General Sports 8-Hour Briefing
×Last updated: March 18, 2026, 3:30 AM ET
College Basketball: NCAA Tournament & First Four Action
The NCAA Tournament tipped off Tuesday evening with two dramatic First Four contests concluding the preliminary round before the main bracket begins. The University of Texas survived a tense late-game battle against NC State, securing a 68-66 victory when Tramon Mark sank a decisive fadeaway jumper with only 1.1 seconds remaining on the clock following the showdown. Simultaneously, Howard University clinched its inaugural trip to the NCAA tournament's main draw by holding off UMBC 86-83 in a high-scoring affair, marking a historic first tournament win for the program.
International Baseball & Rugby Setbacks
In international competition, Venezuela captured the World Baseball Classic title Tuesday night, defeating Team USA 3-2 in a tightly contested final played in Miami. The result caps a dominant run for the South American squad in the tournament. Meanwhile, in European rugby, England's Ollie Chessum cited fear of being outpaced by France’s Louis Bielle Biarrey as the reason he pulled back on an aggressive intercept attempt near the post in their recent defeat.
NCAA Program Changes
In administrative news affecting collegiate sports, the University of Minnesota women's hockey program has dismissed head coach Brad Frost after 19 seasons at the helm. Frost's tenure concludes without a national championship since 2013, signaling an organizational shift for the Golden Gophers program.