General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 23, 2026, 2:30 AM ET
NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament
The NCAA Women's Tournament bracket solidified its Sweet 16 participants over the weekend, featuring gritty performances across the board. TCU outlasted Washington espn.com in overtime Sunday night, 62-59, propelled by Olivia Miles' 18 points and 10 rebounds, sending the Horned Frogs back to the regional semifinal for the second time. Elsewhere, Minnesota punched its ticket espn.com to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 21 years after Amaya Battle sank a tiebreaking jump shot with 0.7 seconds remaining to secure a 65-63 victory over Mississippi. Meanwhile, the defending champion Florida was eliminated espn.com in a thrilling second-round contest when Iowa's Alvaro Folgueiras converted a go-ahead three-pointer with only 4.5 seconds left on the clock. The favorites largely advanced, as UConn remained the top contender espn.com entering the second round, though UCLA's odds improved espn.com after their own advancement.
The second round continued to produce intense contests, with USC surviving Clemson espn.com in overtime, 71-67, only after a crucial review nullified a potential game-winning buzzer-beater by Clemson at the end of regulation. In stark contrast to the close calls, top-seeded South Carolina dominated espn.com Southern in the first round by a margin of 103-34, led by Joyce Edwards' 27 points and eight rebounds. The tournament also saw a major upset on Saturday when No. 10 seed Virginia defeated No. 7 Georgia espn.com 82-73 in the opening round. On the individual front, Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey received top honors espn.com, voted the winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the nation's best player in college women's hockey.
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
The Men's March Madness bracket is set for the Sweet, featuring a diverse field that includes five Big Ten representatives and an underdog Texas squad that navigated the First Four. Texas became the first team in five years espn.com to reach the Sweet 16 directly from the First Four after upsetting No. 3 seed Gonzaga 74-68 on Saturday, a feat Coach Sean Miller asserted does not categorize his team as a Cinderella despite their improbable run espn.com. The bracket also saw No. 2 seed UConn narrowly escape elimination espn.com thanks to Tarris Reed Jr.'s historic 31-point, 27-rebound performance in an 82-71 victory over Furman. Furthermore, No. 1 seed Michigan powered past Saint Louis espn.com in their second-round matchup, aided by Yaxel Lendeborg's 25-point effort, setting up a compelling Sweet 16 game between coaches Dusty May and Josh Schertz, who have a history of exchanging scouting notes espn.com.
Coaching changes and memorable individual performances punctuated the weekend's action in the men's bracket. Longtime Kansas coach Bill Self confirmed no decision espn.com regarding his future had been made following their season-ending loss to St. John's. St. John's advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 after Dylan Darling hit a game-winning layup espn.com as time expired to defeat Kansas 67-65. Purdue's Matt Painter celebrated his 500th career win at his alma mater as Purdue advanced espn.com past Miami 79-69. In a record-breaking night Friday, Purdue's Braden Smith surpassed Bobby Hurley's all-time NCAA assists mark, reaching 1,077 career assists espn.com.
Global Athletics & Golf
The World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland yielded historic success for Great Britain, which secured three gold medals bbc.com within a sensational 28-minute span, marking the team's best-ever medal haul at the event. Keely Hodgkinson claimed the 800m title bbc.com in commanding fashion, setting a new championship record, while Josh Kerr successfully reclaimed his world indoor 3,000m title bbc.com to crown his return from injury. On the medal front, Ireland's Kate O'Connor earned a bronze medal bbc.com in the pentathlon, though Great Britain's Jeremiah Azu narrowly missed a medal in the 60m dash, which was described as "one of the best 60m races of all time" as he finished fourth bbc.com. In golf, Hyo Joo Kim secured a wire-to-wire victory espn.com at the Fortinet Founders Cup on Sunday, edging out Nelly Korda at Sharon Heights. Elsewhere on the links, Australia's Hannah Green claimed her third successive win bbc.com at the Australian WPGA Championship.
Motorsports & Combat Sports
NASCAR saw Tyler Reddick achieve rare air espn.com by securing his fourth victory of the season at Darlington Raceway, passing numerous benchmarks at the challenging "Track Too Tough To Tame." The Moto GP series kicked off with Marco Bezzecchi taking victory in Brazil bbc.com, where extreme heat forced race organizers to shorten the event to 31 laps. In combat sports, the UFC London card prompted renewed debate over fighter compensation amid several career-defining wins bbc.com. Movsar Evloev dented Lerone Murphy's title aspirations bbc.com with a majority decision victory in their featherweight bout. In boxing, Chinese Taipei's Olympic champion Lin Yu-ting was cleared to return bbc.com to competition after undergoing a new sex test mandated by World Boxing.
European Football & Rugby
In European football news, Wales manager Craig Bellamy granted an exclusive interview detailing his eclectic interests spanning Balkan history bbc.com and popular culture. Elsewhere in the United Rugby Championship, Stormers moved into second place bbc.com after securing a bonus-point victory with four tries against the Dragons. Connacht also delivered a statement performance, securing a bonus-point win over Ulster bbc.com with a powerful second-half showing. Meanwhile, in Premiership Women's Rugby, league leaders Gloucester-Hartpury overturned a deficit bbc.com to beat Loughborough Lightning, thanks to a hat-trick from Kelepi Tanginoa.
Snooker & Darts
Snooker saw a significant upset in the World Open final, where Thepchaiya Un-Nooh recorded a maximum 147 break bbc.com during his 10-7 victory over Ronnie O'Sullivan in Yushan, China. In darts, Luke Littler is seeking to protect his image bbc.com by applying to trademark his face to combat unauthorized AI-generated content, even as his likeness is already used legally on various merchandise.
Other Global Sports Updates
In cycling, Tadej Pogacar won his first Milan-San Remo title bbc.com after a dramatic battle with Britain's Tom Pidcock, despite reports that Debora Silvestri suffered five broken ribs in a serious crash during the women's event. In ice hockey, the Colorado Avalanche became the first NHL team espn.com to clinch a playoff berth following a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks. In international cricket, plans are advancing for a new European Nations Cup tournament bbc.com to potentially launch as early as 2027.