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.
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