Category: News
Illinois-Chicago moves 1 win from automatic bid to NCAA Tournament with victory over Drake in MVC semifinals
ST. LOUIS — Rashund Washington Jr. scored 23 points, helping No. 5 seed Illinois-Chicago beat Drake 72-51 in a Missouri Valley Tournament semifinal Saturday.
The Flames (19-14) will play No. 6 seed Northern Iowa (22-12) in the championship game Sunday (11 a.m., CBS-2). The winner secures the MVC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Mekhi Lowery had 12 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, and Elijah Crawford added 12 points for UIC.
Jalen Quinn finished with 14 points and Owen Larson had 12 points and five assists for the ninth-seeded Bulldogs (14-20), who upset top-seeded Belmont in the quarterfinals.
In the second semifinal, Leon Bond II scored 19 points and Trey Campbell added 13, leading the Panthers to a 73-69 win over No. 2 seed Bradley (21-12).
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/07/illinois-chicago-mvc-tournament-semifinals/
Northern Illinois opens search for new men’s basketball coach after Rashon Burno resigns
Northern Illinois is in search of a new men’s basketball coach after Rashon Burno resigned Saturday.
Burno went 48-106 over five seasons, and the Huskies never won more than 13 games in a season with him at the helm. They finished 9-21 this season, losing their regular-season finale to Akron 94-55 to end with a 4-14 record in their final season in the Mid-American Conference. They didn’t make the MAC Tournament.
The Huskies will move to the Horizon League in most sports next season, while football joins the Mountain West.
NIU announced it hired CSA Search & Consulting to head up its national search for the next coach. Executive associate athletic director Courtney Vinson, the men’s basketball administrator, will lead the program until a new coach is hired.
Before NIU, Burno, a former DePaul player, was an assistant at multiple college stops, including Arizona State and Florida, and started his coaching career at Marmion Academy in Aurora. Athletic director Sean T. Frazier thanked Burno in a statement.
“Under his leadership, our men’s basketball program has excelled academically, and we appreciate the commitment to our student-athletes and wish him all the best going forward,” Frazier said.
Burno is the second NIU coach to leave in less than a month. On Feb. 18, football coach Thomas Hammock announced he was leaving after seven seasons to return to the NFL. Frazier promoted defensive coordinator Rob Harley to interim football coach.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/07/northern-illinois-rashon-burno-resigns/
Daniel Berger mantiene el liderato en Bay Hill tras la lluvia
Por DOUG FERGUSON
ORLANDO, Florida, EE.UU. (AP) — Daniel Berger dejó de embocar birdies después de que una interrupción por lluvia le quitara la dureza a Bay Hill el sábado pero mantuvo una ventaja de dos golpes en el Arnold Palmer Invitational antes de que la oscuridad impidiera que terminara la tercera ronda.
Berger debe regresar el domingo por la mañana para enfrentar un putt para eagle de 35 pies en el hoyo 16 par 5.
Rory McIlroy sintió espasmos musculares en la espalda y decidió retirarse unos 30 minutos antes de su hora de salida. Fue la primera vez que se retiró de un torneo en 13 años, aunque no parecía que eso fuera a impedirle jugar el The Players Championship.
Scottie Scheffler probablemente también quedó fuera del torneo. El jugador número 1 del mundo pasó de un mal inicio a unos electrizantes últimos nueve hoyos, con cinco birdies en un tramo de seis hoyos, pero su tiro de aproximación en el 18 rebotó y cayó al agua.
Eso derivó en doble bogey y una tarjeta de 72, lo que lo dejó con un déficit que probablemente será de dos dígitos.
Cameron Young encadenó cuatro birdies consecutivos para comenzar los últimos nueve hoyos en un Bay Hill, eso lo llevó a un 67, y quedó con 9 bajo par (207) junto a Sepp Straka (66) y Collin Morikawa, quien apenas le ganó a la oscuridad para firmar un 70.
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Deportes en español AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Big Ten Tournament: No. 2 UCLA wins school-record 24th straight and will face No. 9 Iowa for the title
INDIANAPOLIS — Kiki Rice scored 17 points to lead five UCLA players in double figures, and the second-ranked Bruins won their school-record 24th consecutive game, 72-62 over No. 11 Ohio State on Saturday in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal.
Conference Player of the Year Lauren Betts and Angela Dugalic each scored 14 points for the top-seeded Bruins (30-1), who led the entire way. Gianna Kneepkens scored 13 points and Gabriela Jaquez added 10 points.
The Bruins will meet No. 9 Iowa in Sunday’s championship game (1:15 p.m., CBS-2).
Chance Gray led the fifth-seeded Buckeyes (26-7) with 23 points, hitting 6 of 11 shots and seven free throws. Jaloni Cambridge added 12 points and Elsa Lemmila had 10 points for the Buckeyes.
