota’s Selby Aquatic Center, April 9-14, 2014.  The YMCA Masters Championships is open to all swimmers over the age of 18.  Five other venues also bid to host the competition, before that list was narrowed down to Sarasota and the Greensboro Aquatic Center in North Carolina. Sarasota was chosen, in large part, because of recent improvements made to the center prior to hosting the Pan-Am Masters Swimming Championships, which included new Myrtha Pool Olympic-style starting blocks.

The Ironman 70.3 Florida, returns to Polk County for the third consecutive year, April 14-16.  In 2013, more than 2,220 athletes participated in the three days of events.  The signature race, the 70.3 Triathlon, has athletes beginning the race in waves with a 1.2-mile swim in Lake Eva, then progress to a 56-mile bike course past citrus groves and cattle farms along Highway 17, and finally ended with a 13.1-run loop around Lake Eva and through the heart of Haines City.

The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by the Florida Sports Foundation, the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.

What To Watch For This Week In Florida Sports (March 24-30)

WATCH FOR two Florida college basketball teams to continue their seasons this week with an eye on a National Championship.

The Florida Gators (34-2 and winners of 27 straight games) continue their run through March Madness, when they meet the UCLA Bruins (28-8) on Thursday night in Memphis, Tennessee with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight to meet the winner of the Dayton/Stanford game.

The Florida State Seminoles (21-13) have won two games in the National Invitational Tournament and meet the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (29-7) in Tallahassee Wednesday night. The winner advances to the Final Four to be played in New York City at Madison Square Garden.

WATCH FOR the final week of the Florida Grapefruit League as the 15 teams holding their Spring Training in Florida break camps and head to their home markets for the 162-game season. With only 20 games remaining from Wednesday through Saturday, over 1.3 million fans have attended 192 games so far this season.

Five teams have topped 100,000 total attendance already this season with the Atlanta Braves (ESPN Wide World of Sports-Walt Disney World), Boston Red Sox (Jet Blue Park-Fort Myers), Detroit Tigers (Joker Marchant Stadium-Lakeland), New York Yankees (Steinbrenner Field-Tampa) and Philadelphia Phillies (Bright House Field-Clearwater) hitting six figures.

The largest crowd of the 2014 season was recorded at Bright House Field when the Phillies hosted the Boston Red Sox before 11,210 fans on March 21. The New York Yankees game against the Red Sox on March 18 drew 11,032 fans.

The 2014 Florida Grapefruit League season has seen more games cancelled due to rain this year than the last three years combined. A total of 12 games have been lost to rain this season, compared to eight over the last three years combined.

WATCH FOR the 10th Anniversary of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg when the Indy cars fire up their engines on March 28 in downtown St. Petersburg.

The INDYCAR-sanctioned event is a 1.8 mile, 14-turn temporary street course that is one of the most respected motorsports races in North America, due to its combination of spectacular road courses, short ovals and exciting super-speedways.

Here’s a few storylines for Indy Car fans to follow as the cars racing through the streets of downtown St. Petersburg.

WATCH FOR more Sunshine State Games events to open up for online registration. Currently, the following three championship events, Lacrosse events and Sarasota County and Polk County Olympic-style Sports Festivals are available for amateur athletes to register online.

Sunshine State Games Basketball Championships, Alachua County, May 9-11
Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships, Ellenton Ice Complex, May 16-18
Sunshine State Games Lacrosse Series, Broward County, May 16-18
Sunshine State Games Lacrosse Series, Sarasota County, June 7-8
Sunshine State Games Sarasota County Festival, June 6-8
Sunshine State Games Polk County Festival, June 21-22
Sunshine State Games Water Polo Championships, Coral Springs, June 27-29

This year is the 35th Anniversary of the Sunshine State Games and is now in its fourth decade of providing amateur sports opportunities for Floridians. The 2014 Sunshine State Games is expected to attract over 10,000 athletes to its nearly 30 sport offered.

The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by the Florida Sports Foundation, the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.

What To Watch For This Week In Florida Sports (March 10-16, 2014)

WATCH FOR Bracketology to take on new meaning this year for Central Florida, as NCAA® March Madness® is coming to Orlando!

