General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 14, 2026, 10:45 PM ET
College Basketball: Conference Tourneys & NCAA Field
St. John's secured a 72-52 rout espn.com over sixth-ranked UConn at Madison Square Garden, a tenacious defensive performance that carried the No. 13 Red Storm to its second straight Big East tournament championship and capped a nine-game winning streak. That victory came hours after No. 2 Arizona held off Houston 79-74 espn.com in the Big 12 final, a win that avenged last season's conference tournament loss to the Cougars and also extended the Wildcats' streak to nine. In the Big Ten tournament, No. 3 Michigan erased a late deficit when Yaxel Lendeborg buried a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left espn.com, defeating No. 23 Wisconsin 68-65 to advance to the championship game. The Bruins' leading scorer, Tyler Bilodeau, suffered a mild right knee strain in a separate game but is expected to be available for the NCAA tournament espn.com, though he missed UCLA's subsequent 88-84 win over No. 8 Michigan State. The women's tournament field was also set, with North Carolina and West Virginia among the top 16 seeds espn.com, earning the right to host first- and second-round games. The projected betting handle for both the men's and women's tournaments is approximately $3.3 billion espn.com, a slight year-over-year increase according to the American Gaming Association.
Golf: Players Championship & External Disruption
Sweden's Ludvig Aberg serenely plotted his way around TPC Sawgrass bbc.com to card a steady even-par, extending his lead to three shots heading into the final round of the Players Championship. His poised play contrasted with a major disruption earlier in the day when a fatal shooting near the course delayed spectator entry bbc.com for several hours as law enforcement investigated the incident outside the stadium complex. The tournament proceeded after the all-clear was given, setting the stage for Aberg's final pairing as he seeks his first Players title.
Six Nations Rugby: Ireland's Triumph & England's Struggle
Ireland secured a fourth Triple Crown in five years bbc.com with a ruthless 43-21 victory over Scotland in Dublin, a performance head coach Andy Farrell described as having a "ruthless edge." The win, powered by a first-half hat-trick from Rob Baloucoune, clinched the championship for France, who retained the title with a win over England bbc.com in Paris. Scotland's loss, their 12th consecutive defeat to Ireland, left their play-off hopes dented, with captain Sione Tuipulotu admitting the team had been "to hell and back" to become contenders. Wales ended a three-year Six Nations losing streak bbc.com with a bonus-point 31-24 victory over Italy in Cardiff, a result that lifted them off the bottom of the table. England's campaign ended in disappointment bbc.com as head coach Steve Borthwick faces intense scrutiny after a fifth-place finish, with analysis showing the team's kicking, while a bugbear for fans, remains one of their few functional areas. France wore a special light blue shirt bbc.com to mark 120 years of rivalry in their win.
Boxing: World Title & Future Matchups
Belfast's Anthony Cacace became the new WBA super-featherweight champion bbc.com via unanimous decision over James 'Jazza' Dickens in Dublin, claiming his second world title. His victory immediately drew interest from contenders like Ryan Garner, who has his eye on the winner bbc.com of the Cacace-Dickens clash. The broader boxing landscape continues to generate speculation, with ongoing questions about a potential rematch between Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis espn.com and the status of the long-discussed exhibition between Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson.
Horse Racing: Cheltenham Festival Fallout & Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Festival concluded with Gaelic Warrior winning the Gold Cup bbc.com in supreme fashion, but the meeting was overshadowed by equine fatalities. Two more horses, Envoi Allen and Saint Le Fort, died on the final day bbc.com, bringing the total to three for the meeting and prompting one of the sport's most successful trainers, Willie Mullins, to complain about the ground bbc.com and threaten to skip future Festivals. The 2026 Festival also proved a year of the outsider for punters bbc.com, with the average starting price of winners hitting a 10-year high. In the Gold Cup, Harry Redknapp-owned Jukebox Man finished eighth, though the former football manager dreams of a future win bbc.com with the horse.
Other Sports: UFC, Cycling, Netball & Cricket
The UFC confirmed Sean Strickland will challenge Khamzat Chimaev for the middleweight title bbc.com in May. In cycling, France's Dorian Godon won a shortened penultimate stage of Paris-Nice bbc.com, leaving Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard in pole position for the overall victory. Loughborough Lightning extended their perfect Netball Super League start bbc.com with a 68-61 win over defending champions London Pulse. In cricket, Pakistan's Salman Agha was reprimanded for an angry reaction bbc.com to his controversial run-out against Bangladesh in a one-day international. The United Rugby Championship saw Connacht beat Scarlets to stay in play-off contention bbc.com and Ulster earn a bonus-point win at Edinburgh bbc.com that damaged the hosts' top-eight hopes, a performance attributed to newfound "belief and clarity." Scotland's women reached the Hockey World Cup for the first time since 2002 bbc.com by beating Italy in a tense play-off. In para-sport, cross-country skier Jake Adicoff became the first out gay man to win an individual Winter Paralympics gold medal bbc.com, while British skier Menna Fitzpatrick, after finishing fifth in Milan-Cortina, is to 2030 bbc.com. Paralympian Davy Zyw, the first athlete with MND to compete at a Winter Games, said the joy will fortify the rest of his life bbc.com. Racing also saw jockeys Nico de Boinville and Declan Queally shake hands after a 'racial slurs' accusation bbc.com at Cheltenham.