Trailing 32-21 at halftime, the closest Ohio State got in the third quarter was seven points at 45-38 with 4:15 left. UCLA led 52-40 after three quarters.
Iowa 59, Michigan 42
Ava Heiden scored 16 points, Hannah Stuelke and Chazadi Wright each had 13 and No. 9 Iowa pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat No. 8 Michigan in the second semifinal.
The second-seeded Hawkeyes outscored the Wolverines 24-6 in the fourth quarter. Stuelke, who also had 10 rebounds, scored seven points in the initial 2:23 of the final quarter to push Iowa ahead 42-38.
That was part of a pivotal 15-2 run. Wright and Taylor Stremlow hit 3s on back-to-back possessions, then Heiden converted a layup for a 50-38 lead. Stremlow had 11 points with three 3s.
The Hawkeyes (26-5) advanced to Sunday’s championship game against defending champion UCLA.
Trailing 13-4 after one quarter, the third-seeded Wolverines rallied. Mila Holloway, who missed her first seven shots, gave Michigan its first lead at 34-33 on a three-point play with 6:08 remaining in the third. Holloway sank a pullup jumper with 37 seconds left to give Michigan a 36-35 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Michigan (25-6) set a program record for regular-season and conference victories. But their last two losses were to the Hawkeyes, who won 62-44 on Feb. 22 in Iowa City.
— Phillip B. Wilson, Associated Press
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/07/big-ten-womens-basketball-tournament-semifinals/
Turkey Mulls F-16 Deployment To Turkish-Occupied Cyprus Amid Iran War Tensions
Turkey Mulls F-16 Deployment To Turkish-Occupied Cyprus Amid Iran War Tensions
As the Iran war unfolds and has shown signs of becoming a regional conflict, one interesting question is what Turkey’s role will be – given it is both a NATO member possessing a large military and an avowed regional enemy and rival to Israel for influence.
A Turkish defense ministry source has been cited in national media to say the country is mulling deployment of F-16 fighter jets to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Occupied northern Cyprus, Shutterstock/Middle East Forum
Earlier this week a British military base hosted in EU member Cyprus (on the southern side of the island) came under attack by Iranian-made drones.
This has resulted in some European military assets being moved to Cyprus, including additional British forces. But now it appears Turkey wants to make a show of doing the name for Turkish-claimed Cypriot territory.
Turkey’s Daily Sabah points out, however, that “TRNC has been incensed by Greek Cypriot’s growing military cooperation with its Western partners after the United Kingdom has allowed the U.S. to use its military base in the south of the divided island.
Citing the military source, the same Turkish outlet said, “The TRNC leadership has held a series of security meetings in response to the crisis, he added, focusing on crisis management, coordination with Türkiye and the preparedness of civil defense mechanisms.”
As for Turkey’s long occupation of northern Cyprus, no one else in the world recognizes its legitimacy except for Ankara. Cyprus receives backing from its EU partners, but this doesn’t go much beyond verbal censure of Turkey.
The Turkish armed forces has for years had at least 30,000 soldiers stationed on Cyprus and growing, the northern part of which it has illegally occupied since 1974.
It remains something that Greek Cypriots cannot forgive or forget, and it continues to shape a deep and lasting distrust of Britain. https://t.co/Id30iJpP4V
— elena antoniou (@elenaantoniou3) March 7, 2026
At the moment, President Erdogan has reportedly reached out to the UK’s Starmer, urging for Britain to do more diplomacy to immediately bring the Iran-US-Israel war to halt.
Tyler Durden
Sat, 03/07/2026 – 19:45
Messi conduce al Inter Miami a triunfo por 2-1 ante D.C. United en Baltimore
Por NOAH TRISTER
BALTIMORE (AP) — Lionel Messi anotó a los 27 minutos, e Inter Miami resistió para imponerse el sábado 2-1 a D.C. United ante 72.026 espectadores en la casa de los Ravens de Baltimore.
Ante la gran expectación que provoca Messi, el partido se disputó en el centro de Baltimore en lugar de celebrarse en el recinto más pequeño del D.C. United en Washington. Messi recompensó a los aficionados que lo fueron a ver en el primer tiempo, cuando puso al Inter Miami arriba por 2-0.
El también argentino Rodrigo De Paul marcó el otro tanto por los campeones defensores de la MLS. Tai Baribo acercó a United a los 75, pero D.C. no pudo empatar.
Inter Miami llegó a seis puntos y el conjunto capitalino se quedó en tres.
Messi y su equipo vivieron una semana movida. El jueves, visitaron la Casa Blanca el jueves.
Inter Miami abrió el marcador a los 17 minutos, cuando De Paul controló el balón a unos 15 metros del arco y sacó un disparo al lado más lejano de la red.
