Now, South Florida is the hub on which the sports world is turning.
In both basketball and hockey, teams from the Miami area and beyond have been pushing far above their weight. Troubles are the rule rather than the exception, Cinderella runs after midnight, and in general no team with (1) next to their name wants to play anyone from South Florida right now.
Here’s a quick look at the unlikely extent of Florida’s dominance.
Men’s NCAA Tournament: Miami v Florida Atlantic
The Miami Hurricanes and Florida Atlantic Owls were the fifth and ninth seeds, respectively, as they went to the NCAA Tournament. They certainly didn’t play like it. Miami eliminated the 4-seed Indiana Hoosiers, the 1-seed Houston Cougars, and the 2-seed Texas Longhorns to make their first Final Four in tournament history. Meanwhile, the Owls defeated the 8-seed Memphis Tigers, stopped the 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and beat the 4-seed Tennessee Volunteers and 3-seed Kansas State Wildcats, becoming the second-ranked 9 ever to reach the Final Four. While both lost in the Final Four, FAU came agonizingly close to upsetting 5-ranked San Diego State and continuing their improbable run.
NCAA Women’s Championship: Miami
Another great run for the Miami Hurricanes. Miami beat 8th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowgirls, 1-ranked Indiana Hoosiers, and 4-ranked Villanova Wildcats, losing only to the eventual champion LSU Tigers in the Elite Eight.
The Boston Bruins had one of the greatest regular seasons in NHL history, scoring wins (65) and points (135) en route to a first-round matchup against the Florida Panthers, who had 42 wins and just 92 points — respectable, to be sure, But nowhere near history. When the Bruins went 3-1 in the series, it looked like things were over for the Panthers…but they bounced back, winning three straight games and stunning the Bruins. Then they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games, and now they’re 2-0 ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes. Two more wins and they’ll reach the Stanley Cup Final.
Although Miami’s playoff round started with a loss to the Atlanta Hawks in play-by, the Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls to advance to the next round against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks… whom they promptly dispatched in five games, including a 56-point blast from Butler In Game 4. They defeat the New York Knicks in six games to face the Boston Celtics, and they dominate that series. In case anyone doubts playoff legend Jimmy Butler, well, it looks like he’s totally real.
It’s not a team, per se, but Koepka is a West Palm Beach native. He hasn’t won a major championship since 2019 and finished 44th at the 2023 PGA Championship, which he won on Sunday by two strokes. South Florida’s year continues unabated.