General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 20, 2026, 7:35 PM ET
College Basketball Tournament Developments
The first round of the men’s NCAA tournament featured several tight contests and major upsets, with No. 7 seed Kentucky surviving Santa Clara espn.com thanks to an Otega Oweh buzzer-beater that forced overtime in an eventual 89-84 victory. Elsewhere, No. 1 overall seed Duke narrowly managed to advance espn.com after trailing 13th-seeded Siena by double digits, requiring a late surge to secure the win, while Duke center Patrick Ngongba II remains questionable for the second round due to a foot injury though the team is hopeful for his return espn.com. The women’s tournament also kicked off with Day 1 takeaways across all 16 games, as No. 3 seed TCU dominated UC San Diego 86-40 espn.com behind Olivia Miles’ 12th career triple-double, setting up a competitive second round bracket where UConn remains the odds-on title favorite espn.com.
Further action in the men’s bracket saw No. 11 seed Texas edge NC State 68-66 espn.com in a First Four game decided by a Tramon Mark fadeaway jumper with 1.1 seconds left, while Texas' opponent in the next round, BYU, was knocked out by Texas 79-71 espn.com, despite a massive 35-point performance from freshman AJ Dybantsa, who is now set to weigh his future as he mulls options beyond BYU espn.com. The turmoil continued as sixth-seeded North Carolina suffered a stunning exit, blown out by 11th-seeded VCU, which erased a 19-point second-half deficit espn.com to win 82-78 in overtime, leading UNC coach Hubert Davis to assert that fatigue was not to blame for the collapse espn.com. Meanwhile, Nebraska captured its first-ever NCAA tournament win espn.com by crushing Troy 76-47, and Howard also secured its inaugural tournament victory in the First Four with an 86-83 win over UMBC as Howard checked its last box espn.com.
Coaching changes and program news also surfaced, with Georgia Tech officially naming former Troy coach Scott Cross as their new head coach espn.com on Friday, while Cal State Bakersfield is reportedly moving toward hiring USC assistant Todd Lee to fill their vacancy espn.com following Rod Barnes' departure in September; this follows news that former CSUB assistant Kevin Mays will face trial on pimping charges espn.com. In other program news, the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder announced they will not make a White House visit espn.com during their upcoming trip to Washington D.C., citing scheduling difficulties.
Rugby Union & League Updates
In the United Rugby Championship, the Scarlets managed to sweep aside Zebre with a bonus-point win bbc.com, securing six tries in the battle between the two bottom sides, while Welsh rival Cardiff welcomed back captain Jac Morgan from a shoulder injury for his first Ospreys appearance since October as Wales captain returns bbc.com. Elsewhere in URC action, Ulster named Jacob Stockdale at centre for their clash against Connacht against Connacht at Affidea Stadium bbc.com, though they face a three-month spell without star wing Rob Baloucoune due to an elbow injury as Ulster's Ireland star is out bbc.com. In Premiership rugby, the Bristol Bears return to action as an in-form side despite battling through an injury crisis that has severely tested the squad as injury crisis made Bristol Bears stronger bbc.com, while Sir James Dyson purchased a controlling 50% share in Bath Rugby to help finance plans for a new stadium bbc.com.
Super League competition saw the Bradford Bulls outmuscle Huddersfield Giants in an epic encounter bbc.com to secure their third consecutive home victory, while leaders Wigan Warriors fought back from a 14-0 deficit to maintain their 100% start to the season as Wigan edge past York bbc.com. Wakefield secured revenge for last season's playoff elimination by defeating Leigh, continuing the Leopards' difficult start to the campaign as Wakefield exact revenge on Leigh bbc.com, though Super League clubs are reportedly grappling with an unusually high volume of player injuries early in the season as injury crisis plagues Super League bbc.com.
International & Professional Combat Sports
In rugby union international news, Ireland coach Scott Bemand has signed a contract extension that will keep him in charge through the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup as Bemand signs Ireland contract extension bbc.com, while his counterpart in the women's game, John Mitchell, named seven uncapped players in the England Red Roses squad following their World Cup success as England names seven uncapped players bbc.com. Across the channel in football, Argentina officially pitched its bid to host the 2035 Rugby World Cup, aiming to bring the tournament to South America for the first time as Argentina makes pitch bbc.com.
In combat sports, anticipation built for UFC London where Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev engaged in a cold staredown bbc.com ahead of their featherweight bout, with questions raised regarding the criteria for granting title contention shots in the division as Murphy's long road to contender status is questioned bbc.com. Meanwhile, in boxing, Michael Conlan emphasized that his upcoming fight against Kevin Walsh is "all or nothing" as he seeks a clear path to a world title shot as Conlan eyes world title shot with win bbc.com, and IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker confirmed that defeating Liam Paro in his next outing should open up significant opportunities as Crocker eyes opportunity with Paro win bbc.com.
Golf, Track & Field, and Tennis
Jon Rahm has decided to cease his appeal process against sanctions levied by the DP World Tour for participating in conflicting LIV Golf events, though he explicitly refused to pay the outstanding fines bbc.com. In athletics at the World Indoor Championships, Great Britain's Jeremiah Azu finished fourth in the 60m dash, which was described as "one of the best 60m races of all time," while fellow Brit Amy Hunt commented on the importance of education for female athletes as Hunt discusses university degrees bbc.com. In swimming, Australian Cameron McEvoy broke the long-standing men's 50m freestyle world record previously set by Cesar Cielo during the period when specialized swimsuits were permitted as McEvoy breaks long-standing 50m record bbc.com.
Other Global Sports Notes
Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal, alongside Serena Williams and Tony Hawk, participated in a viral '90s throwback trend set to the Goo Goo Dolls' song "Iris" as athletes join 90s throwback trend espn.com, while in snooker, Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Shaun Murphy 5-3 to advance to the World Open quarter-finals in Yushan as O'Sullivan beats Murphy at World Open bbc.com, setting up a future clash with Murphy who had earlier secured his spot by defeating Xu Si 5-1 bbc.com. In cycling, Tom Pidcock successfully launched a late surge to claim victory in the Milano-Torino race, marking the 150th anniversary of the event as Pidcock wins Milano-Torino debut bbc.com. Meanwhile, in professional darts, Luke Littler staged a remarkable comeback in Dublin, recovering from a 5-0 deficit to defeat Gerwyn Price 6-5 in the Premier League final, a match that featured two maximum 170 checkouts in a single game as Littler stuns Price from 5-0 down bbc.com.