General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 20, 2026, 11:30 AM ET
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Shocks & Upsets
The opening rounds of the men's NCAA tournament delivered immediate drama as several highly seeded teams faced early exits, showcasing the unpredictability of March Madness. No. 1 overall seed Duke barely averted disaster espn.com in their opening game, needing to rally from a 13-point second-half deficit to overcome 16th-seeded Siena. Similarly, 11th-seeded VCU stunned North Carolina 82-78 in overtime espn.com after erasing a 19-point deficit in the second half, leading UNC coach Hubert Davis to state post-game that fatigue was not to blame for the collapse UNC's Davis: Fatigue not to blame for collapse espn.com. Meanwhile, No. 11 seed Texas knocked off sixth-seeded BYU 79-71 espn.com, despite 35 points from BYU's highly touted freshman AJ Dybantsa, who is now expected to decide his future BYU's Dybantsa to mull future in upcoming weeks espn.com.
The First Four delivered further upsets, with Miami (Ohio) securing a statement win over SMU Miami (Ohio): SMU win 'proved doubters wrong' espn.com after SMU coach Andy Enfield confirmed B.J. Edwards was too sore to play Enfield denies misleading NCAA on Edwards' injury espn.com, and Prairie View A&M continued its remarkable resurgence with a 67-55 win over Lehigh Prairie View A&M's run continues in First Four win espn.com. In other contests, No. 9 seed TCU held off Ohio State 66-64 espn.com thanks to a late Xavier Edmonds layup, while No. 4 seed Nebraska captured its first-ever NCAA tournament victory, crushing Troy 76-47 Nebraska ends NCAA drought espn.com. Adding to the chaos, 12th seed High Point stunned fifth-seeded Wisconsin 83-82 espn.com on a clutch 2-point basket from Chase Johnston, who had made zero 2-point shots all season.
College Hoops Roster Moves & Personnel News
In coaching changes, Georgia Tech officially hired former Troy coach Scott Cross espn.com to lead their men's basketball program, announced Friday. Elsewhere, the focus remains on high-profile prospects, as USC landed its third commitment from a top-five senior for the 2026 class when Christian Collins announced his pledge USC lands 3rd McDonald's All American for 2026 espn.com, vaulting the Trojans to the top of ESPN's 2026 class rankings after Sara Okeke committed earlier in the week USC women land third '26 5-star in forward Okeke espn.com. On the player front, Kentucky coach Mark Pope offered no comment regarding Yaxel Lendeborg’s claim that he received a multimillion-dollar offer to play for the Wildcats UK's Pope offers little on Lendeborg's money talk espn.com.
NBA & WNBA Labor Updates
The WNBA appears poised for a transformational shift following a verbal agreement on the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which sources indicate will set the initial salary cap at $7 million and feature provisions that expedite maximum salary deals espn.com for players on rookie-scale contracts Sources: WNBA's new CBA expedites max deals espn.com. The new CBA is anticipated to have a wide-ranging impact on league economics and player compensation structures What the 2026 WNBA CBA means for league, players, salaries espn.com. In league action, the Oklahoma City Thunder became the first NBA side to clinch a play-off spot bbc.com after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted a 40-point performance against Orlando. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat are expected to waive Terry Rozier espn.com before the playoffs commence to optimize the roster for their postseason push.
European Soccer & Rugby Union
In European football, Chelsea's standing among the continent's elite was questioned after a decisive 3-0 Champions League defeat to PSG showed the Blues are off the pace espn.com. On the rugby pitch, England manager John Mitchell included seven uncapped players in the Women's Six Nations squad bbc.com as the team aims to build momentum following their September World Cup victory. Conversely, Ireland’s head coach Scott Bemand, who recently signed a contract extension through the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup Head coach Bemand signs Ireland contract extension bbc.com, named nine uncapped players but is missing winger Amee-Leigh Costigan Nine uncapped players for Ireland but Costigan out bbc.com. In club rugby, the return of the Premiership sees Northampton leading the table, with six clubs actively vying for play-off contention Saints and Bath lead race for top four as Prem returns bbc.com.
