General Sports 3d Briefing
×Last updated: March 24, 2026, 2:30 PM ET
NCAA Tournament Upsets & Sweet 16 Storylines
The NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament continues to deliver major drama as the field narrowed to the Sweet, featuring a historic first for a First Four team when Virginia ousted Iowa in double overtime espn.com in a thrilling regional second-round contest. Furthermore, TCU advanced past Washington in overtime espn.com, while No. 1 seed Texas capped an improbable run by becoming the first team in five years to jump from the First Four to the Sweet 16 espn.com, after defeating No. 8 Oregon behind a career-high 40 points from Madison Booker espn.com. In the men's bracket, the Sweet 16 is fully set after Purdue coach Matt Painter secured his 500th victory at his alma mater espn.com and St. John’s advanced on a dramatic Dylan Darling buzzer-beater espn.com, though Kansas coach Bill Self has yet to decide on his coaching future espn.com following their exit.
The women’s bracket saw UConn utilize a massive 31-0 run to roll over Syracuse by 53 points espn.com, leading Syracuse coach Felisha Legette-Jack to blast the NCAA committee for consistently pairing them in the UConn subregional espn.com. Other major upsets included UVA authoring the first upset over a No. 7 seed espn.com in the first round, though USC survived a controversial late review to topple Clemson in overtime espn.com and move on. The tournament's viewership is reflecting the excitement, as the March Madness ratings are off to their best start since 2011 espn.com when CBS and TNT began carrying all the games.
College Basketball Coaching Carousel & Future Outlook
The coaching musical chairs continued this week as Arizona State landed Saint Mary's Randy Bennett as its new head coach espn.com, while former Cincinnati mentor Wes Miller found a new home at Charlotte espn.com following his earlier dismissal. Syracuse is reportedly moving to hire former star Gerry McNamara, working toward an agreement with Siena's current coach espn.com, and Providence named South Florida's Bryan Hodgson as its new men’s coach espn.com. Meanwhile, Creighton’s Greg McDermott announced his retirement after a 16-year tenure yielding 365 victories espn.com, and discussions are ongoing regarding Hubert Davis's future at UNC following another first-round exit espn.com.
Beyond immediate coaching changes, the implications of NCAA legal action are looming, as a recent challenge by Nebraska could introduce wide-ranging salary cap consequences espn.com. In player news, Arkansas star Darius Acuff Jr. made history by securing a signature shoe deal with Reebok espn.com while remaining an amateur athlete, and Oklahoma linebacker Owen Heinecke filed a lawsuit espn.com against the NCAA seeking an extra year of eligibility before the upcoming NFL draft.
Golf & Tennis Updates Amid Player Withdrawals
The professional golf world saw world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler withdraw from the Houston Open espn.com as he and his wife anticipate the birth of their second child, a decision that was always considered likely given the circumstances. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods bbc.com is set for his return to competitive play after a 13-month absence, scheduled for Tuesday's TGL finale. His team, Jupiter Links Golf Club, lost the opening match of the TGL championship 6-5 to Los Angeles Golf Club on Monday espn.com, setting up a high-stakes match where Woods will play espn.com. In tennis, Jannik Sinner surpassed Novak Djokovic's decade-old record bbc.com for consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 events during his run in Miami, though Iga Swiatek parted ways with her coach bbc.com after an early Miami Open exit.
International Cricket & Rugby Staffing Shifts
In international cricket, Ben Duckett withdrew from the upcoming Indian Premier League bbc.com citing a desire to focus exclusively on his place in the England setup amidst ongoing internal critiques. Former players, including Jonny Bairstow, suggested the England regime needs to reintroduce greater care bbc.com, while former captain Michael Vaughan noted that head coach Brendon McCullum and director Rob Key were fortunate to survive the post-Ashes review bbc.com, a sentiment echoed by ECB chief Richard Gould bbc.com. Separately, Cricket Ireland's Graeme West confirmed that players retain the option to opt out bbc.com of the series against Afghanistan this summer.
Rugby Union & League Coaching Appointments
The coaching structure for Welsh rugby is seeing significant changes, with former international centre Ashley Beck joining Sean Lynn's staff bbc.com as the attack coach for the Women's Six Nations, while New Zealand boss Dave Rennie reunited with Mike Blair bbc.com to serve as an attack coach. In the English Premiership, Harlequins appointed Jason Gilmore as permanent head coach and secured Robbie Deans bbc.com as performance director starting next season, following a weekend where Harlequins slipped deeper into the mire bbc.com. Furthermore, the Welsh Rugby Union extended the deadline for the Cardiff Rugby buyout bbc.com by 30 days as interested parties continue negotiations for the club's sale.
Combat Sports & Individual Athletic Achievements
In combat sports, the undercard for the May Ronda Rousey v Gina Carano event added Briton Muhammad Mokaev bbc.com in a flyweight bout against Adriano Moraes, while Paddy Pimblett is targeting a July return bbc.com during the UFC's international fight week. At UFC London, Movsar Evloev secured a majority decision victory over Lerone Murphy bbc.com, denting Murphy's title aspirations, an event where the debate over fighter pay re-emerged bbc.com. On the track, Great Britain made history at the World Indoor Championships bbc.com by securing three gold medals in a stunning 28-minute span, including Keely Hodgkinson's commanding 800m world title bbc.com and Josh Kerr reclaiming his 3,000m world indoor crown bbc.com following an injury layoff.
Global Sports Tidbits & Legal Matters
In boxing, Dalton Smith is set to defend his WBC light-welterweight title bbc.com at home in Sheffield against former champion Alberto Puello, while IBF champion Jai Opetaia was stripped of his title bbc.com after proceeding with a fight that the sanctioning body withdrew support for. Elsewhere, the World Snooker Championship will remain at the Crucible until 2045 bbc.com following a refurbishment plan that adds up to 500 seats, and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh shocked Ronnie O'Sullivan bbc.com in the World Open final with a maximum 147 break. On the legal front, a bipartisan Senate bill seeks to ban prediction markets espn.com from allowing transactions that mimic sports betting, while a Maryland sheriff's office stated Monday that a professional cornhole player who is a quadruple amputee faces murder charges espn.com following a fatal shooting during a dispute.