General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 23, 2026, 1:30 AM ET
NCAA Women's Basketball: Sweet 16 Field Completes
The field for the Women's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 was finalized Sunday following several tightly contested matchups, with No. 3 seed TCU outlasting Washington espn.com 62-59 in overtime, propelled by Olivia Miles' double-double effort of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Elsewhere, No. 10 seed Virginia authored the first major upset espn.com of the tournament by defeating No. 7 seed Georgia 82-73 in the first round Saturday, while No. 2 seed UConn escaped a scare espn.com, needing a monumental 31-point, 27-rebound performance from Tarris Reed Jr. to beat Furman 82-71. The bracket also saw No. 1 South Carolina cruise past Southern 103-34 in the first round, led by Joyce Edwards' 27 points espn.com, and No. 1 seed Michigan advanced by handling Saint Louis behind Yaxel Lendeborg's 25 points espn.com.
The second round wrapped up with several dramatic finishes that determined the final spots, including Minnesota reaching its first Sweet 16 in 21 years espn.com when Amaya Battle hit a tiebreaking jump shot with 0.7 seconds left to secure a 65-63 victory over Mississippi. USC advanced to the second round espn.com after a review nullified a Clemson buzzer-beater in regulation, allowing the Trojans to secure a 71-67 overtime win. Meanwhile, in the first round, TCU opened with a dominant win bbc.com, with Olivia Miles recording her 12th career triple-double in an 86-40 romp over UC San Diego, as the better seeds largely reigned supreme on Day 1 espn.com.
NCAA Men's Basketball: High Drama & Coaching Uncertainty
The Men's NCAA Tournament set its Sweet 16 lineup following a weekend filled with upsets and last-second heroics, including No. 6 seed Iowa eliminating defending champion Florida espn.com when Alvaro Folgueiras drilled a go-ahead three-pointer with 4.5 seconds remaining. St. John's punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 after Dylan Darling hit a layup at the buzzer espn.com to defeat Kansas 67-65, a loss that prompted comments from Kansas coach Bill Self stating he had not yet decided on his coaching future espn.com. Furthermore, Texas, having emerged from the First Four, capped its improbable run by upsetting No. 3 seed Gonzaga 74-68 espn.com, leading coach Sean Miller to insist his team is not a true Cinderella story espn.com.
Top seeds continued to advance, with No. 1 seed Purdue winning Matt Painter's 500th game at the school, defeating Miami 79-69 espn.com, while No. 2 seed UConn survived an upset threat. In other action, No. 1 Texas dominated Oregon 100-58, fueled by Madison Booker’s career-high 40 points espn.com, and No. 7 seed Kentucky needed Otega Oweh’s buzzer-beater to force overtime before ultimately prevailing over Santa Clara 89-84 espn.com. The tournament also saw significant struggles, as Kentucky suffered its worst tournament loss since 1972 espn.com in an 82-63 defeat to Iowa State, while BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa indicated he would take a few weeks to mull his future espn.com.
College Basketball Coaching Carousel & Legal Matters
The coaching carousel continued spinning throughout the weekend across various programs. Syracuse is reportedly moving toward hiring Siena's Gerry McNamara as its next head coach, according to sources espn.com, while Providence filled its vacancy by poaching USF's Bryan Hodgson espn.com. In the SEC, South Carolina parted ways with baseball coach Paul Mainieri midway through his second season, unable to replicate his prior success espn.com, and UNC officials are reportedly in discussions with Hubert Davis regarding his future after another first-round exit espn.com. On the legal front, the NCAA has filed a lawsuit against Draft Kings, accusing the sportsbook of trademark infringement over March Madness terms espn.com, and Tuskegee coach Benjy Taylor is pursuing a $1 million federal lawsuit against Morehouse College and two police officers following a postgame detainment espn.com.
NASCAR, Golf, and Global Athletics
In motorsports, Tyler Reddick secured his fourth victory of the season at Darlington Raceway, placing him in an elite group of multi-race winners espn.com, while in Moto GP, Marco Bezzecchi claimed victory in Brazil in a race that was shortened to 31 laps due to extreme heat bbc.com. On the LPGA Tour, Hyo Joo Kim edged Nelly Korda espn.com to complete a wire-to-wire victory at the Fortinet Founders Cup on Sunday. Meanwhile, the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland saw Great Britain make history by claiming three gold medals bbc.com within a sensational 28-minute span, including Josh Kerr reclaiming his world indoor 3,000m title after returning from injury bbc.com, and Keely Hodgkinson capturing the 800m gold with a championship record bbc.com. Ireland's Kate O'Connor also contributed to the haul by securing the pentathlon bronze medal bbc.com.
Combat Sports & Rugby Updates
The UFC London card generated considerable discussion, particularly around fighter compensation, as the debate over fighter pay was laid bare bbc.com following undercard performances. Movsar Evloev dealt a setback to Lerone Murphy's featherweight title aspirations, securing a majority decision victory bbc.com, while Paddy Pimblett stated he is targeting a July return to the octagon bbc.com. In professional boxing, the governing body cleared Olympic champion Lin Yu-ting to compete again after she underwent the sport's new sex verification test bbc.com. In the United Rugby Championship, the Stormers moved back to second place with a four-try victory over the tenacious Dragons bbc.com, while Connacht earned a statement win over Ulster through a powerful second half bbc.com.
Other Sports Notes
In professional rugby league, London Pulse snapped Nottingham Forest's unbeaten run bbc.com in the Netball Super League with a thrilling extra-time victory, a result coach Sam Bird suggested will benefit the team later in the season. In Super League action, Warrington Wolves moved to second place after Kelepi Tanginoa scored four tries in a decisive win bbc.com over Castleford Tigers. On the ice, the Colorado Avalanche became the first NHL team to clinch a playoff berth espn.com following their 4-1 defeat of the Blackhawks. Finally, in snooker, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh shocked Ronnie O'Sullivan in the World Open final, compiling a maximum 147 break during his 10-7 victory in Yushan, China bbc.com.