Both ESPN and CBS Sports’ brackets have the Florida Gators playing in Orlando as a #1 seed. Other teams that have shown up on mock brackets playing at the Amway Center include Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio State, Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth.

The top-ranked Gators finished the SEC Regular season with a perfect 18-0 record and enter the SEC Tournament with a 29-2 overall record.  The Gators first round opponent in the SEC Tournament will be either Texas A&M or Missouri on Friday.  Florida, along with 67 other teams, will learn their March Madness destinies on Sunday, March 16 with the announcement of the NCAA Tournament field.

The PASSION of March Madness will be on display at the second and third round of the 2014 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship March 20th and 22nd at the Amway Center. Lower bowl tickets are sold out, but a limited number of seats in the upper bowl still remain. Single session tickets start at just $66 and are available for a limited time. Providing entry to 2 games, single session tickets are just over $30 per game.

The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will attract thousands of fans from across the United States to Central Florida, generating millions in economic impact for the region. The event is expected to generate nearly $10 million of economic impact for the region. In addition, the international and national exposure generated from the media and live telecast will be immeasurable for Orlando and Orange County.

For general tournament information visit www.CentralFloridaSports.org/ncaa. The championship games are hosted locally by Stetson University, Central Florida Sports Commission, and Orlando Venues, in partnership with the City of Orlando and Orange County.

WATCH FOR a 14-turn, 1.8-mile IndyCar track to be completed in Downtown St. Petersburg for the Firestone St. Petersburg Grand Prix.  Once complete, race cars will screech alongside the waterfront at 170 miles per hour with more than 100,000 racing fans eager to catch a glimpse of crunching metal or cutthroat competition expected to attend.

The race, which will be held March 28-30, will go along an Albert Whitted Airport runway, wind around the Dalí Museum and up First Street SE, then snake around Pioneer Park and down Bay Shore Drive. Its creation requires 20,000 feet of steel-reinforced concrete barriers and 44,000 feet of chain-link fencing.

It is broadcast on four channels in 200 countries, bringing plenty of exposure to the area. “That’s something that you really can’t buy, that kind of attention,” said Vice Mayor Kanika Tomalin.

WATCH FOR the third stop of the March PGA Tour swing through Florida this week at the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort – Copperhead, in Palm Harbor.  At the first two stops, the Honda Classic, in Palm Beach Gardens, and the World Golf Championships in Miami, Russell Henley and Patrick Reed each walked away with more than $1 Million in winnings.

Among those battling for the total purse of $5.7 million this weekend is Jordan Spieth, who used Innisbrook as a springboard to last year’s Rookie of the Year season.  He leads a lineup featuring 10 of the top 30 in this week’s Official World Golf Ranking. U.S. Open champion Justin Rose and No. 11 Matt Kuchar also are committed.

The fourth and final stop on the March Florida swing is the Arnold Palmer Invitational, played at Orlando’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, March 20-23. Now in its 36th year, the annual event is a boon for Central Florida, bringing in more than $20 million in economic impact for the region and more than 120,000 attendees. In addition, the event brings national exposure to the region, which helps further market Orlando as a destination not only for theme park attractions, but also for golfing and other amenities.

WATCH FOR the 32nd Annual USA Powerlifting Florida State Championships, to be held at the Bay Oaks Recreation Center in Fort Myers Beach, this weekend.

The competition will feature 86 of the best female and male powerlifters from the State of Florida. Divisions range, in male and female categories, from Teen (14-18) to Masters (40-79).

Among the athletes scheduled to compete are Florida International Senior Games & State Championships gold medalists Helen Hankerson, of Seffner, Ocala’s Marietta Roberts and Michael Paugh, of Cape Coral.

WATCH FOR the third weekend of Florida Grapefruit League stadiums to host near-capacity crowds.  Last weekend, Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9 saw over 130,000 fans flock to 18 game statewide under sunny skies and 80 degree temperatures.

This weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays host the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday and Boston Red Sox, Sunday, at Charlotte County Stadium in Port Charlotte. 

After the Monday, March 10 schedule of games, more than 560,000 fans have attended 88 games in the 2014 Florida Spring Training season for an average of 6,377 per game.

The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by the Florida Sports Foundation, the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.

