General Sports 3d Briefing
×NCAA Basketball & College Sports
UConn espn.com completed its 11th undefeated regular season, positioning itself nine wins from repeating as national champion. North Carolina espn.com denied Duke an outright ACC women's title with a 74-69 victory, while Florida espn.com clinched at least a share of the SEC title with a 111-77 romp over Arkansas. Michigan espn.com secured the Big Ten regular-season crown by defeating Illinois 84-70, though the Wolverines later lost guard L.J. Cason for the season with a torn ACL. Miami of Ohio espn.com extended its season-opening winning streak to 29 games with a last-second 69-67 victory over Western Michigan.
Women's Basketball & CBA Negotiations
Kelsey Plum espn.com said the WNBA's CBA offer to the WNBPA represents a "significant win" but negotiations should continue, warning that "a strike would be the worst thing for both sides." Meanwhile, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley espn.com revealed the school is working to help former players return home from Israel, where they are playing professionally.
Rugby & International Sports
Ireland bbc.com aims to build on their Six Nations win over England as they prepare to face Wales, with forwards coach Paul O'Connell praising pre-match plans coming to fruition. The Six Nations trophy will be "retired from ceremonial use" and replaced after fire damage during transit. Scotland bbc.com received an unexpected boost with Jack Dempsey's return to the squad before facing Grand Slam-chasing France. In rugby league, St Helens bbc.com thrashed Catalans Dragons with Daryl Clark marking his 350th Super League appearance with two tries, while Warrington bbc.com extended their winning start by withstanding a Wakefield Trinity fightback.
NFL & Combat Sports
Tyler Reddick espn.com made NASCAR Cup Series history by winning the first three races of the season at Circuit of the Americas. In UFC, Britain's Lone'er Kavanagh bbc.com claimed the biggest win of his career by upsetting former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno in Mexico City. Lewis Crocker's bbc.com manager said the IBF welterweight champion's hand injury is "nothing too serious" ahead of his title defense.
Tennis & Golf
Daniil Medvedev espn.com indicated he's among athletes trying to leave Dubai amid Middle East travel disruptions. Nico Echavarria espn.com won the Cognizant tournament after Shane Lowry collapsed with two double bogeys, while Barry Hawkins bbc.com claimed his first Welsh Open title by beating Jack Lisowski 9-5. Casey Jarvis espn.com earned Masters and Open Championship spots by winning the South African Open with a 3-under.
Cricket & T20 World Cup
India bbc.com beat West Indies by five wickets to book a T20 World Cup semi-final against England, with Sanju Samson's unbeaten 97 proving decisive. South Africa bbc.com powered past Zimbabwe to seal Super 8s top spot and set up a semi-final against New Zealand, though their batting performance was unconvincing. Pakistan bbc.com was knocked out despite Sahibzada Farhan's superb century against Sri Lanka, missing the semi-finals on net run-rate.
Formula 1 & Motorsport
Marco Bezzecchi bbc.com won the Moto GP season opener in Thailand as defending champion Marc Marquez retired late. Matthew Brennan bbc.com became the first Briton to win the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne one-day race since Sir Mark Cavendish. Australian Grand Prix organizers remain "really confident" that Middle East travel chaos won't impact the season-opening F1 race, as Formula 1 enters a new era with significant rule changes for 2026.
Winter Sports & Hockey
Hilary Knight espn.com appeared on "Saturday Night Live" alongside U.S. women's hockey teammates Megan Keller and the Hughes brothers. The Phantom espn.com will face the Vinyl and the Mist will play the Breeze in Unrivaled playoffs semifinals Monday in Brooklyn.
GAA & Other Sports
GAA Congress bbc.com at Croke Park was disrupted by a protest calling for the association to cut ties with sponsor Allianz. In the National League, Donegal bbc.com continued their strong form while Derry surged. Alyssa Healy bbc.com ended her one-day international career with a stunning 158 as Australia completed a clean sweep of their 50-over series against India in Hobart.
Player News & Transfers
Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder espn.com died in a single-car crash at age. USC's Chad Baker-Mazara espn.com is no longer with the men's basketball program, departing a day after leaving the Trojans' loss to Nebraska. Warren Sapp espn.com resigned as Colorado defensive assistant to "pursue other opportunities," with Chris Marve promoted to defensive coordinator.
Media & Analysis
ESPN's panel unanimously agreed on 21 of 31 Champ Week winners in women's NCAA tournament projections, though the Big 12 wasn't among them. Analysts examined how Bruno Fernandes bbc.com effectively "coached" Manchester United to victory over Crystal Palace by getting the best from teammates. The upcoming season's quarterback transfers and new coaches are creating intrigue across college football as camps prepare to open.