General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 20, 2026, 12:30 PM ET
College Basketball Upsets & Tournament Outlook
The men’s NCAA tournament saw immediate volatility as Duke barely avoided an upset espn.com, rallying from 13 points down to defeat 16th-seeded Siena, though the No. 1 overall seed is expected to be without big man Patrick Ngongba due to a foot injury Duke likely without Ngongba espn.com. Elsewhere in the first round chaos, 12th-seed High Point stunned fifth-seeded Wisconsin 83-82, thanks to Chase Johnston making his first two-point basket of the season Johnston, High Point stun 5th-seeded Badgers espn.com, while No. 4 seed Nebraska captured its first-ever tournament win by crushing No. 13 seed Troy 76-47 Nebraska ends NCAA drought espn.com. In betting markets, following early stumbles by teams like Duke, Arizona and Michigan have pulled ahead espn.com in the futures odds to win the men's championship, while coaches polled favored one clear favorite among the sixteen teams projected for the Final Four. Meanwhile, the women’s tournament opened with First Four action where Texas survived NC State 68-66 after Tramon Mark hit a game-winner with 1.1 seconds left Mark saves day espn.com, and Howard secured its first-ever tournament victory by edging UMBC 86-83 Howard checks last box espn.com.
Coaching Changes & Legal Matters
In coaching news, Georgia Tech announced the hiring of former Troy coach Scott Cross as its new men's basketball head coach on Friday Georgia Tech names ex-Troy coach Cross as HC espn.com. This follows a legal development in another program, as Tuskegee coach Benjy Taylor has initiated a $1 million federal lawsuit against two police officers and Morehouse College over his postgame detainment that occurred back on January 31 Tuskegee coach files suit espn.com. In women's college sports, Minnesota dismissed women's hockey coach Brad Frost after 19 seasons, marking a decade since the program last secured a national championship.
NBA & WNBA Labor Updates
The NBA saw the Oklahoma City Thunder become the first team to clinch a playoff spot after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted a 40-point performance against the Magic Thunder first NBA side to clinch play-off place bbc.com. On the transaction front, the Miami Heat are reportedly planning to waive guard Terry Rozier before the playoffs commence to free up a roster spot for their postseason run Sources: Heat to waive Rozier before playoffs espn.com. Simultaneously, the WNBA has reached a verbal agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that sources indicate will set the salary cap at $7 million upon implementation Sources: New WNBA CBA includes $7M salary cap espn.com. A key feature of this new deal is a provision that expedites the timeline for players on rookie-scale contracts to obtain maximum and supermax salaries WNBA's new CBA expedites max deals espn.com.
Rugby International & Domestic Shifts
The international rugby scene is preparing for the next cycle, with Ireland head coach Scott Bemand signing a contract extension that commits him through the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup Head coach Bemand signs Ireland contract extension bbc.com. England Women’s head coach John Mitchell named seven uncapped players in his squad for the Six Nations, aiming to build upon the team's recent World Cup success Seven uncapped players in new-era Red Roses squad bbc.com, though the men's team faces injury concerns, including the loss of Alex Callender and Nel Metcalfe before the Six Nations begins Wales suffer double injury blow bbc.com. In domestic club news, billionaire Sir James Dyson has acquired a 50% share in Bath Rugby, stating the investment will finance plans for a new stadium Billionaire Dyson takes 50% share of Bath Rugby bbc.com. Meanwhile, Ireland centre Stuart McCloskey and Scotland winger Kyle Steyn are among the nominees for the 2026 Six Nations Player of the Championship award McCloskey up for Player of Six Nations award bbc.com.
European Football & Club Competitions
In men’s European football, Chelsea’s struggles continued as their 3-0 defeat against PSG in the Champions League suggested a significant gap remains between them and Europe's elite clubs PSG show Chelsea what it takes espn.com. In the English Football League, supporters of Sheffield Wednesday believe they face another major battle, this time directly against the EFL, which poses a ‘credible threat’ to the club's future EFL fight a 'credible threat' bbc.com. On the transfer front, England manager Thomas Tuchel’s expanded squad selection for upcoming matches offers opportunities for overlooked players but also reveals underlying issues ahead of the World Cup One final experiment? bbc.com.
Combat Sports & Individual Achievements
In professional boxing, questions linger over the circumstances of former world champion Ricky Hatton’s September incident, as the coroner stated they were "not satisfied" that Hatton intended to take his own life Coroner 'not satisfied' bbc.com. IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker views his upcoming fight against Liam Paro as a crucial step, believing a victory will significantly increase his title shot opportunities So much to gain from Paro title fight - Crocker bbc.com, while Michael Conlan similarly stated his upcoming bout with Kevin Walsh is "all or nothing" for his world title ambitions All or nothing' bbc.com. In the UFC, Lerone Murphy insists that the victor of his bout against Movsar Evloev at UFC London this Saturday should automatically earn the next featherweight title shot, asserting "it shouldn't be any other way" Murphy shuts down Silva title talk bbc.com.
Cycling, Darts, and Endurance Sports
Cycling saw Tom Pidcock launch a late attack to claim victory bbc.com in the Milano-Torino race, marking a successful debut in the world's oldest classic. The Premier League Darts saw Luke Littler stage a remarkable comeback, recovering from a 5-0 deficit to defeat Gerwyn Price 6-5 in Dublin, a match that featured two maximum 170 checkouts in a single leg Littler fights back from 5-0 down bbc.com. In endurance events, former reality television star Jessie Holmes achieved a repeat victory in the Iditarod, becoming only the third person in the race’s 54-year history to win consecutively Ex-reality TV star Holmes repeats Iditarod win espn.com. Meanwhile, Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy shared that his terminal cancer diagnosis has taught him the value of appreciating small moments "in the moment" Sir Chris Hoy says terminal cancer diagnosis bbc.com.
Golf & Track Updates
Rory McIlroy, hosting the Masters Champions Dinner, curated an elaborate menu featuring wagyu filet mignon, seared salmon, and glazed carrots Rory spares no expense 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. In women's golf, Scotland’s Kelsey Macdonald set a new course record with a seven-under 64 bbc.com to take the lead at the Australian WPGA Championship. On the track, British sprinter Amy Hunt discussed how her pursuit of university degrees helps inspire other female athletes as she prepares for the World Athletics Indoor Championships I thought I'd be bleeped by BBC' bbc.com, and Scottish middle-distance runner Jemma Reekie expressed hope about competing in both the 800m and the mile at the upcoming Commonwealth Games Reekie 'would love' to run 800m & mile bbc.com.
Miscellaneous Sports Developments
In Super League rugby, Wigan Warriors maintained their perfect start to the season by fighting back from a 14-0 deficit to defeat York Knights Leaders Wigan edge past York bbc.com, prompting a league-wide discussion about the high rate of injuries afflicting teams early in the season What's behind Super League's injury crisis? bbc.com. In North American sports, NASCAR driver Daniel Dye received a suspension after mocking Indy Car driver David Malukas during a livestream, marking the second major penalty of Dye's career Trucks driver parked for mocking IndyCar racer espn.com. Finally, in a tragic local story, the Rhode Island high school hockey team that was present during a mass shooting in the stands last month concluded their season by winning the state title R.I. team wins state title espn.com.