General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 21, 2026, 9:30 AM ET
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament: First Round Shocks & Records
The opening weekend of the Men's March Madness tournament delivered upsets and historic individual achievements as the field narrowed to 32 teams Reranking the 32 men's teams left in March Madness espn.com. No. 12 seed High Point stunned fifth-seeded Wisconsin 83-82 espn.com on Thursday, with Chase Johnston delivering his first 2-point basket of the season for the decisive score, while No. 4 seed Nebraska secured its first-ever NCAA tournament win espn.com by overwhelming Troy 76-47. In other action, No. 1 overall seed Duke dodged a massive scare espn.com, rallying from a 13-point deficit to squeak past Siena, and No. 11 seed VCU completed a massive comeback, erasing a 19-point second-half deficit to knock out North Carolina 82-78 in overtime espn.com. Purdue's Braden Smith also etched his name in the record books espn.com, surpassing Bobby Hurley's mark to become the NCAA all-time assists king with 1,077 career helpers during his team's first-round game Purdue's Smith leaps Hurley as NCAA assists king espn.com.
Coaching storylines added intrigue as the tournament progressed, particularly with the matchup between Michigan and Saint Louis, where coaches Dusty May and Josh Schertz meet espn.com with a Sweet 16 berth potentially on the line, having spent years exchanging scouting notes and ideas. Meanwhile, the NCAA itself filed suit against DraftKings espn.com, alleging trademark infringement over the use of terms like "March Madness," indicating ongoing legal tensions between college sports governance and the burgeoning sports betting industry. Elsewhere in the bracket, UCLA guard Skyy Clark shook off losing a chunk of his front tooth espn.com late in the game to help the Bruins secure a 75-71 victory over UCF, exemplifying the physical toll of the first round Clark grins and bears lost tooth in UCLA's win espn.com.
NCAA Women's Basketball & Collegiate News
The Women's NCAA tournament saw dominant starts from top seeds, with No. 1 seed Florida beginning its title defense via a 59-point pounding espn.com of Prairie View A&M, marking the second-largest margin of victory in tournament history, while No. 2 seed UConn survived a scare thanks to Tarris Reed Jr.'s monumental 31-point, 27-rebound performance against Furman Reed in rare air with 31-27 night as UConn escapes espn.com. UConn stars Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd were recognized nationally, as they headline the AP All-America team espn.com alongside standouts from Vanderbilt, Texas, and UCLA. On the coaching front, Cal State Bakersfield is reportedly working toward hiring USC assistant Todd Lee espn.com following the departure of Rod Barnes last September and an assistant facing serious charges Ex-CSUB assistant to face trial in pimping case espn.com. Separately, Tennessee coach Kellie Harper faced criticism after the Lady Vols dropped their eighth consecutive game with NC State's victory Caldwell takes blame as Lady Vols drop 8th straight espn.com.
Professional Sports: NBA, NFL & WNBA Developments
In the NBA, the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder confirmed they will not visit the White House espn.com, citing "timing" issues during their capital road trip. News out of Miami suggests the Heat are expected to waive guard Terry Rozier espn.com before the playoffs commence to optimize the roster for their postseason run. The WNBA, however, is with sources indicating a new provision in the pending Collective Bargaining Agreement will expedite max contract opportunities espn.com for players on rookie-scale deals, potentially altering salary trajectory across the league WNBA's new CBA expedites max deals espn.com. In the NFL, Kenny Pickett expressed his hope that joining the Carolina Panthers, drawn by coach Dave Canales, will lead him back to achieving his ultimate goal of securing a starting job espn.com in the league.
Combat Sports: Boxing, MMA & Darts
The world of combat sports saw major developments, including Olympic champion Lin Yu-ting cleared to resume competition bbc.com by World Boxing following the implementation of the governing body's new sex testing protocol. In professional boxing, Michael Conlan confirmed the "end of the road" for his professional aspirations after suffering a split decision defeat to Kevin Walsh in Belfast Conlan an amateur legend who fell short of his pro dream bbc.com, concluding a career that failed to fully replicate his amateur success. Meanwhile, in MMA, Costello van Steenis successfully retained his PFL middleweight title by stopping Fabian Edwards in the third round Van Steenis ends Edwards' title dream again bbc.com, setting the stage for upcoming fights featuring other notable names like Paul Hughes and Sergio Pettis Eight standout fights on the PFL slate over the next five weeks espn.com. Darts star Luke Littler demonstrated his competitive mettle by fighting back from a 5-0 deficit bbc.com to stun Gerwyn Price 6-5 in the Premier League final in Dublin, a match featuring two maximum 170 checkouts.
International Rugby & Soccer Updates
European rugby saw several key results across the Premiership Women's Rugby and United Rugby Championship (URC) competitions. Trailfinders clinched a narrow 21-17 victory bbc.com over Harlequins thanks to an Abi Burton try three minutes from time. In the URC, Connacht secured a bonus-point win over Ulster bbc.com, though Ulster faces a setback as star wing Rob Baloucoune is ruled out for three months with an elbow injury Ulster's Ireland star Baloucoune out for three months bbc.com. Elsewhere, Scarlets won the URC basement battle, running in six tries bbc.com against Zebre, while Cardiff welcomes back captain Jac Morgan from injury for their URC clash against the Bulls Wales captain Morgan returns on Ospreys bench bbc.com. In football news, Larne stretched their Premiership lead bbc.com to five points in Northern Ireland, while in the English leagues, Wakefield exacted revenge by defeating Leigh Leopards bbc.com as Leigh's poor start continued.
Golf, Tennis & Other Global Sports Notes
The world of golf saw Jon Rahm drop his appeal against DP World Tour sanctions bbc.com related to his participation in LIV Golf events, though he simultaneously refused to pay the outstanding fines levied against him. In preparation for The Masters, Rory McIlroy hosted the Champions Dinner, featuring a lavish menu that included wagyu filet mignon and seared salmon espn.com. Tennis is preparing for technological integration, as Wimbledon has announced that video review technology will be introduced bbc.com for the first time this year, a move that referee Phil Edwards suggested might not translate smoothly to boxing Privilege, criticism & VAR - life as a boxing referee bbc.com. In swimming, Australian Cameron McEvoy shattered Cesar Cielo's long-standing 50m freestyle world record bbc.com, breaking a benchmark set during the sport's controversial 'supersuit' era. Finally, in hockey, the R.I. state champion team capped its season with a title espn.com following the tragic on-ice mass shooting last month that claimed three family members of player Colin Dorgan.