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Tip-off and tee off
By TIMES STAFF
Published March 8, 2007
About the ACC basketball tournament About 20,000 basketball fans will descend on Tampa starting today for the tourney at the St. Pete Times Forum. Here's what you need to know: Traffic Going near downtown today? Leave early. Really early. Expect heavy traffic over the next four days of the tournament. "There should be no major problems, but people should plan on needing extra time," said Tampa police Maj. John Bennett. Games are at noon, 2:30, 7 and 9:30 p.m. today and Friday. A fan fest at the forum begins at 10 a.m. both days. And fans should be streaming out of afternoon games about 4:30 p.m., just in time for rush hour. No roads will be closed, but police officers will direct traffic at several major downtown intersections, and interstates could be slow. Tickets Tickets are sold out. Fans will be combing the sidewalks outside the St. Pete Times Forum after the first round games today, looking to snap up tickets to the next round from fans of losing teams in the single-elimination tournament. A change last year in Florida's scalping law now makes it legal for scalpers to charge whatever the market will bear. Team spirit Want to try to spot your favorite players? Here's where the teams are staying: Boston College, Quorum Westshore; Clemson, Tampa Marriott Westshore; Duke, Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay; FSU, Embassy Suites Downtown; Wake Forest, Marriott Waterside; Georgia Tech, Sheraton Suites Airport; Maryland, Westin Harbour Island; Miami, N.C. State, Virginia Tech, Hyatt Regency Tampa; North Carolina, Wyndham Westshore; Virginia, Renaissance Tampa International Plaza. About the PODS Championship What: A 72-hole PGA Tour event, the second on the Florida Swing and the 11th of the year. When/where: Today through Sunday, Innisbrook Resort, Palm Harbor. Weather: Today, sunny and 79/56; Friday, partly sunny and 80/59; Saturday, partly sunny and 78/61; Sunday, partly sunny and 78/62. TV: 3-6 p.m. today and Friday, Golf Channel (with 8:30-11:30 p.m. replay) and 3-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, WFLA-Ch. 8. Tickets: Today-Friday, $30 in advance ($55 at the gate); Saturday-Sunday, $35 in advance ($60 at the gate). Weekly clubhouse badge, $85. Buy tickets at area Sweetbay stores, online at podschampionship.com or by calling (727) 942-5566.
[Last modified March 8, 2007, 01:35:47]
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