Luego Messi anotó su tercer gol de la joven temporada, al colarse a espaldas de la defensa de D.C. para recibir el pase de Mateo Silvetti y, con un toque, desviar el balón más allá del alcance del portero Sean Johnson.
Inter Miami ha ganado dos duelos seguidos desde que cayó 3-0 ante Los Angeles FC en su debut en la liga.
D.C. United encontró el gol en la segunda mitad. Un disparo de Jackson Hopkins obligó a una atajada, y Baribo aprovechó el rebote.
En otros partidos, New York City FC trituró 5-0 a Orlando City.
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Deportes AP: https://apnews.com/hub/deportes
Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey and Hannah Hidalgo hold heads high after ACC Tournament semifinal loss to No. 13 Duke
DULUTH, Ga. — Notre Dame’s 2026 trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball tournament ended the same way it did in 2025 — with a loss to Duke.
But this time around, coach Niele Ivey holds her head high as she heads back to South Bend, Ind., with a promising outlook on what she views as a special group.
“This group has grown. We’ve matured. We’ve learned how to play with each other and play for each other, and it has been honestly phenomenal,” Ivey said after Notre Dame’s 65-63 semifinal loss Saturday. “I talked to everybody about how much joy I have in coaching this group, so I told them, don’t hang your heads on this. It does not define us. It’s only going to make us better and stronger.”
It was a tough one for No. 5 seed Notre Dame (22-10), which overcame a first-half deficit and took a third-quarter lead over the top-seeded Blue Devils before a tightly contested fourth quarter ended with three potential game-winners falling short.
And so 364 days after being sent packing by Duke just before the ACC title game, Notre Dame suffered the same fate.
“It’s unfortunate, same result, but this group is a different group,” Ivey said. “Everybody that steps on that floor gives me their all on the offensive end and the defensive end. That’s the difference. They play for each other. They love each other. That’s the reason why you’re seeing this type of team.”
Hannah Hidalgo, a 5-foot-6 junior guard from New Jersey, plays a big role in leading that charge. For the second straight year, Hidalgo was named both ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in conference history to do so.
The two-way talent led the NCAA in steals per game this season (5.5) and topped the ACC in points per game (25.3).
In Saturday’s loss against the Blue Devils (23-8), Hidalgo led the Irish with 24 points, eight rebounds and four steals. She averaged 25.6 points, seven rebounds, four assists and 3.6 steals in her three ACC Tournament performances in Gas South Arena.
Hidalgo and Ivey are confident there’s more to come from the Irish this March. Their next opponent will be decided March 15, when the 68-team bracket is announced on Selection Sunday.
“We’ll come back, we’ll get back to work, get back to doing the same things that we’ve been doing to put us in this position,” Ivey said.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/07/notre-dame-hannah-hidalgo-acc-tournament/
How the Chicago White Sox roster is shaping up with opening day less than 3 weeks away
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Chicago White Sox are sorting through their pitching options.
“We have a number of guys in competition for a starting-rotation job, and at some point we need to get them information so they can adjust their routines and get geared toward long relief roles or whatever they might be doing,” manager Will Venable said Thursday at Camelback Ranch. “It’s coming here soon. We just have decisions to make.
“You’ve got to give these guys clarity around their roles. It will come shortly.”
The March 26 season opener in Milwaukee is less than three weeks away. Here’s how the 26-man roster could stack up.
Starting pitchers (5)
White Sox starter Davis Martin throws in the bullpen during spring training at Camelback Ranch on Feb. 18, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Projection: RHP Shane Smith, LHP Anthony Kay, RHP Davis Martin, RHP Sean Burke, RHP Erick Fedde
In the mix: LHP Sean Newcomb, LHP Chris Murphy, RHP Jonathan Cannon, RHP Mike Vasil
Smith, Kay and Martin likely will occupy three spots. The other two could go in any number of directions.
Newcomb has major-league experience as a starter and reliever and could give the rotation a little more balance as another left-hander. Murphy and Cannon have had impressive spring outings.
Burke bounced back after a rough four-run first-inning Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians at Camelback Ranch by retiring seven of the final eight batters he faced. Fedde followed with three scoreless innings.
Vasil was dependable in multiple roles last season and is trying to make the most of the opportunity to compete for a starting spot.
Relievers (8)
White Sox pitcher Sean Newcomb delivers during live batting practice at spring training at Camelback Ranch on Feb. 18, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Projection: Newcomb, Murphy, Vasil, Cannon, RHP Grant Taylor, RHP Jordan Leasure, RHP Jordan Hicks, RHP Seranthony Domínguez
In the mix: LHP Brandon Eisert, LHP Tyler Gilbert, LHP Ryan Borucki, RHP Alexander Alberto, RHP Jedixson Páez, RHP Wikelman González
New additions Domínguez and Hicks join Taylor and Leasure as right-handers the Sox will call on in leverage situations.
