General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 14, 2026, 12:53 AM ET
College Basketball
UCLA advanced to the Big Ten semifinals espn.com with an 88-84 victory over No. 8 Michigan State despite star Tyler Bilodeau suffering an injury that forced him out in the first half. Meanwhile, Jaden Bradley's buzzer-beater lifted Arizona espn.com to an 82-80 win over Iowa State, sending the No. 2 Wildcats to the Big 12 tournament final. In coaching moves, Cincinnati fired Wes Miller espn.com after five seasons, while Kansas State is expected to hire Belmont's Alexander espn.com to replace Bruce Weber. Pitt's Jeff Capel will return for a ninth season espn.com despite falling "well short" of expectations this year, according to athletic director Allen Greene.
College Football
The 2026 NFL draft order is now set across all seven rounds espn.com, with the Raiders holding the No. 1 pick and the Broncos selecting last at No. 257. Conference realignment continues as both C-USA and the Sun Belt included Louisiana Tech on 2026 schedules espn.com amid the Bulldogs' pending league switch. Miami is facing its most challenging offseason espn.com yet under Mario Cristobal as the Hurricanes aim to return to college football's mountaintop.
Professional Basketball
Tennessee freshman Nate Ament is expected to return for the SEC tournament espn.com after missing two games with a leg injury. Auburn coach Steven Pearl lobbied for his team's NCAA tournament chances espn.com after blowing a double-digit lead in their SEC quarterfinal loss to Tennessee. In international play, Caitlin Clark debuted for Team USA espn.com with 17 points and 12 assists in a dominant 110-64 win over Puerto Rico in FIBA World Cup qualifying.
Rugby Union
Scotland's Six Nations title hopes face their ultimate test against Ireland espn.com in Dublin, with Andy Farrell's side desperate for a Triple Crown bbc.com after ruling out lock James Ryan through injury. France will wear light blue against England bbc.com to mark 120 years of rivalry between the nations. Wales named an unchanged side bbc.com for their finale against Italy, while record-breaking flanker Alex Mann seeks to finish strong bbc.com in Cardiff. Six Georgia rugby players and a team official received sanctions for anti-doping violations bbc.com as part of an "orchestrated scheme."
Horse Racing
The Cheltenham Festival saw two more horse fatalities bbc.com on the final day, with Envoi Allen and Saint Le Fort both dying after races. Trainer Nicky Mullins threatened to boycott future festivals bbc.com over concerns about ground conditions after Fact To File was withdrawn. Harry Redknapp's Jukebox Man was confirmed for the Gold Cup bbc.com alongside 10 other entries, while Ben Jones eyes Gold Cup glory bbc.com aboard the same mount after a promising rugby career through the Scarlets academy. Heart Wood triumphed in the Ryanair Chase bbc.com for trainer Henry de Bromhead, and Il Etait Temps won the Queen Mother Champion Chase bbc.com for Willie Mullins.
Winter Sports
The Winter Paralympics in Milan-Cortina featured Haiti's first Winter Paralympian bbc.com as Ralf Etienne competed 16 years after losing his leg in the 2010 earthquake. Cross-country skier Jake Adicoff became the first out gay man to win individual Paralympic gold bbc.com. Britain's Hester Poole vowed to compete in Saturday's slalom bbc.com after crashing out of the giant slalom on her debut. The Austrian "Von Trapp" siblings, Veronika and Johannes Aigner, dominated the skiing events bbc.com, winning medals and entertaining the athletes' village.
Tennis
At Indian Wells, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat "future champion" Victoria Mboko bbc.com, while Iga Swiatek suffered an upset exit. Britain's Sonay Kartal retired from her fourth-round match bbc.com against Elena Rybakina due to a back injury, calling it "one match too many."
Motorsport
Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth for the Chinese Grand Prix sprint espn.com, noting Ferrari's power unit deficit to Mercedes as the main factor in their gap. The seven-time champion explored every way to attend the Oscars espn.com after the Grand Prix but ultimately couldn't make it work to arrive on time for the ceremony.
Combat Sports
Sean Strickland will challenge Khamzat Chimaev for the UFC middleweight title bbc.com in May. Super featherweight Ryan Garner has his eye on the winner bbc.com of Saturday's world title clash between James Dickens and Anthony Cacace. Jonny Clayton overcame gout to win night six of the Premier League bbc.com, crushing Luke Humphries 6-1 in the final in Nottingham.
Cricket
England bowler Mark Wood said his injured knee is improving but admitted thinking about life after cricket bbc.com for the first time. The historic Hundred auctions took place in the UK, with 89 players picked up in an emotionally draining auction bbc.com. Sunrisers Leeds' purchase of Abrar Ahmed allayed concerns about Pakistan players being overlooked bbc.com in the men's auction.
Other Sports
Graeme McDowell created LIV Golf history bbc.com with a second hole-in-one on the tour in consecutive weeks. Ireland back-row Jack Conan described Scotland fly-half Finn Russell as a player who can "pull a rabbit out of a hat" bbc.com. Ireland's Six Nations Triple Crown decider against Scotland saw flanker Josh van der Flier say recent wins came when his side "played particularly well" bbc.com. England's kicking strategy has become a bugbear for supporters bbc.com, but remains one of their few functioning aspects.