General Sports 24 Hours

Last updated: March 23, 2026, 11:30 PM ET

NCAA Women's Basketball Sweet 16

The Women's NCAA tournament bracket is set for the Sweet 16 following a dramatic Monday slate where UVA ousted Iowa 83-75 in double overtime, making them the first First Four team ever to reach this stage. The Hoos join UConn, which dominated Syracuse 98-45, as top seeds advance, though UConn's Azzi Fudd netted 26 of her 34 points in the first half during her final game at Gampel Pavilion. Further action saw TCU survive Washington 62-59 in overtime, sending the Horned Frogs back to the Sweet 16 for the second time. The intensity of the second round games has contributed to the tournament achieving its best ratings start since 2011 across CBS and TNT broadcasts.

College Basketball Coaching Carousel & Personnel

The coaching world saw major movement as Arizona State officially hired Saint Mary's Randy Bennett to lead their program, while in the Big East, Creighton coach Greg McDermott announced his retirement following a successful 16-year tenure where he accumulated 365 victories. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati men's basketball vacancy was filled, with sources confirming the school will hire Utah State's Jerrod Calhoun, who guided the Aggies to consecutive NCAA tournaments, though former Cincinnati coach Wes Miller was concurrently named the new head coach at Charlotte after his recent dismissal. Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking an injunction to gain an additional year of eligibility ahead of the 2026 season and the upcoming NFL draft.

Men's NCAA Tournament Outlook & Betting

As the field narrows to the Men's Sweet, analysts are already ranking the remaining teams, noting the Big Ten's strong presence with six teams remaining, while providing early betting guidance for the next two rounds based on the action from the first weekend where several bets stood out. The structure of the regional semifinals presents intriguing matchups, including Purdue facing Texas and Alabama taking on Michigan, with the keys to advancing being dissected. Separately, UConn coach Dan Hurley reportedly sought advice from Tom Izzo while navigating the Lakers' reported six-year, $70 million contract offer, an NBA opportunity Izzo himself has previously declined with multiple franchises.

Global Cricket & Leadership Scrutiny

England's cricket leadership faced intense scrutiny following the Ashes defeat, with former captain Michael Vaughan suggesting head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key were very lucky to survive an internal review. Despite this, ECB chief executive Richard Gould defended the pair, stating that sacking McCullum would have been the "easy" route, and Stokes affirmed his backing for the current regime after calling the recent period the "hardest" of his captaincy, while other guests assessed the overall state of the English men's game on a recent broadcast. In player news, Glamorgan bowler James Harris announced his immediate retirement with the new season looming, and Olympic champion Sifan Hassan was forced to withdraw from the London Marathon due to an Achilles injury sustained during a treadmill mishap.

Tennis & Off-Court Incidents

At the Miami Open, World Number One Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the last 16 after dispatching Caty McNally, continuing her pursuit of the 'Sunshine Double,' and later made light work of Zheng Qinwen in a match briefly interrupted by an unusual overhead camera incident that also affected Daniil Medvedev's contest. Following her own early exit from Miami, six-time major winner Iga Swiatek has parted ways with her coach Wim Fissette. Meanwhile, in a lighter moment from the NBA, LeBron James and Austin Reaves discussed the origins of a viral meme showing James providing instructions to a befuddled Reaves from a 2022 contest against the Nets.

Off-Field Management, Rugby, & WNBA CBA

In league management news, the WNBA players have unanimously ratified the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, with the union confirming over 90% participation in the vote, setting the stage for a "chock-full offseason" involving an expansion draft and free agency as detailed by analysts. Rugby saw developments in Wales where the Welsh Rugby Union extended the Cardiff buyout deadline by 30 days for potential purchasers Y11, owners of the Ospreys. Furthermore, the New Zealand coaching staff has been bolstered, with former Edinburgh head coach Mike Blair reuniting with Dave Rennie as an attack coach, and English rugby's top tier saw Tara Jones appointed as the first female referee in a Super League match.

Miscellaneous Sports Updates

The professional golf scene looks ahead to Augusta, where Matt Fitzpatrick’s recent US PGA Tour victory positions him favorably among Masters favorites due to his strength in essential bedrock statistical categories. A bipartisan Senate bill was introduced Monday seeking to ban sports bets on prediction markets that mimic traditional wagering. In a bizarre incident, a German handball trophy that had been reported stolen was later discovered inside the team's own basement. Finally, the TGL playoffs will conclude with Los Angeles Golf Club facing Jupiter Links GC for the SoFi Cup championship.