What To Watch For This Week In Florida Sports (March 3-9)

WATCH FOR the second of four PGA Tour stops in Florida during the month of March.  The WGC-Cadillac Championship begins Thursday at the TPC Blue Monster at Trump National Doral. Doral’s signature course has undergone a $200 million upgrade to improve the layout that had shown signs of age. The course gets its Blue Monster name from its famed 18th hole, where water along the entire left side torments golfers on both the tee and the approach shot. Despite equipment advances, No.18 still ranked as last year’s sixth-toughest hole outside the majors.

Tiger Woods is scheduled to defend his title, but his status is currently unknown after he withdrew from last week’s Honda Classic, citing back spasms. The WGC-Cadillac Championship boasts the strongest field yet of 2014, a lineup that includes the entire top 50 in the world rankings and top money-winners from various world tours. Barring any late withdrawals, this will mark the first time everyone in the world’s top 50 has teed up at the same event since the 2012 PGA Championship.

The First Tee is the primary beneficiary of World Golf Championships events. Other recipients include the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida, Miami Children’s Hospital and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County.

The Valspar Championship follows at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, March 13-16 and the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard rounds out the month, March 20-23, at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, in Orlando.

WATCH FOR the University of Florida Gators to play as the Number One college basketball team in the nation for the second week in a row.

The Gators (27-2, 16-0) received one less first-place vote than last week in the Associated Press poll but still had a commanding 46-14 lead over unbeaten Wichita State (31-0).

While Wichita State has completed its regular season, the Gators have two games left. They go on the road Tuesday against South Carolina (11-18, 4-12) at the Colonial Life Arena, with a five-game winning streak over the Gamecocks.

Florida, currently riding a 21-game win streak, then closes the regular season at home at noon Saturday against the Kentucky Wildcats. It will be the final home game for seniors Patric Young, Scottie Wilbekin, Casey Prather and Will Yeugete.

WATCH FOR the Tampa Bay Bucs new look in 2014, from the coaches on the sidelines to the uniform the players will be wearing.

Teaming up with Nike, the Bucs unveiled their new unis Monday, one that links the past of the franchise to the bold new future. It is the team’s first redesign since 1997.

The uniform will have a richer pewter and a brighter Buccaneer Red. It will also have the orange trim (remember the Cremesicles) on the pants and jersey. The Bucs become the first franchise to have a reflective chrome border around the numbers on the front, back and shoulders.

The white jerseys will have pewter sleeves and shoulders with red numbers, while the red jerseys will have pewter sleeves and shoulders and white numbers on the body and red numbers on the shoulders.

The pirate ship will be on the right shoulder of the uniforms, while BUCS will be on the left. The team’s flag will be on the the right and left hips of the pants.

The new jerseys will go on sale April 1 at Buccaneers.com, Nike.com and NFLShop.com.

WATCH FOR more Sunshine State Games event information to be released as Florida’s only Olympic Style Sports Festival celebrates its 35th year of amateur sports in 2014.  Competition information and online registration for the Sunshine State Games Figure Skating Championships and the Polk County Festival is currently posted.

Other Sunshine State Games events information will be posted soon. Be a part of a Florida tradition that is now in its fourth decade of competition.

WATCH FOR even more stories in the news about the wonderful month of March featuring spring training baseball in Florida. For 29 glorious days during the month of March stories like this one, “Traditions and spring training baseball go hand in hand.”

Follow the 2014 Florida Grapefruit League season at www.floridagrapefruitleague.com and on Twitter @FlaSpringTrain.  The Florida Sports Foundation is also offering a new Mobile App for Apple and Android Smartphones.  Links to download the app can be found at the Florida Grapefruit League webiste.  It features schedules, stadium information and fans will receive notifications during the season about daily gameday promotions and weather updates if necessary during the 33 days of Florida Spring Training.

The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by the Florida Sports Foundation, the state’s lead sports promotion and development organization. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.

What To Watch For This Week in Florida Sports (March 25-31)

WATCH FOR the two biggest stories in sports taking place in the State of Florida. In a state offering so many sports opportunities, it’s the basketball court where the headlines are being made in the Sunshine State.

