General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 12, 2026, 3:52 PM ET
College Basketball
No. 20 Miami (Ohio) suffered its first loss espn.com with a shocking 87-83 defeat to UMass in the Mid-American Conference tournament opener, while Hofstra returned to the NCAA tournament espn.com for the first time in 25 years after defeating Monmouth 75-69 in the Coastal Athletic Association championship. Meanwhile, No. 10 BYU's Cougars survived a scare espn.com as AJ Dybantsa poured in a Big 12 freshman-record 40 points to outlast Kansas State 105-91 in the conference tournament's opening round.
NFL & College Football
The NFL Players Association prepares for a leadership vote espn.com to select a successor to disgraced former leader Lloyd Howell, while Miami (FL) faces its most challenging offseason espn.com yet under Mario Cristobal as the Hurricanes aim to climb college football's mountaintop once again. In NFL news, Travis Kelce will return for another season bbc.com with the Kansas City Chiefs, who have also agreed to sign Kenneth Walker, according to reports.
Rugby Union
Ireland faces a Triple Crown decider bbc.com against Scotland in Dublin after ruling out lock James Ryan with injury, while England sticks together amid Six Nations struggles bbc.com as head coach Steve Borthwick acknowledges the shirt has "weighed heavy" on some players. Wales names an unchanged side bbc.com for their Six Nations finale against Italy, with Louis Rees-Zammit confident the team will give fans plenty to cheer in Cardiff. Scotland's Gregor Townsend faces his most significant selection dilemma bbc.com before Saturday's crucial trip to Dublin, while uncapped France flanker Temo Matiu will make his debut bbc.com in the Six Nations finale against England in Paris.
Horse Racing
Heart Wood denied Jonbon victory bbc.com in the Ryanair Chase on day three of Cheltenham Festival, giving Henry de Bromhead his first winner of the 2026 meeting. Il Etait Temps powered to victory bbc.com in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, earning Willie Mullins his third win on day two. Lossiemouth cruised to Champion Hurdle glory bbc.com, earning the "Queen of Cheltenham" title with a dominant performance on day one. Harry Redknapp's Jukebox Man was confirmed for the Gold Cup bbc.com alongside 10 other horses in Friday's prestigious feature race.
Winter Paralympics
Cross-country skier Jake Adicoff became the first out gay man bbc.com to win an individual Paralympic gold medal, while Cristian Westemaier Ribera claimed Brazil's first Winter Paralympic medal bbc.com with silver in the Para-cross-country skiing men's seated sprint. Neil Simpson and guide Rob Poth won Great Britain's first medal bbc.com of the Milan-Cortina Games with silver in the alpine combined. Meanwhile, German cross-country skiers protested against Russia bbc.com by turning their backs on gold medallists on the podium, and Sammi Kinghorn revealed she will miss the 2026 Commonwealth Games bbc.com due to pregnancy.
Boxing & MMA
Super featherweight Ryan Garner eyes the winner bbc.com of Saturday night's world title clash between James Dickens and Anthony Cacace, while Ronda Rousey wants to rewrite her ending bbc.com with a return to MMA against Gina Carano on May 16. Harry Hardwick counts himself among the lucky ones bbc.com pursuing the "stupid" career of MMA, acknowledging that "most dreams fail" in the sport.
Cricket
England will keep kicking regardless of fan opinion bbc.com as it remains one of the few functioning aspects of their Six Rivers campaign, while Sussex all-rounder James Coles was signed by London Spirit bbc.com for a Hundred auction-high fee of £390,000. Abrar Ahmed was bought by Sunrisers Leeds bbc.com in the men's Hundred auction to allay concerns about Pakistan players being overlooked by IPL-affiliated franchises. Coaches of Hundred teams say they haven't been directed away bbc.com from signing Pakistan players in Thursday's men's auction.
Golf
Scottie Scheffler remains the overwhelming betting favorite espn.com to capture his third career title at The Players Championship by enormous proportions, while Matt Fitzpatrick says winning Players would be 'up there' bbc.com for him, calling it "the next best thing" to a major victory. Brooks Koepka wants consistency espn.com in his game as he makes just his fourth start since returning to the PGA Tour, and Gary Woodland opened up about his PTSD diagnosis espn.com following 2023 brain surgery, telling Golf Channel he "can't waste energy" trying to fight it.
Other Sports
Great Britain's Hester Poole vowed redemption bbc.com after crashing out of the giant slalom on her Winter Paralympic debut, setting her sights on Saturday's slalom. Tom Dean has the 2028 Olympics in his sights bbc.com after uprooting his life to move to Stirling last year. Davey Todd is a doubt for the North West 200 bbc.com after breaking his femur in a crash at Daytona. Britain's Sonay Kartal retired from her Indian Wells match bbc.com due to a back injury, calling it "one match too many." Will Capon denied a rape charge bbc.com when he appeared at court on Friday. The Big Ten asked the NCAA to pause tampering inquiries espn.com and modernize its rules, while the NCAA announced it will monitor officials espn.com for betting using technology called Prohi Bet.