General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 24, 2026, 5:30 AM ET
NCAA Women's Basketball Advances to Sweet 16
The NCAA Women's Tournament field narrowed to 16 teams following a dramatic day of second-round action, where UVA ousted Iowa espn.com in double overtime, becoming the first First Four entrant to reach the Sweet 16 after securing an 83-75 victory over the host Hawkeyes. In contrast to Virginia's tight battle, UConn rolled past Syracuse espn.com by a dominant 98-45 margin, fueled by Azzi Fudd's 26 first-half points during a decisive 31-0 run at Gampel Pavilion. Several top seeds advanced, including South Carolina, which cruised past Southern espn.com with Joyce Edwards netting 27 points, while Minnesota reached its first Sweet 16 in 21 years after Amaya Battle hit a tiebreaking jumper espn.com with 0.7 seconds remaining to defeat Mississippi 65-63. The bracket now features six teams from the SEC and five from the ACC, prompting Syracuse coach Felisha Legette-Jack to blast the NCAA committee espn.com for consistently placing her team in the difficult UConn subregional.
NCAA Men's Tournament Sweet 16 Set Amid Coaching Changes
The men's bracket solidified its Sweet 16 lineup following several close calls, including St. John's advancing for the first time since 1999 after Dylan Darling's buzzer-beating layup espn.com sealed a 67-65 win over Kansas. Purdue also moved on, with coach Matt Painter achieving his 500th career victory espn.com at his alma mater in a 79-69 victory over Miami, while Michigan, the Midwest Region's top seed, powered past Saint Louis thanks to Yaxel Lendeborg's 25-point performance to make the Sweet 16 espn.com. The tournament's high stakes are coinciding with movement on the coaching carousel, as sources indicate Cincinnati is preparing to hire Utah State's Jerrod Calhoun, who has guided the Aggies to back-to-back NCAA tournaments, while Arizona State secured Saint Mary's Randy Bennett espn.com as its new head coach on Monday. Furthermore, Creighton coach Greg McDermott announced his retirement after the season, concluding a 16-year tenure where he amassed 365 wins, and Kansas coach Bill Self confirmed espn.com he has yet to decide on his future following their season-ending loss.
Tennis Stars Dominate Miami Open & Record Milestones
In Miami, Jannik Sinner continued his exceptional run by defeating Corentin Moutet to surpass Novak Djokovic’s decade-old record for consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 events, cementing his place in elite company during his Miami Open victory bbc.com. World number one Aryna Sabalenka also advanced, making light work of Zheng Qinwen before sweeping past Caty McNally to reach the last 16 and keep her hopes alive for the 'Sunshine Double' by racing to the win bbc.com. On the organizational side, Iga Swiatek, a six-time major winner, announced a coaching split from Wim Fissette following an early exit from the tournament parting ways with her coach bbc.com.
Cricket & Rugby Updates Amid Review and Player Opt-Outs
English men's cricket continues to face scrutiny, with former captain Michael Vaughan stating that head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key were fortunate to retain their positions following a post-Ashes review, though ECB chief executive Richard Gould later backed McCullum as the right man bbc.com to lead the team forward despite the 4-1 defeat. Meanwhile, in Ireland, players participating in the upcoming summer series against Afghanistan have been given the option to decline participation, Cricket Ireland's Graeme West confirmed, offering flexibility due to the sensitive nature of the fixture allowing players to opt out bbc.com. In other international rugby news, England is scheduled to host Canada in a September fixture that will serve as a rematch of the 2025 Women's World Cup final, part of the WXV Global Series lineup England to host Canada bbc.com.
TGL Championship Decided & Golf Majors Outlook
The inaugural TGL championship concluded with Los Angeles Golf Club narrowly defeating Jupiter Links Golf Club 6-5 in the first match of the best-of-three final series on Monday night, a result that prompted Tiger Woods to confirm espn.com he will play in Match 2 to keep Jupiter Links' season alive. to the Masters, Matt Fitzpatrick's recent form, highlighted by his third US PGA Tour title, places him among the favorites for Augusta National, as his performance in bedrock statistical categories puts him among favourites bbc.com. Separately, Olympic champion Sifan Hassan has withdrawn from the upcoming London Marathon next month due to an Achilles injury sustained during a treadmill mishap Hassan out of marathon bbc.com.
UFC London, Snooker Final & Athletics History
The UFC London event saw Movsar Evloev secure a majority decision victory over Lerone Murphy, thereby crushing Murphy's title hopes bbc.com in the featherweight division, which contributed to renewed debate over fighter compensation following several career-defining performances on the undercard fighter pay debate laid bare bbc.com. In snooker, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh stunned Ronnie O'Sullivan in the World Open final, achieving a maximum 147 break during his 10-7 victory in Yushan, China Un-Nooh makes 147 break bbc.com. Across athletics, Great Britain made history at the World Indoor Championships in Poland, capturing three gold medals within a sensational 28-minute span to achieve their best-ever medal haul GB make history bbc.com; this included Keely Hodgkinson dominating the 800m for her first world indoor title with a championship record, and Josh Kerr reclaiming his world indoor 3,000m crown after recovering from injury Kerr takes indoor gold bbc.com, while teammate Kate O'Connor secured a bronze in the pentathlon O'Connor secures bronze bbc.com.
Formula, Rugby Union & Other Global Sports Notes
In Formula, questions persist regarding Adrian Newey’s impact following the installation of his dedicated team principal project at Aston Martin, which faces scrutiny bbc.com ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. In global rugby union, the Stormers moved back into the United Rugby Championship play-off positions after securing a four-try victory over the Dragons, while Welsh sides received a boost with the return of Taulupe Faletau, Jac Morgan, and Elliot Dee Wales boosted by trio bbc.com. Meanwhile, the Welsh Rugby Union has extended the negotiation period for the sale of Cardiff Rugby to Ospreys owners Y11 by 30 days deadline for buyout extended bbc.com, and in a historic appointment for the Super League, Tara Jones will become the first woman to referee a top-flight match when Wigan faces Huddersfield Jones named first woman referee bbc.com.
WNBA CBA Ratified & Football Coaching Hires
WNBA players overwhelmingly approved the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, with the union reporting that over 90% of players participated in the vote, resulting in a unanimous ratification WNBA players sign off espn.com as the league anticipates a busy offseason including an expansion draft and college draft. In college football news, the discussion around future production for the 2026 season suggests strong returning classes for teams like Notre Dame and Texas, though the volatility shown in the 2025 season indicates that returning production may not guarantee success returning production looks like espn.com. College basketball also saw movement, with Charlotte hiring Wes Miller following his dismissal from Cincinnati, and sources confirming that Syracuse is nearing an agreement to hire former star Gerry McNamara as its next head coach Cuse turns to ex-star McNamara espn.com.