General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 24, 2026, 5:35 PM ET
NCAA Tournament Shines & Coaching Carousel Spins
The NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament delivered thrilling upsets espn.com as Virginia became the first First Four team to reach the Sweet 16 after edging out host Iowa 83-75 in double overtime, while Texas also made history by advancing from the First Four to the regional semifinals for the first time in five years by defeating Gonzaga 74-68 on Saturday espn.com. UConn continued its dominant run, with Azzi Fudd scoring 26 of her 34 points in the first half to dispatch Syracuse 98-45, prompting Syracuse coach Felisha Legette-Jack to blast the NCAA for the consistent pairing espn.com in the UConn subregional. On the men's side, Purdue secured Matt Painter’s 500th career win at his alma mater by defeating Miami 79-69 to reach the Sweet 16 as excitement builds espn.com, while Kansas coach Bill Self stated he has not made a final decision espn.com on his coaching future following their season-ending loss to St. John's, who advanced when Dylan Darling’s layup at the buzzer secured a 67-65 victory over Kansas espn.com.
The post-season coaching carousel continues to turn rapidly, with Arizona State officially hiring Saint Mary's Randy Bennett espn.com as its new head coach, while Cincinnati is reportedly set to hire Utah State's Jerrod Calhoun, who guided the Aggies to back-to-back NCAA tournaments since the job opened espn.com. Meanwhile, Florida is reportedly hoping to secure coach Todd Golden to a third extension in as many years to fend off interest from schools with open jobs, and in a separate move, Creighton coach Greg McDermott announced his retirement after a successful 16-year tenure where he amassed 365 wins at his school espn.com. Further coaching changes saw Charlotte hire Wes Miller following his dismissal from Cincinnati earlier this month, and Syracuse is moving toward hiring former star Gerry McNamara as its next head coach, according to sources briefing ESPN espn.com.
Professional Golf & Tennis Updates
In professional golf, World Number One Scottie Scheffler made the decision to withdraw from the Houston Open espn.com as he and his wife anticipate the arrival of their second child, a tournament that was already questionable on his schedule. The TGL season concluded Monday night, where Los Angeles Golf Club won 6-5 espn.com against Jupiter Links Golf Club in the first match of the championship series, leading Tiger Woods to confirm he would play in Match 2 of the best-of-three finals after his Jupiter team suffered the narrow opening loss to Los Angeles espn.com. On the tennis circuit, Jannik Sinner surpassed Novak Djokovic's record bbc.com for consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 events during his Miami Open victory over Corentin Moutet, while Aryna Sabalenka also advanced easily to the last 16 in Miami continuing her Sunshine Double bid bbc.com.
International Rugby & Cricket Shakeups
The Welsh rugby scene saw several administrative and personnel developments, as the Welsh Rugby Union extended the negotiation period for the buyout of Cardiff Rugby by 30 days bbc.com, while Alex Mann signed a new long-term contract to remain with Cardiff as a flanker bbc.com. In coaching news, former international centre Ashley Beck will join Sean Lynn's staff as the attack coach for the upcoming Women's Six Nations, and Harlequins appointed Jason Gilmore as permanent head coach, bringing former Australia coach Robbie Deans in as performance director starting next season for the London club bbc.com. Meanwhile, England cricket saw Jonny Bairstow criticize the current England set-up, suggesting a need to bring "the care back in the game," while Ben Duckett withdrew from the forthcoming Indian Premier League in an effort to secure his England spot bbc.com.
Combat Sports & Snooker Milestones
The professional fighting world saw several important developments, including the news that Briton Muhammad Mokaev is slated to fight Adriano Moraes in a flyweight bout on the undercard of the anticipated Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano event in May for the promotion bbc.com. In boxing, Dalton Smith is set to defend his WBC light-welterweight title at home in Sheffield against former world champion Alberto Puello, though cruiserweight Jai Opetaia was stripped of his IBF title after proceeding with a bout without the sanctioning body's approval against Brandon Glanton bbc.com. Snooker celebrated a venue extension, as the World Championship will remain at the Crucible in Sheffield until 2045 following a refurbishment plan that will add up to 500 seats, and in a major upset, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh compiled a maximum 147 break en route to a 10-7 victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the World Open final in Yushan, China bbc.com.
WNBA & League Governance Matters
The WNBA is implementing changes under its new collective bargaining agreement, which players have already ratified with over 90% participation resulting in a unanimous yes vote, and the agreement extends the latest possible end date of the season to November 21, nearly a full month later than the previous deal as confirmed by the union espn.com. This busy offseason for the league also includes an expansion draft and a college draft coming within a short timeframe creating WNBA chaos espn.com. Separately, a bipartisan Senate bill was introduced this week seeking to ban prediction markets from facilitating transactions that mimic sports betting, addressing concerns about the blurring lines between wagering and these forecasting platforms espn.com.
College Athletes & League Legalities
Arkansas star Darius Acuff Jr. secured a landmark endorsement deal, becoming the first NCAA men's basketball athlete to land a signature shoe with a major U.S. brand while still competing collegiately, signing with Reebok for a new line espn.com. Legal challenges are also looming for the NCAA, as a pending arbitration case involving Nebraska could result in wide-ranging salary cap implications for the "messy middle" of college athletics, while Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke has filed a lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction for an additional year of eligibility ahead of next month's NFL draft espn.com. Meanwhile, the NCAA tournament ratings are off to their best start since 2011, reflecting high engagement across both the men's and women's brackets through the first four days espn.com.
Motorsports & Athlete Tributes
NASCAR star Tyler Reddick achieved an elite benchmark, securing his fourth victory of the season at Darlington Raceway, a track that "tested" him in every conceivable way, placing him in an elite club following his performance on Sunday afternoon espn.com. In Moto GP, Marco Bezzecchi continued his strong start to the season by taking the victory in Brazil, although the race was shortened to 31 laps due to extreme heat conditions impacting the riders that weekend bbc.com. World Athletics saw Great Britain achieve a historic haul at the World Indoor Championships in Poland, securing three gold medals within a sensational 28-minute span for the team's best-ever performance, including Keely Hodgkinson who captured the 800m gold with a championship record in her event bbc.com.