General Sports 3d Briefing – Mar 22, 2026

130 articles summarized · Last updated: March 22, 2026 at 7:30 PM ET v607

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Last updated: March 22, 2026, 7:30 PM ET

NCAA Basketball Tournaments: Upsets & Sweet 16 Berths

The second round of the Men's March Madness tournament saw significant action as teams punched tickets to the Sweet, with Purdue advancing espn.com after Coach Matt Painter secured his 500th career victory at his alma mater in a 79-69 defeat of Miami. Michigan, the Midwest Region's top seed, also powered past espn.com Saint Louis, driven by Yaxel Lendeborg’s 25 points, to reach the regional semifinal. Meanwhile, Texas authored an improbable run espn.com, becoming the first team in five years to jump from the First Four to the Sweet 16 by upsetting No. 3 seed Gonzaga 74-68, a feat Coach Sean Miller insisted did not classify them as a Cinderella team espn.com. On the women’s side of the bracket, UConn survived a scare espn.com thanks to Tarris Reed Jr.’s historic 31-point, 27-rebound performance in an 82-71 win over Furman, while No. 10 seed Virginia notched the tournament's first major upset espn.com by defeating No. 7 Georgia 82-73 espn.com.

Further action in the Women's NCAA tournament included Florida beginning its title defense espn.com with a 114-55 pounding of Prairie View A&M, marking the second-largest margin of victory in tournament history. In a dramatic Saturday matchup, Nebraska narrowly outlasted Vanderbilt espn.com 74-72 when a last-second half-court heave rimmed out, while USC advanced to the second round espn.com in overtime against Clemson after a potential game-winning shot by Clemson was nullified by a review. In coaching news, Syracuse is nearing a deal espn.com to hire Siena’s Gerry McNamara as its next head coach, while South Carolina parted ways espn.com with baseball coach Paul Mainieri midway through his second season due to a failure to replicate past success espn.com.

The coaching carousel continued spinning with several high-profile hires being finalized over the weekend. Georgia Tech officially named espn.com former Troy coach Scott Cross as its new men's basketball head coach on Friday, just as Providence hired espn.com Bryan Hodgson from South Florida to take over their program. In contrast to the movement, UNC officials are currently discussing espn.com the future of coach Hubert Davis following another first-round exit, a collapse VCU manager Dave Paulsen attributed to his team erasing a 19-point second-half deficit to win 82-78 in overtime espn.com. In player news, Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey won espn.com the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the top player in college women's hockey, and Kentucky forward Isaac Quaintance espn.com is utilizing manga comics to help pass the time during his injury recovery espn.com.

Great Britain achieved a historic performance at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland, securing three gold medals bbc.com within a sensational 28-minute span to record the team's best-ever medal haul. This included a commanding victory for Keely Hodgkinson in the 800m bbc.com, where she claimed gold with a new championship record, while Josh Kerr reclaimed his world indoor 3,000m title bbc.com after completing a successful post-injury comeback. Elsewhere on the track, Ireland's Kate O'Connor secured the bronze medal bbc.com in the pentathlon, though defending 60m champion Jeremiah Azu narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth in what was described as "one of the best 60m races of all time" bbc.com. On the Moto GP circuit, Marco Bezzecchi continued his strong start bbc.com to the season by winning the Brazilian Grand Prix, a race that was shortened to 31 laps due to extreme heat conditions bbc.com.

The United Rugby Championship saw the Stormers secure a four-try bonus-point victory bbc.com over Dragons to reclaim second place in the standings, while Connacht also posted a statement bonus-point win bbc.com against Ulster in the second half. Welsh clubs faced a challenging weekend; Exeter overcame Sale 26-14 to move into the Premiership play-off spots bbc.com, while Taulupe Faletau, Jac Morgan, and Elliot Dee returned for Wales amid a tough slate for Welsh sides generally bbc.com. In Rugby League action, Hull FC edged out Leeds Rhinos bbc.com in a tight Yorkshire derby for their second Super League victory, and Warrington Wolves moved to second place after Kelepi Tanginoa scored four tries bbc.com in a rout of Castleford Tigers bbc.com.

The UFC London event saw several crucial fights impacting contender rankings, most notably Movsar Evloev defeating Lerone Murphy bbc.com via majority decision, significantly denting Murphy’s featherweight title aspirations. Meanwhile, Mason Jones earned the fight of the night bonus bbc.com in a redemption performance at the O2 Arena, and Paddy Pimblett is targeting a return to the octagon bbc.com in July during the promotion's international fight week. In professional boxing, a serious incident occurred when 19-year-old junior flyweight Isis Sio was placed espn.com in a medically induced coma following a knockout on a Pro Box TV card, bringing the debate over fighter safety and compensation to the fore again following the London event espn.com. In snooker, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh stunned Ronnie O’Sullivan in the World Open final in Yushan, China, achieving a spectacular maximum 147 break during his 10-7 victory bbc.com.

The New York Jets are committing $48 million espn.com in cap space toward moving on from Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields, a significant financial maneuver impacting their 2026 quarterback situation. On the ice, the Colorado Avalanche became the first NHL team espn.com to clinch a playoff berth this season following a 4-1 victory over the Blackhawks. In Netball, the London Pulse ended Nottingham Forest’s unbeaten run bbc.com in the Super League after a thrilling extra-time contest, which Coach Sam Bird suggested proves their composure in tight contests will benefit them later in the season. Tragically, the sport of boxing saw controversy as Olympic champion Lin Yu-ting was cleared to compete again bbc.com following the governing body’s new sex testing protocols bbc.com.