General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 22, 2026, 2:30 PM ET
College Basketball Coaching Carousel & NCAA Upsets
Coaching changes continue across Division I programs following the conclusion of the men's tournament cycle, with Syracuse reportedly targeting espn.com former star Gerry McNamara from Siena, while Providence simultaneously secured Bryan Hodgson espn.com from South Florida to lead their men’s program. Elsewhere, Georgia Tech officially announced Scott Cross espn.com as its new head coach after his tenure at Troy, and Cal State Bakersfield is reportedly zeroing in on USC assistant Todd Lee espn.com amid internal turmoil following Coach Rod Barnes' earlier departure. In the women's bracket, the second round saw significant action, including No. 10 seed Virginia authoring the first upset espn.com of the tournament by defeating No. 7 seed Georgia 82-73, while USC survived a scare after a buzzer-beater was nullified by review espn.com before topping Clemson in overtime.
The men’s NCAA tournament delivered more dramatic finishes, highlighted by No. 11 seed Texas capping an improbable run from the First Four to the Sweet 16 by upsetting Gonzaga 74-68 espn.com, a feat that coach Sean Miller insisted does not classify them as a Cinderella espn.com. The Midwest Region's top seed, Michigan, powered past Saint Louis espn.com thanks to Yaxel Lendeborg's 25-point performance, setting up a Sweet 16 matchup with Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz, whose long-standing relationship with Michigan's Dusty May adds intrigue to the contest espn.com. In other major upsets, No. 7 seed Kentucky narrowly survived Santa Clara after Otega Oweh hit a buzzer-beater to force overtime espn.com, and No. 4 seed Nebraska secured its first-ever NCAA tournament victory by cruising past Troy 76-47 espn.com on Thursday.
The round of 32 featured standout individual performances, such as No. 2 seed UConn escaping an upset as Tarris Reed Jr. delivered a historic 31-point, 27-rebound night to stave off Furman 82-71 espn.com, while Purdue’s Braden Smith eclipsed Bobby Hurley's assist record espn.com by logging his 1,077th career assist during the first round. In the women's bracket, No. 1 overall seed Duke narrowly avoided a massive upset after having to rally from a 13-point deficit espn.com to dispatch 16th-seeded Siena, and South Carolina began its title defense by overwhelming Prairie View A&M 114-55 espn.com, posting the second-largest margin of victory in tournament history. Furthermore, the NCAA itself has entered the legal arena, filing a trademark infringement suit espn.com against Draft Kings for its use of terms associated with March Madness.
Professional & International Sports Results
In rugby, Leicester climbed into third place bbc.com in The Prem standings after a thrilling bonus-point 33-19 victory over play-off rivals Bristol, while in the United Rugby Championship, the Stormers returned to second place bbc.com following a four-try triumph over the Dragons in Cape Town. Elsewhere in the URC, Connacht secured a statement victory over Ulster with a powerful second-half showing bbc.com, and Scarlets won their basement battle by running in six tries against Zebre bbc.com. On the Super League side, Hull FC managed to edge out Leeds Rhinos bbc.com in a close Yorkshire derby to register only their second win of the season, while Wigan Warriors maintained their perfect start by fighting back from a 14-0 deficit bbc.com to overcome York Knights.
Golfer Hannah Green claimed her third consecutive title bbc.com at the Australian WPGA Championship on the Gold Coast, demonstrating strong form ahead of major summer events, while on the track, Josh Kerr reclaimed the world indoor 3,000m title bbc.com in dramatic fashion following his recovery from injury. In cycling, Tadej Pogacar secured his first Milan-San Remo victory bbc.com after a hard-fought sprint finish against Tom Pidcock, although the women's race saw Italian rider Debora Silvestri suffer a major setback, reporting she broke five ribs in a crash bbc.com. Snooker star Thepchaiya Un-Nooh delivered a significant upset in the World Open final in Yushan, China, defeating Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-7 bbc.com after compiling a maximum 147 break during the match.
UFC, Combat Sports & Player Movement
The UFC London event saw Movsar Evloev dampen Lerone Murphy's featherweight title aspirations bbc.com via a majority decision victory, prompting discussions about the fairness of matchmaking for title contenders like Murphy following his London performance espn.com. In other combat sports news, Costello van Steenis successfully retained his PFL middleweight title by stopping Fabian Edwards in the third round bbc.com, ending Edwards' world title pursuit once again. On the boxing front, Paddy Pimblett is targeting a return to the Octagon in July during the UFC's international fight week, while Mason Jones earned the fight of the night bonus bbc.com at UFC London following a redemption performance. Meanwhile, the debate over fighter compensation was reignited at the London event, with reports detailing the financial disparities laid bare bbc.com.
In the NFL, the New York Jets are reportedly committing a combined $48 million against their salary cap to move on from both Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields, consuming roughly 16% of their cap space for 2026 espn.com, as Kenny Pickett hopes his move to Carolina, influenced by coach Dave Canales, leads to his ultimate goal of securing a starting job espn.com. In the NBA, Luka Doncic matched a career milestone with 60 points as the Mavericks defeated the Heat, a night which also saw LeBron James tie an appearance record bbc.com. The reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder confirmed they will forgo a White House visit espn.com during their trip to the capital, citing "timing" concerns.
Other Sports Developments
The Avalanche became the NHL's first team to clinch a playoff berth espn.com following a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks, demonstrating early dominance in the league standings. In women's international cricket, Rwanda's Fanny Utagushimaninde achieved a historic milestone by becoming the youngest T20 international centurion bbc.com at just 15 years and 223 days old. In golf, Jon Rahm has opted to drop his appeal against DP World Tour sanctions bbc.com but refuses to pay the associated fines for participating in LIV Golf events. Meanwhile, Wimbledon officials confirmed that video review technology will debut bbc.com at the All England Club this summer, a modernization echoing trends across other sports.