WATCH FOR the Miami Heat to extend their current 27-game win streak with games this week against the Chicago Bulls (Wednesday), New Orleans Jazz (Friday) and San Antonio Spurs (Sunday). It’s the second-longest streak in NBA History and American sports.

To get a perspective of the 53 days the Heat win streak has been going on, here are some other events that have made the headlines in Florida since Miami’s last loss on February 1 against the Indiana Pacers.

February 12 – Pitchers and Catchers Report for Spring Training at 14 Florida locations
February 24 – Jimmie Johnson wins the 55th Annual Daytona 500
March 2 – Tampa Jesuit High School wins its first Basketball Championship in 29 years
March 6 – Florida Gators win SEC Regular Season Basketball Championship with win over Vanderbilt
March 9 – Florida Gulf Coast Eagles win Sun Belt Conference Tournament to qualify for NCAA Tournament
March 10 – Tiger Woods wins the World Golf Championships at Miami’s Doral Blue Monster
March 17 – Miami Hurricanes defeat North Carolina to win 2013 ACC Basketball Tournament
March 24 – Tiger Woods wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando
March 25 – Florida Spring Training season enters its final week of play

WATCH FOR the nation’s latest Cinderella story, the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Eagles, in their first NCAA Tournament, are the first 15th seeded team to advance to the Sweet 16. Florida is the only state with three teams remaining from the tournament’s original field of 68. Michigan and Kansas have two teams still playing.

Florida Gulf Coast meets the Southeastern Conference regular season champions, the third-seeded Florida Gators, Friday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

WATCH FOR the Miami Hurricanes, who also made headlines in South Florida as the ACC Regular Season and Tournament Champion, as they face the Marquette Warriors, in Sweet 16 action, in Washington, DC.

The winner of the Florida Gulf Coast/Florida matchup meets the winner of the Michigan/Kansas game with the winner advancing to the Final Four. The Miami/Marquette winner plays against the winner of the Indiana/Syracuse Sweet 16 matchup.

In the women’s tournament, the Florida State Seminoles have a chance to be the women’s tournament Cinderella story. After defeating the Princeton Tigers in the first round, the Seminoles meet the defending champion and top-seeded Baylor Bears tonight in Waco, Texas.

WATCH FOR a great bonanza of freshwater fishing opportunities. All across the state, anglers have reported great catches of a wide variety of freshwater fish.

Typically, black crappie (specks), redbreast sunfish and largemouth bass (the largest sunfish) begin spawning when water temperatures get over about 62 F. Crappie will stop spawning before bass, which continue to work the beds until it warms up to about 75 degrees. They are followed by redear sunfish and bluegill.

WATCH FOR the best in Florida Fishing with a copy of the 2013 Florida Fishing and Boating Guide and the Monthly Fish Busters column from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

WATCH FOR the Florida Grapefruit League to close out a successful 2013 season while celebrating the 125th Anniversary of Major League Baseball’s annual pilgrimage to the Sunshine State. Games began on Friday, February 22 and will conclude on Saturday, March 30 with three games.

Over the next few days, three players in Florida will vye for the Grapefruit League home run title. The Phillies Domonic Brown and Ryan Howard, as well as the Braves Freddie Freeman have each hit seven round trippers.

Through games of Monday, March 25, Florida Grapefruit League attendance was well on its way to topping 1.5 million for the 12th time in the last 14 years. Over 1.4 million fans attended games through Monday.

The front page of the Florida Grapefruit League web site features links to articles about team preparations for the upcoming season. Also feel free to visit the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays as their regular seasons open on Monday, April 1.

WATCH FOR the recently released Florida Sports Foundation five-minute video showing how sports contributes to the State of Florida economy. As a $36 billion industry, it’s hard to imagine all of the aspects of sports and how it relates to the business community. Hopefully, this video will introduce a better perspective of the relation between the two.

The Weekly “What to Watch For in Florida Sports,” is compiled by Florida Sports Foundation Director of Communications, Nick Gandy. Follow the Florida Sports Foundation on Facebook and on Twitter #fla_sports. Visit http://www.flasports.com for more information about the Florida Sports Foundation and the vibrant sports industry in the Sunshine State. Florida is Where The World Comes to Play.