General Sports 24-Hour Briefing
×College Basketball
UNI clinched its first NCAA berth since 2016 with a 84-69 victory over UIC in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament final. Trey Campbell led the Panthers with 23 points on six 3-pointers. Boston College fired coach Earl Grant after five seasons, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Georgia Tech also parted ways with Damon Stoudamire following a last-place finish in his third season. Arkansas gave John Calipari his 900th career victory with an 88-84 overtime win over Missouri. UConn fell to Marquette 68-62 after coach Danny Hurley was ejected in the final second.
UFC & Combat Sports
Charles Oliveira dominated Max Holloway to win the BMF title by unanimous decision at UFC 26 in Las Vegas. Dana White confirmed Jon Jones was "never ever" in his mind for the White House card, leaving both Jones and Conor McGregor off the June 14 event. The UFC's White House card will be headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title, with Alex Pereira facing Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight championship. Analysts are questioning whether Holloway's loss marks the end of the BMF title's prestige.
International Sports
England's men secured their Hockey World Cup qualification with a 4-1 victory over Pakistan in Egypt. Defending champion Luke Littler advanced to the UK Open semi-finals with a win over 2022 champion Danny Noppert. New Zealander Brett Randell made cricket history by becoming the first bowler in 254 years to take five wickets in five balls. Team GB's mixed doubles curling pair lost to China, while the mixed team was narrowly edged out by Canada at the Winter Paralympics.
Rugby Union
Leicester Tigers overpowered defending champions Bath to set up a Premiership Rugby Cup final against Exeter at Welford Road. Exeter scored four tries to defeat Northampton Saints 31-14 and reach the final. Ireland debutant Nathan Doak said his first cap came "at the right time" in Friday's 27-17 win over Wales. Scotland delivered arguably their best performance in 40 years to defeat France, giving themselves an unlikely shot at the Six Nations title. Italy celebrated their first-ever win over England at the 33rd attempt, prompting questions about whether this marks the beginning of the end for England's current regime.
Tennis
Sonay Kartal saved a match point and took a medical timeout before battling to a 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-2) victory over Emma Navarro in the second round at Indian Wells. British Winter Olympic gold medallist Charlotte Bankes claimed victory in the women's snowboard cross at a World Cup event in Erzurum, Turkey. Filipina tennis prodigy Alex Eala will face Coco Gauff on Sunday after drawing enormous crowds throughout the tournament.
Winter Sports
Defending champion Luke Littler moved into the UK Open quarter-finals with a comfortable 10-5 win over Gary Anderson, though Luke Humphries fell 10-6 to Danny Noppert. Snowboarder Emanuel Perathoner won Paralympic gold at his home Games after competing in two Olympics for Italy and overcoming a devastating knee injury.
Soccer & Other Sports
If Wales qualify for the 2026 World Cup, they are likely to be based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hull KR got their Super League season underway with a 32-6 victory at winless Huddersfield Giants. Mared Griffiths shone as Wales defeated Montenegro in World Cup qualifying. Racing Bulls' rookie Arvid Lindblad said he "showed people a bit of what I am here to do" after finishing eighth on his F1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander moved within two games of breaking Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Golden State Warriors.
NCAA Women's Basketball
UConn's Azzi Fudd and Texas' Madison Booker headline the Wooden Award top 15 short list, with both programs placing multiple players on the list. The NCAA women's hockey tournament field is set, with the road to the Frozen Four now mapped out.