General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 23, 2026, 3:30 AM ET
NCAA Men's Tournament: Sweet 16 Field Settles
The men's NCAA tournament bracket has solidified its Sweet 16 lineup, featuring five representatives from the Big Ten conference alongside an "upset-minded" Texas squad following a weekend of dramatic finishes espn.com. Texas authored one of the weekend's biggest stories, becoming the first team in five years to advance from the First Four to the Sweet 16 espn.com, culminating in a 74-68 victory over Gonzaga, a result Coach Sean Miller insisted does not classify his team as a Cinderella espn.com. Elsewhere, St. John's punched their ticket for the first time since 1999 when Dylan Darling's buzzer-beating layup espn.com sent Kansas home 67-65, prompting longtime Jayhawks coach Bill Self to confirm he has yet to decide on his coaching future espn.com. Meanwhile, Purdue secured Matt Painter's 500th win at the school by defeating Miami 79-69 espn.com, and Michigan, the Midwest Region's top seed, moved on after Yaxel Lendeborg dropped 25 points against Saint Louis espn.com.
The second round also saw major upsets and scoring outbursts, including Iowa eliminating defending champion Florida after Alvaro Folgueiras nailed a late 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds remaining espn.com. In contrast, Kentucky suffered its worst tournament defeat since 1972, falling to Iowa State 82-63; the Wildcats forward, Dai Dai Ames, reportedly uses manga comics to aid recovery from injury espn.com. The action also featured dominant individual performances, such as Tarris Reed Jr.'s historic outing for UConn, where he posted 31 points and 27 rebounds espn.com in an 82-71 win over Furman. Utah State also advanced Friday, riding a second-half rally that saw MJ Collins finish with 20 points in an 86-76 decision over Villanova espn.com.
NCAA Women's Tournament Advances
The women's NCAA bracket saw several close calls and dominant seeding outcomes as the field narrowed towards the Sweet 16 espn.com. No. 3 seed TCU outlasted Washington 62-59 in overtime Sunday, propelled by Olivia Miles' 18 points and 10 rebounds, sending the Horned Frogs to the Sweet 16 for the second time espn.com. Minnesota also secured its first Sweet 16 appearance in 21 years after Amaya Battle hit a tiebreaking jump shot with 0.7 seconds left to lift the Gophers past Mississippi 65-63 espn.com. In contrast, No. 1 seed South Carolina began its campaign with a massive 103-34 victory over Southern, led by Joyce Edwards' 27 points espn.com. USC advanced to the second round only after a late review nullified a Clemson buzzer-beater, allowing them to win in overtime 71-67 espn.com, while No. 10 seed Virginia authored the tournament's first major upset by toppling No. 7 Georgia 82-73 espn.com.
Top seeds continued to assert control, as evidenced by No. 1 Texas rolling past No. 8 Oregon 100-58, where Madison Booker delivered a career-high 40 points espn.com. UCLA also moved forward in a tight contest, though Skyy Clark played through the pain after losing a chunk of his front tooth in the first round win over UCF espn.com. Elsewhere, Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey received the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the top player in college women's hockey espn.com, and UCLA coach Cori Close praised Lauren Betts for her courageous vulnerability regarding mental health espn.com.
Coaching Carousel and Off-Court Developments
The post-season coaching shuffle continued with key hires across college basketball, while the NCAA took legal action against a major betting operator. Syracuse is reportedly working toward hiring Siena's Gerry McNamara as its next head coach, according to sources espn.com, and Georgia Tech tapped former Troy coach Scott Cross for their vacant position espn.com. Providence also filled its opening by bringing in USF's Bryan Hodgson espn.com, while Cal State Bakersfield is targeting USC assistant Todd Lee amid ongoing internal issues at CSUB espn.com. In litigation news, the NCAA filed a lawsuit against Draft Kings on Friday, accusing the sportsbook of trademark infringement for using terms like "March Madness" espn.com.
Global Sports and Combat Sports
In international motorsports, Marco Bezzecchi continued his strong start to the Moto GP season by claiming victory in Brazil, though the race was shortened to 31 laps due to extreme heat bbc.com. Meanwhile, NASCAR's Tyler Reddick joined an elite club with his fourth victory of the season at Darlington espn.com. In combat sports, the debate over fighter compensation re-emerged following UFC London, where Movsar Evloev secured a majority decision victory that crushed Lerone Murphy's title hopes in the featherweight division bbc.com. Paddy Pimblett is targeting a return to the Octagon in July during the promotion's international fight week bbc.com. In boxing, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh shocked Ronnie O'Sullivan in the World Open final, composing a maximum 147 break during his 10-7 snooker victory bbc.com.
Rugby, Football, and Athletics
The United Rugby Championship saw several outcomes, with Stormers regaining second place after scoring four tries against the Dragons bbc.com, and Connacht securing a statement victory over Ulster with a powerful second-half display bbc.com. Welsh rugby received a boost as Taulupe Faletau, Jac Morgan, and Elliot Dee return to the squad bbc.com, while Gloucester-Hartpury moved to the top of Premiership Women's Rugby after Mia Venner scored a hat-trick bbc.com. On the football pitch, Wales manager Craig Bellamy offered an in-depth look into his philosophy, discussing topics ranging from Balkan history to playing Ken and Barbie bbc.com. In track and field, Great Britain made history at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Poland, securing three gold medals in a sensational 28-minute span bbc.com, including Keely Hodgkinson winning the 800m with a championship record bbc.com.
Other Noteworthy Global Events
In cycling, Tadej Pogacar denied Tom Pidcock to claim his first Milan-San Remo title bbc.com, though Italian rider Debora Silvestri suffered a serious crash, breaking five ribs during the women's classic bbc.com. In other major news, Australian swimmer Cameron McEvoy shattered Cesar Cielo's long-standing 50m freestyle world record bbc.com. Rwanda's Fanny Utagushimaninde became the youngest women's T20 centurion at just 15 years and 223 days old bbc.com. Furthermore, the debate over potential rule changes in tennis continues as Wimbledon announced it will introduce video review technology for the first time this year bbc.com.