Last updated: March 21, 2026, 2:30 AM ET
NCAA Men's Tournament Action & Records
The men's NCAA tournament field quickly narrowed following Friday's action, with numerous upsets and historic moments marking the first round reranking the 32 men's teams left. Purdue's Braden Smith cemented his legacy by surpassing Bobby Hurley's long-standing career mark, logging his 1,077th assist during the opening contest against Queens University leaping Hurley as NCAA assists king, while the team's mascot, a replica German Shepherd, provided an unlikely focal point for Queens University inspiring the team. In other standout performances, Utah State staged a second-half rally to overcome Villanova 86-76, capped by MJ Collins' steal and emphatic dunk that secured his 20-point night topping Villanova, whereas UCLA managed a narrow 75-71 victory over UCF, despite guard Skyy Clark losing a portion of his front tooth late in the contest shaking off the pain.
NCAA Women's Tournament Dominance & Legal Issues
The women's tournament saw the chalk largely hold firm on Day, with the 16 higher-seeded teams all advancing chalk reigns supreme, signaling that UConn remains the odds-on favorite to secure the national championship UConn the odds-on title favorite. Defending champion Florida commenced their title defense with a commanding 114-55 blowout win over Prairie View A&M, marking the second-largest margin of victory in tournament history starting defense with 59-point pounding, while third-seeded TCU cruised past UC San Diego 86-40 behind a triple-double effort from Olivia Miles, her 12th career such performance Miles cards triple-double. Separately, off the court, the NCAA initiated legal proceedings against Draft Kings on Friday, lodging a trademark infringement lawsuit over the sportsbook operator's use of terms associated with the event, including "March Madness" suing DraftKings for infringement.
College Basketball Coaching Carousel & Player Updates
The aftermath of the first round brought coaching movement and injury concerns across the college basketball sphere. Georgia Tech officially named former Troy coach Scott Cross as its new men's head coach following Friday's announcements naming ex-Troy coach Cross, while Cal State Bakersfield is reportedly targeting USC assistant Todd Lee amid internal turbulence surrounding their previous coach CSUB eyes USC's Lee. On the injury front, Duke coach Jon Scheyer expressed optimism that center Patrick Ngongba II might return from a foot injury for the Blue Devils' second-round matchup against TCU hopeful Ngongba can return, contrasting with Iowa State's senior forward Joshua Jefferson, who suffered a sprained left ankle in their 104-74 victory over Tennessee State Jefferson sprains ankle. Furthermore, in the women's game, Tennessee coach Kellie Harper took responsibility after the seventh-seeded Lady Vols were eliminated by NC State, handing the program its eighth consecutive defeat Caldwell takes blame; meanwhile, UCLA coach Cori Close lauded player Lauren Betts for her recent openness regarding her mental health journey hails Betts' mental health courage.
Professional Sports Updates: NHL, NBA, & Combat Sports
In the professional leagues, the Colorado Avalanche became the first NHL franchise to secure a postseason berth this season first NHL team to clinch, setting the pace in the league standings. The reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder confirmed they would forgo a customary White House visit during their upcoming trip to the nation's capital, citing scheduling conflicts won't make White House visit. In combat sports, Costello van Steenis successfully defended his PFL middleweight title by stopping Fabian Edwards in the third round, once again derailing the Briton's world title aspirations ends Edwards' title dream again, while the UFC London card featured a tense face-off between heavyweights Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev ahead of their featherweight clash cold UFC London staredown.
Global Rugby & Soccer Developments
Across international rugby, Connacht delivered a powerful second-half performance to earn a United Rugby Championship bonus-point victory over Ulster secure statement win, and in the English Premiership Women's Rugby division, Trailfinders edged past Harlequins 21-17 following a decisive try from Abi Burton three minutes from the final whistle Burton try clinches victory. In Super League, Wakefield exacted revenge on Leigh for last season's playoff elimination, continuing the Leopards' difficult start to the campaign add to Leigh's woes, while Bradford Bulls secured their third straight home win by outmuscling Huddersfield Giants in an intense fixture outmuscle Huddersfield. On the international football front, Northern Ireland's Josh Magennis expressed his desire to reach 100 caps for his nation as they prepare for a World Cup play-off match in Italy targets 100 caps, and manager Thomas Tuchel's latest England squad selection revealed potential openings for overlooked players ahead of the World Cup unpicking Tuchel's squad.
Miscellaneous Sports News & Records
In swimming, Australian Cameron McEvoy shattered a long-standing world record in the men's 50m freestyle, eclipsing the previous benchmark set during the 'supersuit' era breaks long-standing world record, while at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, Jeremiah Azu finished fourth in what was described as "one of the best 60m races of all time" Azu fourth at World Indoors. Separately, in golf, Jon Rahm elected to cease his appeal against sanctions imposed by the DP World Tour for participating in conflicting LIV Golf events, though he maintained his refusal to remit the outstanding fines drops Tour appeal. Meanwhile, the Hydro arena in Glasgow is slated to host the opening ceremony for the upcoming Commonwealth Games to host opening ceremony, and in a bizarre legal development, Tuskegee coach Benjy Taylor filed a $1 million federal lawsuit against two police officers and Morehouse College stemming from his detainment following a January 31 game files $1 million lawsuit.