General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 23, 2026, 6:30 PM ET
NCAA Basketball Coaching Carousel Heats Up
The shakeup in men's college basketball coaching continued this week as several high-profile jobs found new leadership, signaling a major shift across the sport. Cincinnati is finalizing espn.com the hiring of Utah State's Jerrod Calhoun espn.com, the Aggies' coach who guided them to consecutive NCAA tournaments. Separately, Arizona State is reportedly espn.com set to land Saint Mary's veteran Randy Bennett on a five-year contract to take the reins of the Sun Devils program. This flurry of activity follows other recent moves, including Charlotte hiring Wes Miller espn.com as head coach after his recent dismissal from Cincinnati, while Syracuse is targeting espn.com former star Gerry McNamara from Siena. Adding to the coaching uncertainty, longtime Kansas coach Bill Self confirmed Sunday espn.com that he has not yet decided on his future following the Jayhawks' season-ending loss.
NCAA Tournament Momentum and Milestones
The women's NCAA tournament has set the stage for the Sweet, with the field being finalized after a weekend of intense second-round action, while the men's side prepares for its regional semifinals. The women's bracket saw TCU advancing espn.com past Washington in overtime, 62-59, behind Olivia Miles' 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Minnesota reached its first Sweet 16 espn.com in 21 years thanks to Amaya Battle's tiebreaking jumper. The overall viewership for the tournament has been exceptional, generating its best start espn.com since CBS and TNT began sharing coverage in 2011. In the men's bracket, No. 16 seed Texas surprisingly reached espn.com the Sweet 16 after upsetting No. 3 Gonzaga, making them the first First Four team in five years to achieve that feat, a run coach Sean Miller insisted does not qualify them as a Cinderella team despite their improbable path bbc.com.
Men's Tournament Upsets & Records
The men's tournament delivered several high-drama finishes and significant individual achievements as the field narrowed toward the Sweet. Purdue advanced espn.com after coach Matt Painter secured his 500th win at the school, defeating Miami 79-69, while Michigan, the Midwest Region's top seed, punched its ticket behind Yaxel Lendeborg's 25-point performance against Saint Louis in a game featuring espn.com coaches Dusty May and Josh Schertz meeting after years of exchanging scouting notes that added intrigue to the matchup espn.com. A monumental record fell when Purdue's Braden Smith surpassed Bobby Hurley's espn.com NCAA all-time assists mark, reaching 1,077 during the first round. However, not all traditional powers survived: Kentucky suffered espn.com their worst tournament loss since 1972, falling by 19 points to Iowa State, while St. John's advanced espn.com to its first Sweet 16 since 1999 after Dylan Darling's buzzer-beater against Kansas.
NCAA Legal and Player Status Updates
Legal and eligibility issues are surfacing as the college basketball season concludes and the focus shifts toward the NFL Draft. Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke filed a federal lawsuit espn.com against the NCAA demanding an additional year of eligibility, seeking a ruling before next month's NFL Draft. Meanwhile, the NCAA itself launched litigation espn.com against Draft Kings, accusing the sportsbook operator of trademark infringement for utilizing terms like "March Madness." In other player news, UConn's Tarris Reed Jr. produced espn.com a historic 31-point, 27-rebound performance to help the No. 2 seed escape an upset against Furman, 82-71, while Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey espn.com was voted the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner as the top player in college women's hockey.
International Cricket & Rugby Updates
In international cricket, England captain Ben Stokes described the preceding three months as "the hardest period" of his tenure, though he expressed confidence in the current leadership to guide the team forward bbc.com. This sentiment comes as ECB chief executive Richard Gould defended head coach Brendon McCullum, stating that sacking him after the bbc.com 4-1 Ashes defeat "would have been 'easy'." Elsewhere in the sport, Glamorgan seam bowler James Harris announced his immediate retirement espn.com with the new season less than two weeks away, while 15-year-old Rwandan batter Fanny Utagushimaninde made history by becoming the youngest bbc.com woman to score a T20 international century. In rugby union, the Welsh Rugby Union granted a 30-day extension bbc.com for the sale negotiations involving Cardiff Rugby to the Ospreys owners, Y11, while England is set to host Canada in a September rematch bbc.com of the 2025 Women's World Cup final as part of the WXV Global Series.
European Football & Domestic Rugby
European club football saw high-stakes action in the Carabao Cup where Manchester City edged espn.com Arsenal, raising questions about the potential impact on their Premier League title race, while Real Madrid's bravery was rewarded in the Madrid derby. In domestic English rugby, Leicester Tigers tore up bbc.com the pitch with a running game, and Finn Russell directed a victory as the Premiership returned, though Harlequins continued to struggle. In Super League, Hull FC narrowly defeated bbc.com Leeds Rhinos in a tense Yorkshire derby, securing their second win of the season, while Warrington Wolves moved into second place after Kelepi Tanginoa scored four tries bbc.com in a dominant win over Castleford Tigers. Furthermore, the sport is set to see a milestone as Tara Jones will referee bbc.com the upcoming Super League match between Wigan and Huddersfield, becoming the first woman to officiate at that level.
UFC, Boxing, and Combat Sports Developments
The UFC London event saw several significant outcomes, including Movsar Evloev securing a majority decision victory that severely dented Lerone Murphy's featherweight title aspirations in a gritty win bbc.com. The event also reignited the debate surrounding fighter compensation, described as "heartbreaking" amid career-defining performances bbc.com, while Paddy Pimblett indicated his intention to target a July return bbc.com to the Octagon during International Fight Week. In boxing, the focus shifted to athlete safety and governance after Chinese Taipei's Olympic champion Lin Yu-ting was cleared to compete bbc.com following the implementation of the governing body's new sex testing protocols. Meanwhile, Irish boxer Michael Conlan confirmed the "end of the road" following a split decision bbc.com loss to Kevin Walsh, having been unable to translate his amateur success into a multi-weight professional championship despite coming close bbc.com.
Other Sports: Golf, Tennis, and Track & Field
In professional golf, Matt Fitzpatrick's recent bbc.com success on the U.S. PGA Tour, highlighted by impressive bedrock statistics, positions him as a favorite heading into the Masters. On the TGL circuit, the championship matchup for the SoFi Cup features Los Angeles Golf Club taking on Jupiter Links GC in the Year 2 final espn.com. Tennis saw Iga Swiatek part ways with coach bbc.com Wim Fissette immediately following her early exit from the Miami Open, though defending champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her pursuit of the 'Sunshine Double' by reaching the last 16 with a straight-sets win bbc.com. Track and field provided historic moments at the World Indoor Championships in Poland, where Great Britain achieved three gold medals in bbc.com just 28 minutes, marking the team's best-ever haul; this included Josh Kerr reclaiming his world indoor 3,000m title after a grueling recovery bbc.com from injury, while Ireland's Kate O'Connor secured a bronze medal in the pentathlon at the event bbc.com.
Other Sporting News & Legislative Action
A bipartisan Senate bill introduced on Monday seeks to prohibit prediction markets espn.com from facilitating transactions that mimic traditional sports betting activities. In motorsports, NASCAR's Tyler Reddick achieved rare air by securing his fourth victory espn.com of the season at Darlington, proving his dominance on the challenging track. In cycling, Tadej Pogacar won his first Milan-San Remo bbc.com title in a thrilling sprint finish against Tom Pidcock, though the women's race saw Debora Silvestri sustain five broken ribs in a serious crash during the classic bbc.com. Finally, Olympic champion Sifan Hassan was forced to withdraw bbc.com from the upcoming London Marathon due to an Achilles injury sustained during a treadmill mishap.