General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 21, 2026, 12:30 PM ET
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament: First Round Upsets & Records
The opening weekend of the men's NCAA tournament saw major shakeups espn.com as several higher seeds struggled to survive the first round, leading to a significant reranking of the remaining 32 teams after Friday's action concluded espn.com. No. 12 seed High Point pulled off a stunning 83-82 upset over fifth-seeded Wisconsin, sealed when Chase Johnston hit his first 2-pointer of the season espn.com in the crucial contest, while No. 11 seed Texas overcame a 35-point explosion from BYU's AJ Dybantsa to advance 79-71 espn.com. In a major shocker, VCU erased a massive 19-point second-half deficit to stun sixth-seeded North Carolina in overtime, 82-78, causing UNC coach Hubert Davis to reject suggestions of fatigue espn.com post-game. Meanwhile, Purdue's Braden Smith entered the record books, surpassing Bobby Hurley by amassing 1,077 career assists espn.com during his team's first-round victory.
The top seeds faced immediate pressure, with No. 1 overall seed Duke needing a significant second-half rally to dodge an upset against Siena espn.com, eventually pulling ahead in the final five minutes to secure the win after trailing by 13 points. Conversely, No. 2 seed UConn narrowly escaped an early exit thanks to a monumental performance from Tarris Reed Jr., who delivered one of the tournament's most dominant displays with 31 points and 27 rebounds in an 82-71 defeat of Furman that avoided a major upset espn.com. Utah State also mounted a second-half comeback to topple Villanova 86-76 espn.com, fueled by MJ Collins' 20-point effort, while No. 4 seed Nebraska celebrated its first-ever NCAA tournament win by crushing Troy 76-47 ending a long tournament drought espn.com.
NCAA Women's Basketball & Coaching Carousel
The women's NCAA tournament continued its second day of action, with No. 2 seed UConn entering Saturday as the overwhelming odds-on title favorite espn.com after chalk largely reigned supreme on Day, where the better seeds went 16-0 in the initial sixteen games espn.com. Defending champions Florida began their title defense in dominant fashion, routing Prairie View A&M 114-55, a margin that ranks as the second-largest victory in tournament history since the team pounded its opponent espn.com. On the coaching front, Georgia Tech officially named former Troy coach Scott Cross as its new men's basketball head coach on Friday following an extensive search bbc.com. Elsewhere, Cal State Bakersfield is reportedly targeting USC assistant Todd Lee for its vacant head coaching position, a search complicated by the ongoing legal issues involving former assistant Kevin Mays, who has been ordered to stand trial on pimping charges espn.com.
Professional Sports: NBA, NHL, & NFL Moves
In the NBA, the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder declined a White House visit espn.com for scheduling reasons during their trip to the nation's capital this weekend, while the Miami Heat are reportedly planning to waive guard Terry Rozier before the playoffs to optimize their roster for the postseason espn.com. The Colorado Avalanche became the first NHL team to officially clinch a playoff berth espn.com after defeating the Blackhawks 4-1. On the NFL side, Kenny Pickett expressed that his move to Carolina was driven by a desire to reunite with coach Dave Canales, with the ultimate goal of regaining a starting quarterback role bbc.com. The Kansas City Chiefs are looking for better external contributions this year, hoping their new free agent class can provide more impact than the underwhelming acquisitions from last season espn.com.
Combat Sports & Boxing Developments
The world of combat sports saw significant updates, particularly in boxing, where Olympic champion Lin Yu-ting has been cleared to return to competition by World Boxing after successfully passing the new sex verification test bbc.com. Meanwhile, Michael Conlan confirmed the "end of the road" for his professional boxing career following a split decision loss to Kevin Walsh in Belfast failing to replicate his amateur success bbc.com. In PFL action, Costello van Steenis successfully retained his middleweight title by stopping Fabian Edwards in the third round, denying the Briton a world championship opportunity bbc.com. Ahead of Saturday's UFC London card, Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev engaged in a tense face-off before their highly anticipated featherweight bout bbc.com.
Global Rugby & Football Updates
European rugby saw several key results in the Premiership Women's Rugby and United Rugby Championship competitions. Trailfinders secured a narrow 21-17 victory over Harlequins, with Abi Burton scoring a decisive try just three minutes from the end to clinch the narrow win bbc.com. In the URC, Connacht delivered a powerful second-half display to earn a statement bonus-point victory over Ulster at the Affidea Stadium on Friday night bbc.com, though Ulster faces challenges as star winger Rob Baloucoune is sidelined for three months with an elbow injury disrupting their late-season push espn.com. Elsewhere, the Rugby Football Union is preparing for the Six Nations, with coach John Mitchell naming seven uncapped players in the new-era Red Roses squad aiming to build upon the World Cup triumph bbc.com.
Golf, Tennis, & Cycling News
In golf, Jon Rahm has decided to drop his appeal against sanctions levied by the DP World Tour for participating in LIV Golf events, though he continues to refuse payment of the outstanding fines bbc.com. Rory McIlroy hosted the Masters Champions Dinner, offering an extravagant menu that included wagyu filet mignon and glazed carrots for the assembled champions espn.com. On the court, Wimbledon officials have confirmed that video review technology will be implemented for the first time this year to aid officiating decisions bbc.com. Meanwhile, British cycling saw mixed results at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, where Jeremiah Azu placed fourth in what was called "one of the best 60m races of all time," while sprinter Amy Hunt discussed the importance of pursuing university degrees to inspire future female athletes bbc.com.
Other Sports & League Matters
Great Britain's freestyle skier Kirsty Muir captured her second consecutive World Cup slopestyle victory bbc.com in Flachnau, Austria, putting her atop the season standings ahead of the final event, while fellow Briton Mia Brookes also claimed gold in slopestyle, marking her fifth career World Cup title at the same Austrian venue bbc.com. In darts, Luke Littler staged a remarkable comeback, 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 a rare feat in the sport bbc.com. Super League action saw Wigan Warriors fight back from 14-0 down to maintain their 100% start to the season against York Knights extending their early run of success bbc.com, even as concerns mount over a potential widespread injury crisis affecting several clubs bbc.com.