General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 24, 2026, 12:30 AM ET
NCAA Women's Tournament Advances
The Women's NCAA Sweet 16 began taking shape over the weekend, marked by significant upsets and dominant performances from top seeds. UConn rolled into the Sweet 16 espn.com after Azzi Fudd exploded for 26 first-half points in a commanding 98-45 victory over Syracuse at Gampel Pavilion, fueling their 31-0 second-half run Women's March Madness Day 2 takeaways espn.com. In a historic achievement, Virginia became the first First Four team espn.com to reach the regional semifinals, stunning host Iowa 83-75 in double overtime, while TCU also punched their ticket espn.com by outlasting Washington 62-59 in overtime, securing their second straight Sweet 16 appearance TCU outlasts UW in OT espn.com. Meanwhile, South Carolina asserted its dominance espn.com in the first round, with Joyce Edwards pouring in 27 points and grabbing eight rebounds in a 103-34 dismantling of Southern Edwards' 27 lead S. Carolina rout espn.com.
NCAA Men's Tournament Showcases Upsets & Milestones
The Men's NCAA tournament saw several thrilling second-round matchups solidify the Sweet 16 field, with established coaches reaching career milestones amidst the chaos Men's Sweet 16 preview espn.com. Purdue advanced to the regional semifinals espn.com as coach Matt Painter secured his 500th career victory at his alma mater with a 79-69 defeat of Miami. The field also welcomed an improbable entrant, as Texas, emerging from the First Four espn.com, upset No. 3 seed Gonzaga 74-68 to punch their ticket, with coach Sean Miller rejecting any "Cinderella" label for his squad Miller: Texas not Cinderella espn.com. Elsewhere, St. John's reached its first Sweet 16 since 1999 espn.com on a Dylan Darling buzzer-beater to down Kansas 67-65, capping a wild weekend that saw tournament ratings achieve their best start since 2011 March Madness ratings off to best start espn.com.
Coaching Carousel Heats Up After Tournament Exits
The conclusion of major tournament action accelerated the college basketball coaching carousel, with several high-profile openings being filled and others remaining in flux Sources: Cuse turns to ex-star McNamara as HC espn.com. Arizona State successfully hired Saint Mary's Randy Bennett espn.com as their new head coach on Monday, while Syracuse is reportedly nearing an agreement with former star Gerry McNamara, currently the coach at Siena Sources: Cuse turns to ex-star McNamara as HC espn.com. Not all coaches are departing, however, as Creighton's Greg McDermott announced his retirement after a distinguished 16-year tenure where he accrued 365 victories Creighton coach McDermott retiring espn.com. In other high-major news, UNC officials are reportedly discussing the future of Hubert Davis following another first-round exit Sources: UNC, Davis discussing future espn.com.
Professional Sports: Contract Moves & On-Field Action
In professional leagues, the New York Jets are taking a massive financial hit by moving on from former starters, with the team committing a combined $48 million espn.com to Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields not to be their primary quarterback in 2026, consuming roughly 16% of their cap space. On the ice, the Colorado Avalanche became the first NHL team espn.com to clinch a playoff berth following a decisive 4-1 win over the Blackhawks. Meanwhile, WNBA players overwhelmingly ratified their new Collective Bargaining Agreement, with the union confirming that over 90% of players participated in a vote that resulted in a unanimous approval WNBA players sign off on CBA espn.com.
Tennis & Athletics See Player Changes and On-Court Drama
The Miami Open provided significant movement in the tennis world, as World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the last 16 bbc.com after dispatching Zheng Qinwen, though Medvedev's match was briefly interrupted by an unusual overhead camera issue Sabalenka and Gauff win in Miami bbc.com. In a surprising development, Iga Swiatek confirmed her split from coach Wim Fissette following her early departure from the tournament Swiatek splits from coach after Miami exit bbc.com. Globally, track and field achieved historic success at the World Indoor Championships in Poland; Great Britain secured three gold medals within a sensational 28-minute span bbc.com to achieve their best-ever haul. This included Josh Kerr regaining his world indoor 3,000m title after a lengthy recovery from injury From crutches to world crown bbc.com, while Ireland's Kate O'Connor secured the pentathlon bronze medal O'Connor secures World Indoor pentathlon bronze bbc.com.
Cricket Management Under Intense Scrutiny
The state of English men's cricket remains a subject of intense review following the Ashes defeat, with former captain Michael Vaughan suggesting that head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key were fortunate to retain their positions McCullum and Key very lucky to survive bbc.com. Despite the 4-1 loss in Australia, ECB chief executive Richard Gould defended McCullum, asserting that sacking the coach would have been the "easy" decision and backing the current leadership to move the team forward Sacking McCullum would have been 'easy' bbc.com. Meanwhile, England captain Ben Stokes admitted the preceding three months represented "the hardest period" of his captaincy but expressed confidence in the existing structure Stokes looks to future bbc.com.
Rugby & Soccer Developments
In European rugby action, Leicester Tigers delivered a powerful performance in the Premiership while Harlequins slipped further down the table Quins feel pain, Russell prevails bbc.com, and Exeter moved into the play-off positions by defeating Sale 26-14. Internationally, the Welsh Rugby Union extended the negotiation deadline Deadline for Cardiff buyout extended bbc.com for the sale of Cardiff Rugby. In soccer, Real Madrid earned a hard-fought derby victory, while Manchester City overcame Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final Carabao Cup reality check for Arsenal espn.com. Furthermore, refereeing history was made as Tara Jones was named the first woman to officiate a Super League match between Wigan and Huddersfield Jones named first woman to referee bbc.com.
Other Global Sports Notes
In motorsports, NASCAR's Tyler Reddick joined an elite club by securing his fourth victory of the season Rare air: Tyler Reddick in elite club espn.com at Darlington, known as the "Track Too Tough To Tame." Moto GP saw Marco Bezzecchi triumph in Brazil, though the race was shortened to 31 laps due to extreme heat conditions Bezzecchi wins Brazil MotoGP bbc.com. Tennis star Iga Swiatek's recent Miami exit was quickly followed by her decision to part ways with coach Wim Fissette Swiatek splits from coach after Miami exit bbc.com. Finally, a bipartisan Senate bill was introduced seeking to ban prediction markets from facilitating transactions that closely mimic traditional sports betting Bill seeks to ban sports bets espn.com.