General Sports 3d Briefing
×Football & Rugby
Colorado quarterback Dominiq Ponder espn.com died in a single-car crash at age, prompting the Buffaloes to mourn their teammate during practice. Former England player Anthony Watson bbc.com revealed he cheated a concussion test during the 2017 Lions tour of New Zealand, admitting he memorised answers to circumvent head injury protocol. England hooker Jamie George bbc.com said rugby's relationship with head injuries has changed dramatically during his career, while ex-captain Lewis Moody bbc.com told former teammate Ben Youngs he was "very aware" of the risks posed during his playing days. The Six Nations trophy will be replaced after fire damage bbc.com during transit, and Ireland forwards coach Paul O'Connell bbc.com said it's pleasing to see pre-match plans come to fruition ahead of their game with Wales. Scotland received an unexpected boost with Jack Dempsey's bbc.com return to the squad before facing Grand Slam-chasing France.
Basketball
Michigan espn.com clinched the Big Ten regular-season title with an 84-70 victory over No. 10 Illinois, while No. 7 Florida espn.com earned at least a share of the SEC title with a 111-77 romp over 20th-ranked Arkansas. UConn espn.com completed its 11th undefeated regular season Sunday night, positioning itself nine wins from repeating as national champion. Duke espn.com took the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press men's college basketball poll for a record 149th time, while UConn espn.com remained unanimous No. 1 in the women's AP Top. Miami (Ohio) espn.com extended its season-opening winning streak to 29 games with a last-second victory over Western Michigan. USC's espn.com leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer with the men's basketball program, announced a day after leaving the Trojans' loss to Nebraska.
Tennis & Golf
Marco Bezzecchi bbc.com won the opening race of the Moto GP season in Thailand as defending champion Marc Marquez retired late. Daniil Medvedev bbc.com won the Dubai Tennis Championships title after Tallon Griekspoor withdrew due to injury. Nico Echavarria espn.com shot a 5-under 66 to win at PGA National, beating Shane Lowry who had two double bogeys in his final round. Casey Jarvis espn.com shot a 3-under 67 to win the South African Open on the DP World Tour, earning spots in the Masters and Open Championship. Hannah Green bbc.com won the LPGA's Women's World Championship in Singapore with her husband stepping in as her caddie.
Cricket & Baseball
India bbc.com beat West Indies by five wickets to qualify for the T20 World Cup semi-finals, where they'll meet England at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. South Africa bbc.com beat Zimbabwe by five wickets to finish top of Group 1 in the Super 8s and set up a semi-final against New Zealand. Pakistan bbc.com was knocked out as New Zealand reached the T20 World Cup semis, with Sahibzada Farhan making a superb century but missing out on a semi-final spot on net run-rate. Ireland bbc.com started their FIH Hockey World Cup qualification campaign brightly with a 5-2 victory over Canada in Santiago.
Motorsport & Olympics
Tyler Reddick espn.com became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the first three races of the season with victory at Circuit of the Americas. Ahead of Formula 1's new era with all-new cars and engines, the Australian Grand Prix espn.com opens what is arguably F1's biggest-ever rules shake-up. Mathieu van der Poel bbc.com won the men's race at Omloop het Nieuwsblad, with Dutch compatriot Demi Vollering triumphing in the women's event. Brigid Kosgei bbc.com set a new course record of 2:14:29 with a commanding victory at the Tokyo Marathon.
Hockey & Combat Sports
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bbc.com marked his return from injury with 36 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Denver Nuggets 127-121 in overtime. Lone'er Kavanagh bbc.com claimed the biggest win of his career, upsetting former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno in Mexico City. The UFC announced a vacant light heavyweight title bout between Jiri Prochazka espn.com and Carlos Ulberg at UFC, with former champ Alex Pereira vacating his belt. Hilary Knight espn.com appeared on "Saturday Night Live" along with U.S. women's hockey teammates Megan Keller and the Hughes brothers.
Soccer
Manchester United bbc.com secured victory over Crystal Palace with Bruno Fernandes described as a "coach on the pitch" by Match of the Day pundit Joe Hart. Inter Miami espn.com finally got their 2026 MLS season on track with a comeback win, climbing in the latest ESPN Power Rankings. Barry Hawkins bbc.com won his first Welsh Open title, beating Jack Lisowski 9-5 in the final. The women's US Half Marathon Championship race in Atlanta ended in controversy after a guide vehicle took the leading athletes the wrong way.
College Sports & Administration
Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer with USC's men's basketball program. Michigan's espn.com L.J. Cason, who had emerged as one of the premier backup guards, suffered a torn right ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Colorado espn.com defensive assistant Warren Sapp resigned to "pursue other opportunities," and Chris Marve was promoted to defensive coordinator. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley espn.com said the school is working to help former players return home from Israel where they are playing. The GAA's Annual Congress at Croke Park was disrupted by a protest calling for the association to cut ties with sponsor Allianz.
Travel & Global Issues
Travel issues espn.com amid Middle East war affected athletes, with tennis star Daniil Medvedev indicating he's among those trying to leave Dubai as the conflict caused widespread travel shutdowns. Australian Grand Prix organisers are "really confident" the travel chaos caused by the conflict in the Middle East will not impact the opening Formula 1 race of the season. The England Lions squad are "following official advice" in the UAE after Iran launched attacks throughout the Middle East."