General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 22, 2026, 10:30 AM ET
College Basketball Coaching Carousel & Tournament Action
The men’s college basketball coaching carousel saw significant movement with Providence hiring Bryan Hodgson espn.com from South Florida as its new head coach, while Georgia Tech officially named Scott Cross espn.com following his tenure at Troy. Amidst the turnover, the NCAA is taking legal action, having filed suit against DraftKings espn.com for trademark infringement over the use of terms like "March Madness" espn.com. On the court, the tournament delivered dramatic finishes, including Nebraska surviving Vanderbilt espn.com after a half-court heave rimmed out at the buzzer in a 74-72 second-round victory, marking the Cornhuskers' first-ever NCAA tournament win espn.com.
Further intensity marked the second round, where No. 11 seed Texas completed an improbable run espn.com, upsetting No. 3 seed Gonzaga 74-68 to become the first team in five years to advance from the First Four to the Sweet 16 espn.com, a feat Coach Sean Miller insisted did not make them a Cinderella espn.com. In the Midwest Region, top seed Michigan powered past Saint Louis espn.com behind a 25-point performance from Yaxel Lendeborg to secure a Sweet 16 spot, setting up a matchup against a Saint Louis team whose coach, Josh Schertz, has a long-standing relationship exchanging scouting notes with Michigan's Dusty May espn.com. Meanwhile, the No. 1 overall men's seed, Duke, narrowly escaped an upset espn.com, rallying from 13 points down against Siena in the final five minutes, though Duke center Patrick Ngongba II remains questionable for the second round espn.com.
In the women’s bracket, the field narrowed to 32 teams with rankings being reassessed espn.com, following a first round where chalk largely reigned supreme espn.com. USC advanced to the second round espn.com by toppling Clemson 71-67 in overtime after a critical video review nullified a Clemson buzzer-beater at the end of regulation, while No. 10 seed Virginia authored the first major upset espn.com over No. 7 Georgia 82-73. South Carolina opened their title defense emphatically, crushing Southern 103-34, led by Joyce Edwards’ 27 points and eight rebounds espn.com, but the season concluded disappointingly for Tennessee, whose loss to NC State handed the Lady Vols their eighth consecutive season-ending defeat espn.com.
Coaching futures remain in flux in the men's game, as UNC officials are discussing Hubert Davis’s future espn.com following another first-round exit, which came after VCU rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit to defeat UNC 82-78 in overtime espn.com, though Davis later stated fatigue was not to blame espn.com. In other coaching news, Cal State Bakersfield is reportedly targeting USC assistant Todd Lee espn.com as its next head coach following the departure of Rod Barnes and assistant coach issues, while South Carolina baseball coach Paul Mainieri exited midway through his second season espn.com.
UFC & Combat Sports Updates
The recent UFC London event saw significant shifts in the featherweight division, as Movsar Evloev handed Lerone Murphy a majority decision loss bbc.com, severely damaging Murphy’s title aspirations bbc.com, a fight that was part of a card where the debate over fighter pay was starkly laid bare bbc.com. Mason Jones also secured the fight of the night bonus at the London show, marking a strong return nearly four years after his last professional loss in the same venue bbc.com. Meanwhile, rising star Paddy Pimblett stated he is targeting a return to the Octagon in July bbc.com during the UFC’s international fight week.
In professional boxing, Costello van Steenis stopped Fabian Edwards in the third round bbc.com to retain his PFL middleweight title, denying Edwards another shot at world championship contention, while Lewis Crocker hopes a win over Liam Paro will open up title opportunities in the welterweight division bbc.com. Elsewhere, Chinese Taipei’s Olympic champion Lin Yu-ting was cleared to compete bbc.com by World Boxing after successfully undergoing the governing body's new sex test protocol.
International & Domestic Rugby/Football
In Super League action, the Warrington Wolves climbed to second in the standings bbc.com after Kelepi Tanginoa scored four tries in a dominant victory over Castleford, while leaders Wigan extended their perfect start bbc.com by rallying from a 14-0 deficit to defeat York Knights. Huddersfield Giants were active on both sides of the ledger, first sacking head coach Luke Robinson bbc.com after a dreadful start to the 2026 season, and subsequently falling in an epic encounter to the Bradford Bulls bbc.com.
The United Rugby Championship saw mixed results for Welsh clubs; Exeter *edged past Sale 26-14 bbc.com to move into the Premiership play-off places, while in the URC, Connacht delivered a powerful second-half display to defeat Ulster bbc.com for a statement win. Cardiff and Ospreys remain in play-off contention as the URC run-in continues, though the Ospreys suffered a defeat where Jac Morgan returned but Ross Moriarty was sent off bbc.com. In international call-ups, Ryan Woodman is eager to earn his first Wales cap bbc.com after being named in the Six Nations squad, while Ireland's Stuart McCloskey and Scotland's Kyle Steyn are shortlisted for the Player of the Six Nations award bbc.com.
Golf, Cycling, and Other Sports
Australia's Hannah Green secured her third consecutive tournament victory bbc.com by claiming the Australian WPGA Championship on the Gold Coast, demonstrating exceptional form heading into the summer stretch. In cycling, Tadej Pogacar claimed his maiden Milan-San Remo title bbc.com following a fierce battle with Tom Pidcock, though the women's edition saw Italian rider Debora Silvestri *suffer a serious crash bbc.com, breaking five ribs. Track and field saw Josh Kerr complete a remarkable comeback from injury, *reclaiming his world indoor 3,000m title bbc.com, while GB's Jeremiah Azu narrowly missed a medal in the 60m dash, which was described as "one of the best 60m races of all time" bbc.com.
In the NFL, the New York Jets are committing $48 million combined espn.com to Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields not to be their starting quarterback in 2026, using approximately 16% of their salary cap space in the maneuver, while the Kansas City Chiefs are looking for their free agent class to provide a greater impact than the previous year's acquisitions espn.com. The reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder will not make a White House visit espn.com, citing "timing" as the reason for skipping the traditional post-championship recognition. Elsewhere, women's cricket saw Rwanda's Fanny Utagushimaninde *become the youngest T20 centurion bbc.com at just 15 years and 223 days old.