JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators Men’s Basketball team is heading to San Antonio, Texas.
RELATED: Walter Clayton Jr. rallies Florida into Final Four with 84-79 March Madness win over Texas Tech
Walter Clayton Jr. rescued top-seeded Florida with two late 3-pointers, and the Gators rallied from nine points down late to beat Texas Tech 84-79 in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region final on Saturday.
For the first time since 2014, the Gators will play for a spot in the NCAA National Championship.
With it being over 10 years since the last time Florida fans had a chance to watch their team reach this round of the tournament, many may be planning trips to the Lone Star State.
Florida is set to play on Saturday, April 5. They await the winner of a matchup between Auburn and Michigan State.
If the Gators walk away with a win, they will play for the illustrious title of “National Champion” on Monday, April 7.
But that schedule was locked in on Saturday, giving less ambitious fans just a week to lock in their plans if they wanted to attend.
So how can you make the most of the trip without burning a hole in your wallet? Katy Nastro, a spokesperson at Going Travel, said getting tickets booked sooner rather than later is highly recommended.
“I think a lot of people assume that the closer in to flights taking off that they just magically become cheaper because that’s how retail works,” Nastro said. “The closer you get to the holiday the bargain bins come out and you see a lot of sales; however, that’s not the case with airfares, especially around a dedicated event, so you want people to make sure that if they are considering booking to go to the Final Four that you want to get on type of that ASAP.”
So tips to help plan your potential trip to San Antonio:
- Consider shifting your timeline.
- That might mean coming in early the day of the game or leaving early the morning after.
- Look at two one-way flights as opposed to a single round trip.
- This way you can pick the cheapest option to and the cheapest option from San Antonio from different airlines.
- Check out other airports.
- Most in Northeast Florida would likely be looking at Jacksonville as their airport of choice.
- Take a look at Orlando as an option to drive to and fly out of.
- Or look at flying into Austin, Texas. It is an hour and a half drive from San Antonio but could save you money in the long run.
“You wanna give yourself, again, the best odds and the biggest radius because last minute,“ Nastro explained. ”They’re only a certain amount of flights from your home airport, so if you can expand your search a little bit [and] search a little bit further away to make it worth your while, you can actually save in the end.”
So are you planning on traveling to San Antonio to see the Florida Gators in the Final Four? Or are you planning to watch from the comfort of your home? Tell us about your plans.
