General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 16, 2026, 2:30 PM ET
NCAA Basketball Tourney Shaping Up
As Selection Sunday approaches, the final regular-season rankings confirmed the top seeds for the women’s NCAA tournament, with UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina espn.com all claiming the top spots in the final Associated Press Top. On the men's side, oddsmakers have labeled Duke, Michigan, and Arizona espn.com as the favorites to win the national title, even as teams like one-loss Miami (Ohio) secured at-large bids while Duke clinched the ACC title espn.com over Virginia, continuing Jon Scheyer's strong run. The women’s bracket also saw North Carolina and West Virginia espn.com earn top-16 seeds and home-court hosting rights, adding to the intrigue as analysts publish bracket predictions, including one who forecasted every game of the 2026 tournament espn.com.
The conference tournament season delivered several dramatic finishes and upsets leading into the main event. In the Big Ten, Purdue defeated No. 3 Michigan espn.com in the final, securing their first Big Ten tournament crown since 2023, while in the Big, Arizona avenged last season's final loss espn.com by topping Houston 79-74. The SEC saw No. 17 Arkansas capture their first tournament crown since 2000 espn.com behind a 30-point outburst from Darius Acuff Jr., and Pennsylvania won the Ivy League title when TJ Power delivered an Ivy Madness-record 44 points espn.com in an 88-84 victory over Yale.
Several key teams received late boosts or suffered setbacks just before the field was locked. Texas Tech is expecting star guard Christian Anderson to be available for the tournament espn.com after he left the Big 12 loss with an apparent groin injury, while UCLA will anticipate the return of leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau from a mild right knee strain espn.com, despite him missing their win over No. 8 Michigan State. However, Alabama, seeded fourth in the Midwest Region, faces a complication as second-leading scorer Aden Holloway espn.com was arrested Monday morning on a felony marijuana charge ahead of their first-round matchup.
Coaching changes and continuity announcements also marked the lead-up to March Madness; Oklahoma coach Porter Moser espn.com confirmed his return for the 2026-27 season after an athletic director endorsement, while Cincinnati elected to fire head coach Wes Miller following five seasons at the helm espn.com. Elsewhere in college basketball, Memphis is retaining Penny Hardaway as head coach next season espn.com, and Pitt's Jeff Capel will also return for a ninth year despite a season falling short of expectations, according to the AD Allen Greene espn.com.
Rugby Union & League Shakeups
The final round of the Six Nations concluded with high drama as France squeezed past England in Paris bbc.com to secure the U20 Grand Slam, their first since 2014, while the senior French side retained the main championship title after their last-gasp victory over England. Ireland secured the Triple Crown with a decisive 43-21 win over Scotland, which Andy Farrell praised for its "ruthless edge," though they ultimately finished runners-up to France. Despite the overall disappointing Six Nations campaign, England’s performance against France added intrigue around the team's direction bbc.com, though questions remain about head coach Steve Borthwick’s mandate. Meanwhile, French wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey is rapidly ascending, with some comparing the try-scoring sensation to the level of Antoine Dupont 1. In club rugby, the Leicester Tigers thrashed Exeter Chiefs 66-14 bbc.com to claim their first Prem Rugby Cup, scoring an astonishing 10 tries in the process. In the United Rugby Championship, Ulster secured a bonus-point victory at Edinburgh, damaging the hosts' play-off hopes, attributed to renewed "belief and clarity" within the squad. On the international transfer front, Scotland number eight Jack Dempsey is departing Glasgow Warriors this summer bbc.com for a club in Japan.
Motorsports, Golf & Tennis Updates
In Formula, Mercedes secured a front-row lockout during Chinese Grand Prix qualifying, though analysts spotted "first signs of vulnerability" in the new regulations, while Kimi Antonelli led a Mercedes one-two finish bbc.com in the race. The new F1 rules have generated debate, with some drivers calling the racing "the best ever" while others criticize the format as a potential "battery world championship" 52. Elsewhere in motorsport, Indy Car officials were forced to throw a red flag during practice espn.com after three track workers were spotted on the hot track while cars were pulling out of the pit area.
Golf saw Ludvig Aberg maintain a three-shot lead bbc.com heading into the final round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, which was briefly marred by reports of a fatal shooting near the course delaying spectator entry. Despite the compelling action, the tournament is unlikely to ever achieve major status, given that three of the four current majors are already held in the United States. In cycling, Jonas Vingegaard claimed his maiden Paris-Nice title bbc.com after Dorian Godon won the shortened seventh stage.
Tennis saw Cameron Norrie officially replace Jack Draper as the British bbc.com men's number one following Indian Wells, while at the same tournament, Aryna Sabalenka set up another final showdown94 against Elena Rybakina. Great Britain’s Fran Jones drew an opening-round match against American great Venus Williams 23 at the Miami Open.
Coaching Retirements & Player News
Veteran college basketball coach Thad Matta is retiring, concluding a career that amassed 502 wins and 13 NCAA tournament appearances espn.com across stints at Butler, Xavier, and Ohio State. In the WNBA, the Players Association chief expressed optimism following four days of CBA negotiations, stating they have been able to "chip away at what the concerns are for both sides" 99. In major league baseball news, the 2026 NFL draft order is finalized, with the Raiders holding the first selection and the Broncos picking last at No. 257 across the seven rounds.
In combat sports, former UFC star Nate Diaz, aged, is slated to return to MMA competition espn.com on May 16 against Mike Perry under the Most Valuable Promotions banner. Meanwhile, in boxing, Anthony Cacace secured the WBA super-featherweight championship via a unanimous decision over James Dickens. On the snooker circuit, Ronnie O'Sullivan suggested that restoring his current game to its former level would represent a greater achievement for him than winning further world titles.
International Rugby League & Other Sports
In the UK, the World Rally Championship bbc.com announced that Scotland’s north-east region will host a round in 2027, marking the WRC's first return to the UK in eight years. Great Britain’s Niall Treacy earned a 1,000m bronze medal at the Short Track World Championships in Canada. In the Women's Premier Rugby, Loughborough Lightning defeated Harlequins 43-33 following the return of England internationals Ellie Kildunne and Sadia Kabeya, while the Scotland women's hockey team qualified for their first World Cup in 24 years81. On the gridiron front, despite a challenging NFL free agency period, reports suggest that the Patriots’ selection of QB Drake Maye was a positive selling point to free agents54.