General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 21, 2026, 7:30 PM ET
NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Action
The second round of the Women's NCAA Tournament heated up, featuring dramatic finishes and dominant performances. USC survived a major scare espn.com against Clemson after a game-tying buzzer-beater was nullified by review, allowing the Trojans to ultimately prevail 71-67 in overtime and secure a spot in the next round espn.com. Elsewhere, top-seeded South Carolina crushed Southern espn.com by a massive 103-34 margin, powered by Joyce Edwards' 27 points and eight rebounds, continuing their quest for the title defense espn.com. In the day's first major upset, No. 10 seed Virginia stunned No. 7 Georgia espn.com with an 82-73 victory, marking the first major bracket disruption of the March Madness season espn.com. UConn remains the odds-on favorite to win the championship, according to ESPN talent projections heading into the weekend's action espn.com.
NCAA Men's Basketball Upsets & Standouts
The men's tournament saw several top seeds advance, though not without significant challenges, while individual performances etched themselves into history. No. 2 seed UConn narrowly escaped Furman espn.com thanks to Tarris Reed Jr.'s monumental 31-point, 27-rebound double-double, one of the most dominant statistical outings in tournament lore espn.com. Meanwhile, the Midwest Region's top seed, Michigan, powered past Saint Louis espn.com into the Sweet, with Yaxel Lendeborg contributing 25 points in the victory espn.com, a game that pitted coaches Dusty May and Josh Schertz against each other after years of professional exchange espn.com. Duke, the overall No. 1 seed, had to rally from a 13-point deficit espn.com in the final five minutes to subdue 16th-seeded Siena, narrowly avoiding a historic upset espn.com. Purdue's Braden Smith also made history, surpassing Bobby Hurley's record espn.com by logging his 1,077th career assist during a first-round victory over Queens University espn.com.
NCAA Coaching Status & Personnel News
Coaching situations remain fluid across college basketball following disappointing tournament exits. UNC officials are reportedly entered into discussions with Hubert Davis espn.com regarding his tenure after the team suffered another first-round exit, losing an overtime thriller to VCU where Davis claimed fatigue was not the issue espn.com. In other coaching news, Georgia Tech officially appointed former Troy coach Scott Cross as its new head man espn.com on Friday, while Cal State Bakersfield is reportedly targeting USC assistant Todd Lee amid internal scandal espn.com. Separately, Nebraska captured its first-ever NCAA tournament win, defeating Troy 76-47 espn.com, while Kentucky's Otega Oweh hit a buzzer-beater to force overtime in their first-round triumph over Santa Clara espn.com.
College Baseball & Other Collegiate Sports
In college baseball, South Carolina management has reacted swiftly to the team's performance, as coach Paul Mainieri is out midway through his second season espn.com, unable to match his previous success achieved at LSU espn.com. On the women's hockey front, Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey earned the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award espn.com recognizing the top player in the collegiate ranks espn.com. In Division III news, two-time defending champion NYU saw its 91-game winning streak end espn.com on Thursday night in the Final Four following a 60-52 loss to Scranton espn.com. Meanwhile, BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, who scored 35 points in a first-round loss to Texas espn.com, announced he will take the next few weeks to contemplate his future playing status espn.com.
Professional Sports: Soccer, Rugby, & Cycling
International sports saw significant results across the pitch and the road. Tadej Pogacar secured his first Milan-San Remo title bbc.com after a grueling final stretch battle against Britain's Tom Pidcock, although the women's race was marred by a serious crash that hospitalized Italian rider Debora Silvestri bbc.com. In European rugby, Exeter edged Sale 26-14 bbc.com to secure a vital spot in the Premiership play-off places as the league resumed play after an eight-week hiatus bbc.com. Elsewhere in rugby, Connacht delivered a powerful second half against Ulster, earning a statement victory in the United Rugby Championship bbc.com, though Ulster will now be without star wing Rob Baloucoune for three months due to an elbow injury bbc.com. On the track, Josh Kerr reclaimed his world indoor 3,000m title bbc.com in a thrilling fashion, completing his comeback from injury to reach the global podium's apex bbc.com.
Global Combat Sports & Track & Field
The combat sports world delivered high drama in London, where Lerone Murphy and Movsar Evloev headlined the UFC card espn.com, prompting discussions regarding title contender matchmaking fairness bbc.com. In PFL action, Costello van Steenis successfully defended his middleweight title by stopping Fabian Edwards in the third round, denying Edwards another shot at world championship glory bbc.com. In boxing, Irish fighter Michael Conlan confirmed the "end of the road" for his professional career following a split decision defeat to Kevin Walsh bbc.com, capping a pro run that failed to match his amateur pedigree bbc.com. On the track, Great Britain's Jeremiah Azu finished fourth in what was described as "one of the best 60m races of all time" at the World Indoor Championships bbc.com, while fellow Brit Mia Brookes clinched her fifth career World Cup gold bbc.com.
Cricket, Golf, & Other Global Sports Notes
Cricket saw a historic milestone achieved in international play, as Rwanda's Fanny Utagushimaninde became the youngest woman to score a T20 international century at just 15 years and 223 days old bbc.com. In golf, Jon Rahm dropped his appeal against DP World Tour sanctions bbc.com related to his participation in LIV Golf events, though he continues to refuse payment of the outstanding fines bbc.com. Meanwhile, in professional darts, Luke Littler staged an incredible comeback to stun Gerwyn Price 6-5 in the Premier League final bbc.com, a match that uniquely featured two maximum 170 checkouts within a single game bbc.com. Finally, the sport of swimming witnessed a long-standing record fall as Australian Cameron McEvoy shattered Cesar Cielo's 50m freestyle world record bbc.com, which had stood since the 'supersuit' era of the sport bbc.com.
Football & League Updates
In Super League rugby, Warrington Wolves moved into second place after Kelepi Tanginoa scored four tries in a comprehensive win bbc.com over Castleford Tigers bbc.com. League leaders Wigan Warriors demonstrated their grit by fighting back from a 14-0 deficit bbc.com to maintain their perfect start to the season against York Knights bbc.com. In American football, Kenny Pickett expressed his motivation for joining the Carolina Panthers, stating his ultimate aim is to regain a starting quarterback job in the NFL espn.com. The reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder have decided against a White House visit during their D.C. trip this weekend, citing "timing" issues espn.com. to the WNBA, a new provision in the pending Collective Bargaining Agreement will fast-track maximum salary eligibility espn.com for players currently on rookie-scale contracts espn.com.