General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 24, 2026, 11:30 AM ET
NCAA Basketball Tournament & Coaching Carousel
The women's NCAA tournament continued its dramatic run as Virginia became the first First Four team espn.com to reach the Sweet 16 after securing an 83-75 double-overtime victory against host Iowa on Monday, while TCU also advanced espn.com by outlasting Washington 62-59 in overtime. In the same bracket, UConn dominated Syracuse 98-45 espn.com, sending Azzi Fudd off in her final Gampel Pavilion game after she scored 26 of her 34 points in the first half, prompting Syracuse coach Felisha Legette-Jack to blast the NCAA for the UConn pairing espn.com placement. Meanwhile, on the men’s side, the regional semifinals are set, with rankings suggesting six Big Ten teams made the field espn.com alongside upset-minded Texas, who became the first team in five years to advance from the First Four to the Sweet 16 by toppling Gonzaga 74-68 espn.com.
The coaching carousel spun rapidly following the early exits from the men’s tournament, as sources indicated that Cincinnati is preparing to hire Jerrod Calhoun espn.com from Utah State, who has led the Aggies to consecutive NCAA tournaments, while Arizona State tapped Randy Bennett espn.com from Saint Mary’s to take over their program. Elsewhere, Syracuse is reportedly moving toward hiring former star Gerry McNamara as its next head coach espn.com after parting ways with Adrian Autry, and Creighton coach Greg McDermott is retiring espn.com after compiling 365 wins across 16 seasons with the Bluejays. The aftermath of March Madness also brought clarity to some major programs, with Nebraska’s recent challenge to the NCAA espn.com over player compensation potentially creating wide-ranging salary cap implications for the "messy middle" of college athletics, while Kansas coach Bill Self confirmed espn.com he has not yet decided on his coaching future.
Early projections for the 2026 season are already underway, with several programs facing major roster reconstruction; sources indicated that UNC officials are discussing Hubert Davis’s future espn.com following another first-round tournament exit, and the pain index ranked Florida’s loss as one that will "haunt us forever," as their transfer portal and recruiting efforts now take precedence espn.com. In women’s hoops, UCLA’s Lauren Betts erupted for a career-high 25 points espn.com in a blowout win over Oklahoma State, and the SEC had six teams advance to the Sweet 16 alongside five ACC teams espn.com, while Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey was voted the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner as the top player in college women's hockey espn.com.
Golf, Tennis & Motorsports
In golf, Tiger Woods confirmed he will return to competition Tuesday bbc.com in the TGL finale after a 13-month layoff, a match where his Jupiter Links team faces the Los Angeles Golf Club after losing the opener 6-5 in a nail-biter espn.com. On the ATP tour, Jannik Sinner achieved a new benchmark by surpassing Novak Djokovic’s Masters 1000 record bbc.com for consecutive sets won during his run at the Miami Open, where World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka also advanced to the last 16 bbc.com, though Iga Swiatek decided to split with her coach Wim Fissette bbc.com following an early exit. Meanwhile, in NASCAR, Tyler Reddick secured his fourth victory of the season at Darlington Raceway, placing him in an elite club after conquering the grueling "Track Too Tough To Tame" espn.com, and in Moto GP, Marco Bezzecchi claimed the Brazilian Grand Prix victory bbc.com in a race shortened to 31 laps due to extreme heat.
Combat Sports & European Football
The combat sports world saw significant movement, with Briton Muhammad Mokaev scheduled to fight Adriano Moraes on the undercard of the Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano event in May bbc.com, while the debate over fighter compensation was reignited at UFC London amid several defining performances, including Movsar Evloev’s decision victory over Lerone Murphy bbc.com. In boxing, Jai Opetaia was stripped of his IBF title bbc.com after proceeding with a fight against Brandon Glanton despite the sanctioning body withdrawing its approval. Across the pond in snooker, the historic Crucible venue in Sheffield secured its future by agreeing to host the World Championship until 2045 bbc.com, which will include a refurbishment to add up to 500 seats.
Global Football & Rugby Updates
On the pitch, Real Madrid exhibited courage to prevail in the Madrid derby espn.com against Atlético, while Manchester City edged out Arsenal to claim the Carabao Cup, according to recaps of the weekend’s action espn.com. In rugby union, the Welsh Rugby Union extended the negotiation period for the sale of Cardiff Rugby by another 30 days bbc.com to the Ospreys owners, and in the United Rugby Championship, the Stormers secured a four-try victory bbc.com over Dragons to move back into second place. Meanwhile, in a historic first for rugby league, Tara Jones will referee the Super League match bbc.com between Wigan and Huddersfield this Saturday, marking the first time a woman has taken on the role.
Player Contracts, Legal Issues & Miscellaneous
College basketball star Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas has achieved a major milestone by securing a signature shoe deal with Reebok espn.com, making him the first NCAA men's athlete to land such a partnership with a major U.S. brand while still competing in college. In the NFL, mock draft projections from Field Yates map out landing spots for 64 top prospects across the first two rounds espn.com, while the Jets are reportedly paying a combined $48 million for Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields to not be their starting quarterbacks in 2026, consuming approximately 16% of their available cap space espn.com. Elsewhere, in a bizarre turn of events, a professional cornhole player who is a quadruple amputee is facing murder charges in Maryland espn.com after allegedly fatally shooting a passenger during a dispute.
Skiing & Tennis Records
Mikaela Shiffrin’s slalom victory on Tuesday set her up perfectly for the World Cup overall title decider scheduled for Wednesday espn.com, while on the track, Great Britain made history at the World Indoor Athletics Championships by claiming three gold medals within a sensational 28 minutes bbc.com. Keely Hodgkinson produced a commanding performance to claim the 800m gold with a championship record, and Josh Kerr completed his post-injury comeback by reclaiming the world indoor 3,000m title bbc.com in thrilling fashion. In tennis, Jannik Sinner's exceptional run at the Miami Open saw him surpass Djokovic's record for consecutive sets won at Masters 1000 events bbc.com, although he later parted ways with coach Wim Fissette bbc.com.