General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 21, 2026, 9:30 PM ET
NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Action
The second round of the Women's NCAA Tournament commenced with several top seeds advancing, though not without significant challenges. No. 2 seed UConn staved off a potential upset thanks to a historic performance from Tarris Reed Jr., who posted 31 points and 27 rebounds espn.com in an 82-71 victory over Furman, while No. 1 seed South Carolina began their title defense with an overwhelming 103-34 rout of Southern, led by Joyce Edwards's 27 points and eight rebounds espn.com. Further down the bracket, No. 10 seed Virginia authored the first major upset of the tournament, defeating No. 7 Georgia 82-73 espn.com, while USC required a crucial late-game review to nullify a Clemson buzzer-beater before ultimately winning in overtime, 71-67 to advance to the second round espn.com.
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Upsets & Shakeups
The men's bracket saw a dramatic Thursday night where No. 6 seeds were eliminated and record books were rewritten. Purdue's Braden Smith broke Bobby Hurley's NCAA career assists record espn.com, reaching 1,077 helpers during a first-round win, while No. 1 overall seed Duke barely survived an early scare from Siena, rallying from a 13-point deficit to prevail over the 16th seed espn.com. In another key matchup, 11th-seeded VCU erased a 19-point second-half deficit to stun No. 6 North Carolina 82-78 in overtime after a late Terrence Hill Jr. three-pointer espn.com, prompting immediate discussions in Chapel Hill regarding coach Hubert Davis's future following the first-round exit espn.com. Meanwhile, No. 4 seed Nebraska captured its first-ever NCAA tournament win by drubbing No. 13 Troy 76-47 marking a historic milestone espn.com.
Coaching Changes & Tournament Personnel News
The college basketball coaching carousel saw movement even amid the tournament schedule, with South Carolina parting ways with baseball coach Paul Mainieri midway through his second season espn.com due to an inability to replicate his previous success at LSU. On the men's side, Georgia Tech formally named former Troy coach Scott Cross as its new head coach following Friday's announcement espn.com, while Cal State Bakersfield is reportedly targeting USC assistant Todd Lee to fill its vacancy amid internal scandal news espn.com. Separately, the NCAA filed a lawsuit against Draft Kings accusing the sportsbook of trademark infringement espn.com over the use of terms like "March Madness."
Men's Sweet 16 Qualifiers & Matchup Notes
Several teams punched their tickets to the Sweet 16 over the weekend, with No. 1 seed Michigan powering past Saint Louis behind Yaxel Lendeborg’s 25-point performance espn.com, setting up a compelling second-round showdown between coaches Dusty May and Josh Schertz who have exchanged scouting notes for years espn.com. No. 2 seed Arizona and Michigan are jockeying for the top odds to win the men's tournament as the field narrowed espn.com, while TCU backed up its pre-tournament bravado with a tight 66-64 opener against Ohio State secured by a Xavier Edmonds late layup espn.com. Furthermore, BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, who poured in 35 points in a first-round loss espn.com, confirmed he will be mulling his future espn.com.
Global Combat Sports & MMA Updates
In the UFC, Movsar Evloev dealt a major setback to Lerone Murphy’s featherweight title aspirations, securing a hard-fought majority decision victory at UFC London's headline bout bbc.com. Across professional fighting organizations, Costello van Steenis successfully retained his PFL middleweight title by stopping Fabian Edwards in the third round ending Edwards's world title aspirations once more bbc.com, marking one of several high-profile matchups scheduled for the PFL over the next five weeks featuring champions and fan favorites espn.com. In boxing, Michael Conlan confirmed the "end of the road" for his professional aspirations after suffering a split decision defeat to Kevin Walsh following a career that failed to match his amateur pedigree bbc.com.
International Rugby & Football Results
The European rugby scene delivered several close contests across the Premiership and United Rugby Championship (URC). Exeter moved into the Premiership play-off places after securing a 26-14 victory over Sale bbc.com, while in the URC, Connacht produced a dominant second-half display to claim a statement bonus-point win against Ulster who are now missing key wing Rob Baloucoune for three months due to an elbow injury bbc.com. Meanwhile, in the Northern Irish Premiership, Larne stretched their lead at the top to five points following a 3-0 win over Glenavon as Glentoran could only manage a draw bbc.com.
Cycling, Athletics, and Individual World Titles
The world of individual sports saw impressive comebacks and records broken. Josh Kerr completed a thrilling return from injury to reclaim his world indoor 3,000m title achieving a global podium finish bbc.com, while in cycling, Tadej Pogacar clinched his first Milan-San Remo title after a tight sprint finish against Tom Pidcock continuing his stellar career trajectory bbc.com; however, the women's race was marred by a serious crash that sent Italian rider Debora Silvestri to the hospital following the one-day classic bbc.com. In swimming, Australian Cameron McEvoy shattered Cesar Cielo's long-standing 50m freestyle world record set during the 'supersuit' era bbc.com, and Great Britain’s Mia Brookes claimed her fifth career World Cup title with a slopestyle victory in snowboarding placing her atop the season standings bbc.com.
Cricket & Emerging Sports Milestones
Rwanda's Fanny Utagushimaninde achieved a remarkable feat in cricket, becoming the youngest woman to score an international T20 century at just 15 years and 223 days old bbc.com. In other emerging sports news, plans are underway for a potential European cricket tournament to launch as early as 2027, revealed by Cricket Ireland officials bbc.com. Darts star Luke Littler demonstrated his resilience by coming back from a 5-0 deficit to stun Gerwyn Price 6-5 in the Premier League final in Dublin a match which featured two maximum 170 checkouts bbc.com.
League & Other Sports Notes
In Super League, Warrington Wolves moved into second place after Kelepi Tanginoa scored four tries in a heavy defeat of Castleford Tigers part of a weekend where Wigan maintained their 100% start bbc.com. On the ice, the Colorado Avalanche became the first NHL team to clinch a playoff spot this season following their 4-1 victory over the Blackhawks espn.com. Elsewhere, the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder have decided they will not make a traditional White House visit citing 'timing' issues during their current road trip espn.com.