Rugby League & Domestic Football Setbacks
Sheffield Wednesday supporters, who believed they had resolved issues with the league, now face a fresh existential threat as the club battles the EFL over financial concerns bbc.com, which one supporter group has labelled a 'credible threat' to the club's future. In the Super League, Wigan Warriors maintained their 100% start bbc.com by fighting back from a 14-0 deficit to defeat York Knights. Meanwhile, Championship side Wrexham suffered a setback at Watford, leading George Thomason to suggest the play-off race will go "down to the wire" bbc.com.
International & Domestic Football Player Updates
England manager Gareth Southgate’s expanded squad selection offers opportunities to overlooked players but also reveals lingering team issues ahead of the World Cup, according to analysis One final experiment? Unpicking Tuchel's latest England squad bbc.com. For Northern Ireland, veteran striker Josh Magennis is targeting his 100th international appearance as the team prepares for their World Cup play-off match in Italy Magennis targets 100 caps as World Cup game looms bbc.com. In the women's game, centre Meg Jones will captain England in the absence of Zoe Stratford, who is expecting her first child Jones to captain Red Roses in Stratford absence bbc.com.
Individual Sports & Combat Achievements
In darts, Luke Littler mounted an astonishing comeback during the Premier League final in Dublin, overcoming a 5-0 deficit to defeat Gerwyn Price 6-5, which included two maximum 170 checkouts in a single leg Littler fights back from 5-0 down to stun Price bbc.com. On the UFC front, Lerone Murphy stated that the victor of his upcoming London bout against Movsar Evloev should receive the next undisputed featherweight title shot Murphy shuts down Silva UFC title talk bbc.com, a sentiment echoed by the organization of the event which questions the fairness of title contender matchmaking Is matchmaking fair? Murphy's long road to UFC title contender bbc.com. Cyclist Tom Pidcock claimed victory in the Milano-Torino race on its 150th anniversary after launching a decisive late attack Pidcock wins one-day Milano-Torino race on debut bbc.com.
Snooker & Golf Updates
Ronnie O'Sullivan advanced to the World Open quarter-finals in Yushan after securing a 5-3 victory over Shaun Murphy O'Sullivan beats Murphy to reach World Open quarters bbc.com, though Murphy had earlier set up their last-16 clash with a 5-1 win against Xu Si Murphy sets up World Open tie with O'Sullivan bbc.com. In a milestone match, Stan Moody, a teenager, clinched a 5-4 victory over John Higgins in the veteran's 2,000th professional appearance Higgins beaten by teenager Moody in 2,000th match bbc.com. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy, hosting the Masters Champions Dinner, curated a high-end menu featuring wagyu filet mignon and seared salmon Rory spares no expense with Masters dinner menu espn.com, while Tiger Woods remains non-committal about his playing status for the tournament, citing ongoing fluctuations in his health Tiger 'working,' but Masters status still unclear espn.com.
Other Sports News & Administrative Matters
The Commonwealth Games opening ceremony for this summer’s event in Glasgow will be hosted at The Hydro, with organizers promising a "Clyde-built experience" bbc.com. In horse racing, the BHA has initiated a new strategy to combat what it terms a "consistent pattern" of racism experienced by industry workers BHA strategy to tackle 'consistent pattern' of racism in racing bbc.com. Freestyle skier Kirsty Muir secured her second consecutive World Cup slopestyle win, placing her at the top of the season's standings before the final event Slopestyle win puts Muir top of season's standings bbc.com. For the Six Nations, Ireland dominated the Team of the Tournament selection with four players, while England failed to place any players in the final XV Four Irish but no English in Six Nations team of year bbc.com, though Ireland centre Stuart McCloskey and Scotland winger Kyle Steyn have both been shortlisted for the 2026 Player of the Championship award McCloskey and Steyn up for Player of Six Nations award bbc.com.