General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 23, 2026, 10:30 AM ET
NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Advances
The Women's NCAA Tournament bracket narrowed significantly espn.com as Monday's second round concluded, setting the field for the Sweet 16 across eight matchups tracked live throughout the day's action espn.com. TCU outlasted Washington espn.com in overtime, 62-59, behind Olivia Miles' 18 points and 10 rebounds, sending the Horned Frogs back to the regional semifinal for the second time. Meanwhile, the UConn Huskies remained the title favorite espn.com, though USC improved its championship odds espn.com after surviving a dramatic first round where a buzzer-beater by Clemson was nullified by review espn.com, allowing USC to prevail 71-67 in overtime.
The second round saw several high-stakes contests, with half the Sweet 16 determined on Sunday espn.com as higher seeds generally prevailed, though upsets marked the initial stages of the tournament. South Carolina dominated Southern espn.com in a 103-34 opening-round rout, led by Joyce Edwards' 27 points and eight boards, while Virginia authored the first upset espn.com, taking down No. 7 seed Georgia 82-73. Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey earned the Patty Kazmaier Award espn.com as the top player in college women's hockey concurrently with the tournament action, underscoring the focus on the women's game.
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Drama
The Men's March Madness bracket fully set its Sweet 16 lineup espn.com following a weekend filled with buzzer-beaters and tight contests, with teams like Michigan, the Midwest Region's top seed espn.com, advancing after Yaxel Lendeborg netted 25 points against Saint Louis. The connection between Michigan coach Dusty May and Saint Louis' Josh Schertz added intrigue, as the two exchanged scouting notes for years espn.com before meeting with a Sweet 16 berth on the line. An improbable run continued for Texas, who advanced from the First Four espn.com to face Gonzaga, beating the No. 3 seed 74-68 on Saturday, though Coach Sean Miller asserted his team should not be considered a Cinderella espn.com.
In other notable men's action, Dylan Darling's last-second layup espn.com lifted St. John's past Kansas 67-65, sending the program to its first Sweet 16 since 1999, while Kansas coach Bill Self confirmed he had not yet decided on his coaching future espn.com following the season-ending loss. Purdue's Matt Painter secured his 500th career win at his alma mater espn.com by defeating Miami 79-69, and Braden Smith broke Bobby Hurley's NCAA all-time assists record, reaching 1,077 career assists espn.com during Friday's first-round victory. Furthermore, the NCAA filed a trademark infringement lawsuit espn.com against Draft Kings over the use of terms like 'March Madness' as the tournament progressed.
College Football & NFL Offseason Moves
to the 2026 college football season, Notre Dame and Texas appear set for strong returns espn.com, although the 2025 season demonstrated that high returning production does not guarantee success. In professional football news, the New York Jets are committing $48 million espn.com combined to Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields, signaling they will not be the starting quarterbacks in 2026, which accounts for approximately 16% of their future salary cap space. Meanwhile, Kenny Pickett expressed his desire for a starting role, stating he was drawn to the Panthers by coach Dave Canales espn.com hoping to achieve his "ultimate goal" in Carolina.
Rugby & Soccer Updates
In international rugby, England is scheduled to host Canada bbc.com in September, rematching the 2025 Women's World Cup final as part of the WXV Global Series fixtures. Domestically, the United Rugby Championship saw the Stormers move to second place bbc.com after securing a bonus-point victory over the Dragons in Cape Town, while Connacht also delivered a strong second-half performance to defeat Ulster bbc.com. In English football, the Premier League resumed with Harlequins suffering further setbacks bbc.com while Finn Russell masterfully guided his side to victory and Leicester demonstrated impressive attacking depth.
Global Athletics & Combat Sports
Great Britain achieved a historic performance at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland, securing three gold medals within a sensational 28-minute span bbc.com for the team's best-ever medal haul. This included Keely Hodgkinson claiming the 800m gold bbc.com with a championship record, and Josh Kerr completing a remarkable comeback by reclaiming the 3,000m world title bbc.com after battling back from injury. In combat sports, the debate over fighter compensation re-emerged at UFC London bbc.com, following performances where Movsar Evloev earned a majority decision victory over Lerone Murphy, denting Murphy's featherweight title aspirations bbc.com.
Other Global Sports Notes
In European rugby union, Leicester demonstrated attacking flair espn.com upon the Premier League's return, and in the URC, Taulupe Faletau, Jac Morgan, and Elliot Dee returned bbc.com to boost Wales ahead of upcoming fixtures. Moto GP saw Marco Bezzecchi capitalize on extreme heat bbc.com to win the shortened Brazilian Grand Prix, continuing his strong start to the season, while in cycling, Tadej Pogacar outdueled Tom Pidcock bbc.com to claim his first Milan-San Remo title. Meanwhile, in non-league football, the Rushden & Diamonds club released two players bbc.com following an on-pitch altercation that resulted in both players receiving red cards.