With no marquee college football games in Florida over the weekend, other sports will gain extra attention. Post season men’s and women’s soccer and early season college basketball have some interesting match ups.
The Florida State men’s basketball team is in the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam this weekend. The Seminoles take on high-scoring Hofstra in their opening game on Friday.
A lot of points are expected to be on the menu. FSU has scored 207 points in their two season-opening wins while the Pride has put up 96 points in each of their wins.
The game begins at 3:30 on Friday. Florida State will play either South Carolina or DePaul next, while concluding the weekend with a yet-to-be determined opponent.
Miami is in San Juan for the Puerto Rico tip-off. The Hurricanes went to 3-0 on Thursday with a 105-79 win over Mississippi State. They face the Utah Utes beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday with one more game Sunday against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
Florida is in Uncasville, Conn. to play in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off on Saturday and Sunday. The Gators face the St. Joseph’s Hawks beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, Florida will face either Old Dominion or No. 21 Purdue.
The Boston University Terriers visit Tampa to take on the USF Bulls on Saturday. USF is looking for their first win after three highly disappointing home losses to start the season. Game time is 7 p.m.
Another American Athletic Conference member is in action on Saturday. The Central Florida Knights, like USF, are looking for their first win of the season. UCF hosts North Carolina Greensboro at 7 p.m. The Spartans are 2-0 while the Knights are 0-2.
In women’s soccer, three Florida teams take the field on Friday for NCAA tournament action, including top-seeded Florida State. The defending national champion Seminoles host South Alabama in second round play beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Florida State (15-2-4) hosts a Jaguar team (18-2-2) that is unbeaten in 14 consecutive games, including last week’s first round rout of LSU, 4-0. If the Seminoles advance, they are expected to face the fourth-seeded Auburn Tigers on Sunday.
In Gainesville, the second-seeded Florida Gators welcome William and Mary for a second-round match. Florida (18-3-1) slipped by Western Michigan, 1-0 last week to advance. The Herd played a scoreless first round game with Central Florida last week, but advanced on penalty kicks, 3-1.
The game is slated for 7 p.m. Friday. Should Florida get by William and Mary, they will play the winner of third-seeded Duke and Florida Gulf Coast. FGCU reached the second round by defeating South Florida last week, 2-1.
The South Florida Bulls men’s soccer team will host a second-round match against the Boston College Eagles. The Bulls, seeded 14th nationally, bring an 11-5-3 mark into Sunday’s game against the 10-7-1 Eagles.
A victory would send USF to the Sweet 16 where a rematch with No. 3 seed Georgetown would likely await. Georgetown hosts Hofstra on Sunday The Bulls shut out the Hoyas at Corbett Stadium on August 31, 2-0.
