General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 15, 2026, 10:57 AM ET
NCAA Tournament Results
Arizona avenged last season's loss espn.com with a 79-74 victory over Houston in the Big 12 tournament final, securing a nine-game winning streak heading into the NCAA tournament. In the ACC, Duke dominated Virginia espn.com 69-59 for its second consecutive conference championship under Jon Scheyer, marking the Blue Devils' third title in four years. St. John's defended its Big East crown espn.com with a 72-52 rout of sixth-ranked UConn, powered by a tenacious defensive performance at Madison Square Garden. Michigan advanced to the Big Ten final espn.com on Yaxel Lendeborg's game-winning three-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining, edging Wisconsin 68-65. In the Pac-12, UCLA overcame Michigan State espn.com 88-84 despite losing star Tyler Bilodeau to a right leg injury that will likely sideline him for at least one game.
College Coaching Moves
Cincinnati fired head coach Wes Miller espn.com after five seasons, sources confirmed to ESPN. Meanwhile, Kansas State is set to hire Belmont's Casey Alexander espn.com, the perennial 20-game winner, according to sources. Pittsburgh's Jeff Capel will return for a ninth season espn.com despite falling "well short" of expectations, athletic director Allen Greene announced. Oklahoma's Porter Moser will return for 2026-27 espn.com after athletic director Roger Denny told ESPN the coach would be back despite speculation about his future.
NBA Developments
LeBron James praised Luka Doncic bbc.com as a "generational" talent after the Slovenian star hit an overtime winner for the Los Angeles Lakers. Kawhi Leonard extended his franchise-record streak bbc.com by scoring at least 20 points for the 44th consecutive game, matching a 51-year-old Clippers record. The Miami Heat trolled the Milwaukee Bucks espn.com online after Milwaukee referenced Heat star Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point performance.
Tennis Highlights
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Victoria Mboko bbc.com at Indian Wells, with the world number one calling her opponent a "future Grand Slam champion." Iga Swiatek fell in the tournament bbc.com, while Sabalenka set up a third final in four months bbc.com against Elena Rybakina. World number one Sabalenka advanced to the final bbc.com with a straight-sets victory.
Formula 1 Updates
Kimi Antonelli claimed his first Formula 1 victory bbc.com in a Mercedes one-two finish at the Chinese Grand Prix, leading teammate George Russell. Mercedes dominated qualifying bbc.com but showed first signs of 2026 vulnerability, still securing a front-row lock-out to underline their superiority. Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari's gap espn.com to Mercedes stems mainly from power unit performance deficits after qualifying fourth for Saturday's sprint race.
Rugby Union Results
Ireland secured the Triple Crown bbc.com with a 43-21 win over Scotland, described by head coach Andy Farrell as showing a "ruthless edge." France retained the Six Nations title bbc.com after a last-gasp victory over England, while Scotland's bid for their first win in 12 meetings against Ireland fell short bbc.com. England's "worst Six Nations" was deemed an unfair reflection bbc.com by former World Cup winner Matt Dawson, who discussed Steve Borthwick's team's last-gasp defeat by France.
Boxing Outcomes
Anthony Cacace defeated James Dickens bbc.com via unanimous decision to claim the WBA super-featherweight title at Dublin's 3Arena. Ryan Garner set his sights on the winner bbc.com of Saturday night's world title clash between Dickens and Cacace.
Golf News
Ludvig Aberg extended his lead bbc.com to three shots at TPC Sawgrass heading into Sunday's Players Championship finale. A fatal shooting near the course bbc.com delayed spectator entry before day three of the tournament. Graeme McDowell made LIV Golf history bbc.com with his second consecutive hole-in-one on the tour.
Winter Paralympics Developments
Calls grew stronger to move the Winter Paralympics bbc.com after more sunshine than snow was seen at the Games. Haiti's Ralf Etienne became his nation's first Winter Paralympian bbc.com, 16 years after losing his leg in an earthquake. British skier Menna Fitzpatrick finished fifth bbc.com in the visually impaired slalom, to 2030 after her Milan-Cortina campaign. Davy Zyw, the first athlete with MND to compete at a Winter Paralympics, said the joy from his experience will fortify the rest of his life bbc.com.
Miscellaneous Sports
Welsh rugby celebrated ending its agonising wait bbc.com for a win while pondering future challenges. England bowler Mark Wood said his injured knee is improving bbc.com but admitted he's started thinking about life after cricket for the first time. Ulster's superb second-half performance bbc.com earned a bonus-point victory at Edinburgh in the URC, damaging the hosts' top-eight hopes. Connacht beat Scarlets 29-17 bbc.com in Galway to move within striking distance of the United Rugby Championship play-offs.
College Basketball Tournament Action
UMBC advanced to the NCAA tournament espn.com for the first time since its famous UVA upset, led by DJ Armstrong Jr.'s career-high 33 points in a 74-59 victory over Vermont. Jaden Bradley hit a fallaway jumper at the buzzer espn.com to send No. 2 Arizona to the Big 12 tournament final with an 82-80 win over Iowa State. Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson suffered a groin injury espn.com while slipping on the new glass floor at the Big 12 tournament. Tennessee freshman Nate Ament is expected to return espn.com for the SEC quarterfinals against Auburn after missing two games with a leg injury.
Other Notable Results
Wakefield Trinity fought back to beat Leeds Rhinos bbc.com 24-14 in the Challenge Cup, while Wigan Warriors overpowered Bradford Bulls bbc.com 30-6. Scotland women's hockey team reached their first World Cup bbc.com in 24 years after beating Italy in a tense play-off. Glenavon climbed off the bottom bbc.com of the Irish Premiership table with a 3-0 victory over Crusaders. Cliodhna Moloney-Mac Donald's first-half hat-trick helped Exeter Chiefs thrash Trailfinders Women bbc.com 47-14 to remain third in the Premiership Women's Rugby table.