General Sports 24-Hour Briefing
×NCAA Basketball
Florida and Houston surged into the top five of the final AP poll before Selection Sunday, while Duke, Arizona, and Michigan held the top three spots. UCLA narrowed the gap on UConn in the women's poll, picking up three first-place votes, as Texas jumped South Carolina to No. 3. West Virginia avenged two regular-season losses to TCU with a 62-53 win in the Big 12 tournament final, while UCLA rolled past Iowa 96-45 to claim its second straight Big Ten tournament crown. Texas sprinted to a 14-0 lead and defeated South Carolina 70-63 for its first women's SEC tournament title.
International Sports
Ukraine's Maksym Murashkovskyi credited Chat GPT for helping him win Para-biathlon silver at the Winter Paralympics. Russia claimed its first Paralympic gold since 2014 when Varvara Voronchikhina won the standing super-G. Britain's Sky Brown became a skateboarding world champion for the second time, winning gold in Brazil. Ireland clinched a Hockey World Cup finals spot with a dramatic shootout win over Japan. Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo regained the world half-marathon record in Lisbon.
Horse Racing
Sean Bowen is aiming for his first Cheltenham Festival victory after achieving nearly everything else in his jockey career. Trainer Jeremy Scott believes Golden Ace can successfully defend her Champion Hurdle title. The 1976 Cheltenham Festival marked a historic moment when Gillian Fortescue-Thomas became the first female rider to complete a race. Horse racing trainer Jamie Williams was found guilty of assaulting a dog walker with a hockey stick, leaving the victim with a broken arm.
Rugby Union
Scotland will be without six players including first-choice second-row pair Gregor Brown and Scott Cummings for their Six Nations clash with Ireland. Ireland host England in the 2027 Six Nations opener, while Andy Farrell says the pressure of needing a win against Scotland to secure the Triple Crown benefits his side. England may make major changes after three straight defeats, with Steve Borthwick potentially overhauling his backline for the France trip. Italy's historic win over England and Scotland's title chances were among the standout Six Nations talking points.
Combat Sports
Francis Ngannai returns to action May 16 on Jake Paul's inaugural MMA card, headlining alongside a Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano bout. Jai Opetaia could be stripped of his IBF cruiserweight belt after winning the inaugural Zuffa World title. James 'Jazza' Dickens faces Anthony Cacace for the WBA super-featherweight title in Dublin.
Motorsport
Ryan Blaney completed a Team Penske sweep at Phoenix Raceway by winning the Cup Series race Sunday. The Australian Grand Prix sparked debate about whether Max Verstappen could quit F1 and if McLaren is on the ropes.
Tennis
Amanda Anisimova defeated Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-1 in just 52 minutes to reach the Indian Wells fourth round. Raducanu won only 11 points in the first set.
Golf
Akshay Bhatia beat fellow American Daniel Berger in a sudden-death playoff to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. The top 25 players in the Players Championship field are set for TPC Sawgrass.
College Sports
Queens University earned its first NCAA berth in its first year of eligibility, beating Central Arkansas 98-93 in the Atlantic Sun final. Northern Iowa defeated UIC 84-69 to win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and clinch its first NCAA bid since 2016. Boston College fired coach Earl Grant after five seasons. Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. received another technical foul for a kick toward a player's groin.
Other Sports
Sri Lanka named former South Africa batter Gary Kirsten as its new head coach. The UFC 326 BMF title headliner between Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway earned the lowest grade at the event. The Freedom Fights 250 UFC card at the White House has been announced. Wales hope Ashley Phillips will switch from England to boost their World Cup qualifying hopes.