General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 21, 2026, 10:30 AM ET
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Action
The second round of the Men's March Madness tournament set the stage for intense matchups, following a first round filled with upsets and record-breaking performances. No. 2 seed UConn escaped an upset bid espn.com when Tarris Reed Jr. delivered a historic 31-point, 27-rebound night in an 82-71 victory over Furman, while the No. 1 overall seed Duke narrowly survived espn.com, rallying from a 13-point deficit to defeat 16-seed Siena. Elsewhere, the matchup between Michigan and Saint Louis espn.com carried extra intrigue as coaches Dusty May and Josh Schertz, long-time friends who exchange coaching notes, met with a Sweet 16 spot at stake. Meanwhile, the NCAA filed a lawsuit against DraftKings espn.com alleging trademark infringement over the use of terms like "March Madness," injecting administrative drama into the ongoing competition.
Several established programs experienced early exits or relied on late heroics to advance in the frantic opening rounds of the men’s bracket. Sixth-seeded BYU was eliminated espn.com by No. 11 seed Texas, despite a massive 35-point effort from freshman AJ Dybantsa, who is now reportedly mulling his future espn.com over the coming weeks. In a stunning upset, No. 12 seed High Point stunned fifth-seeded Wisconsin espn.com 83-82, sealed by a Chase Johnston 2-point basket—his first of the season. Conversely, No. 7 seed Kentucky needed a buzzer-beater espn.com from Otega Oweh to force overtime before ultimately defeating Santa Clara 89-84.
The first round also featured indelible moments and coaching changes across the bracket landscape. Purdue's Braden Smith officially broke espn.com Bobby Hurley's NCAA all-time assists record, reaching 1,077 career assists during their opening contest. On the sidelines, Georgia Tech formally appointed espn.com former Troy coach Scott Cross as its new men's basketball head coach on Friday. In personnel news, Duke center Patrick Ngongba II espn.com is listed as "hopeful" to return for the Blue Devils' second-round game following a foot injury.
NCAA Women's Basketball & Collegiate News
The Women’s March Madness tournament saw dominant performances early, with top seeds largely prevailing espn.com in Day 1 action where the better seeds went 16-0. Defending champion Florida began its title defense espn.com by crushing Prairie View A&M 114-55, registering the second-largest margin of victory in tournament history. UConn entered the competition as the odds-on title favorite espn.com, featuring AP All-Americans Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd espn.com among the top players recognized. In contrast, the season for Tennessee ended abruptly after the Lady Vols suffered their eighth consecutive loss espn.com in the first round against NC State.
In other collegiate basketball news, the Division III tournament concluded with a streak-ender, as two-time defending champion NYU fell to Scranton 60-52 espn.com in the Final Four, snapping the Violets' remarkable 91-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the coaching search at Cal State Bakersfield is focusing on USC assistant Todd Lee amid scandal espn.com, as a former assistant, Kevin Mays, was ruled to face trial on pimping charges espn.com. Off the court, the NCAA is now suing DraftKings for trademark infringement espn.com, while UCLA guard Skyy Clark played through pain espn.com after losing a piece of his front tooth in their victory over UCF.
Professional Sports & Player Movement
In the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche became espn.com the first team to officially clinch a playoff berth this season. On the NBA front, the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder announced espn.com they will skip a White House visit during their trip to the capital, citing "timing" issues. Furthermore, sources indicate the Miami Heat are planning to waive espn.com Terry Rozier prior to the playoffs to optimize their roster construction. In women’s professional basketball, a new provision in the pending WNBA CBA espn.com will expedite the timeline for players on rookie-scale contracts to achieve maximum and supermax salaries.
NFL news saw Kenny Pickett express his motivation espn.com for joining the Carolina Panthers, noting his desire to work under coach Dave Canales as a path back to securing a starting quarterback role in the league. the Kansas City Chiefs are evaluating espn.com how their incoming free agent class will perform, hoping for a greater impact than last year’s acquisitions, while the Seahawks face a hole in their backfield after letting the Super Bowl MVP walk espn.com.
Combat Sports & Individual Titles
The professional boxing world saw Olympic champion Lin Yu-ting cleared to compete bbc.com by World Boxing after passing the organization's new sex verification testing protocol. Elsewhere in boxing, Michael Conlan confirmed the "end of the road" bbc.com for his professional career following a split decision loss to Kevin Walsh. In MMA, Costello van Steenis retained his PFL middleweight title bbc.com by stopping Fabian Edwards in the third round, continuing a strong run of contenders in the PFL slate. As Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev shared a tense final staredown bbc.com ahead of their UFC London featherweight bout, the discussion continued regarding the fairness of matchmaking and title contention pathways.
Global Sports & Other Developments
In international tennis, Wimbledon will introduce video review technology bbc.com for the first time in its history this year. On the links, Jon Rahm dropped his appeal bbc.com against sanctions imposed by the DP World Tour for participating in LIV Golf events, though he continues to refuse payment of the associated fines. In track and field, Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu finished fourth bbc.com in what was described as "one of the best 60m races of all time" at the World Indoor Championships. Meanwhile, the sport of swimming celebrated a new standard as Cameron McEvoy broke bbc.com the long-standing men's 50m freestyle world record previously held by Cesar Cielo.
Rugby saw several domestic league updates, with Trailfinders edging past Quins bbc.com thanks to a late Abi Burton try securing a 21-17 Premiership Women's Rugby win. In the United Rugby Championship, Connacht secured a statement bonus-point victory bbc.com over Ulster, despite Ulster suffering a blow with Rob Baloucoune facing three months out bbc.com due to an elbow injury. Regarding the English game, the Ashes review signals the conclusion bbc.com of the Bazball era, according to Stephan Shemilt. Finally, in cycling, Tom Pidcock launched a late surge bbc.com to claim victory in the Milano-Torino race, marking the 150th anniversary of the classic.