Beyond Newcomb and Murphy, left-handers having strong camps include Eisert, Gilbert and Borucki.
All three entered Saturday with similar spring stats, allowing just one hit over three scoreless innings. Eisert appeared in a staff-leading 72 games last season, while Gilbert had a 3.88 ERA in 46 outings. Borucki, from Mundelein, has dominated left-handed hitters in the past.
The Sox have interesting decisions to make with Alberto and Páez, who were Rule 5 selections in December.
Asked generally on Friday of the importance of a balance between lefties and righties in the bullpen, Venable said: “You want to take your best eight guys. But having guys on each side that can get lefties out and get righties out — especially now with the three-batter minimum — you’ve got to have both handedness, but also guys who can get both sides out. The lefties that we have in our camp are all throwing extremely well.
“It’s going to be tough here down the stretch, figuring out what our bullpen looks like. But it’s a good problem to have.”
Catchers (3)
White Sox designated hitter Kyle Teel (8) waits for a pitch against the Brewers in a Cactus League game at Camelback Ranch on Feb. 22, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Projection: Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, Korey Lee
It remains to be seen if the Sox go with two or three catchers.
Last season, the Sox recalled Lee from Triple A in late August to join Teel and Quero. That provided more opportunities to utilize Teel and Quero in the same lineup — one behind the plate and the other as the designated hitter — while still having another catcher available off the bench.
Quero has a team-leading nine RBIs this spring. Teel is participating in the World Baseball Classic with Team Italy. Lee came into Saturday tied for the team lead in walks (five) and stolen bases (three).
Infielders (6)
White Sox infielder Munetaka Murakami waits during live batting practice at spring training at Camelback Ranch on Feb. 18, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Projection: Munetaka Murakami, Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Lenyn Sosa, Curtis Mead
In the mix: Tanner Murray, LaMonte Wade Jr., Sam Antonacci
The starting infield is shaping up with Murakami at first base, Meidroth at second, Montgomery at shortstop and Vargas at third.
The Sox need to determine the best role for Sosa, who had a team-high 22 home runs in 2025. Mead, who homered for Team Australia in a WBC game against the Czech Republic on Friday, has seen time at third and first base since being acquired in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays in July.
Antonacci, who is playing with Team Italy in the WBC, has been one of the standouts this spring. He and Murray have both homered twice.
The veteran Wade has contributed in several ways. He entered Saturday with a .294 average, one home run, six RBIs and five walks.
Outfielders (4)
White Sox outfielder Luisangel Acuña sits in the dugout during spring training at Camelback Ranch on Feb. 18, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Projection: Andrew Benintendi, Austin Hays, Brooks Baldwin, Luisangel Acuña
In the mix: Derek Hill, Jarred Kelenic, Everson Pereira, Tristan Peters
The Sox will utilize Benintendi in left field and as a designated hitter. That could factor in if the team emphasizes outfield depth.
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Pereira continues to work his way back from tightness on his right side. He could return to game action next week. Before the setback, Pereira was having an impressive camp. A healthy Pereira creates an intriguing roster situation.
Kelenic, a nonroster invitee, has hit the ball hard. And Friday, that resulted in a three-run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Kelenic also made a nice running catch in right field Friday. Speaking of defense, that is an area in which Hill excels.
Hays will be starting at the corner outfield spots. Baldwin has been concentrating on the outfield. Acuña has spent a majority of his time this spring in center but is also getting some work in the infield.
“It’s huge,” Venable said Friday of Acuña’s flexibility. “We’re going to ask him to play multiple positions, center field and shortstop, second base. The same thing with a lot of these (position players), we’re going to ask them to play multiple positions as we figure out what the lineup looks like each day.
“We want to optimize our defense, that’s going to require guys to play multiple positions.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/03/07/chicago-white-sox-2026-roster-projections/
PJM Market Monitor Opposes Maryland Coal Plant Sale To Data Center Company
PJM Market Monitor Opposes Maryland Coal Plant Sale To Data Center Company
By Ethan Howland of UtilityDive
The PJM Interconnection’s market monitor on Wednesday urged federal regulators to reject an application from GenOn to sell a 216-MW power plant in Maryland to TeraWulf over concerns the data center developer would remove the resource from PJM’s market.
Taking the four Morgantown generating units out of the PJM market would run counter to “principles” issued by the National Energy Dominance Council and the PJM governors that call for new data centers to provide new generation, Monitoring Analytics, the market monitor, said in a filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The proposed deal between TeraWulf and GenOn would also shift risks and costs to PJM customers and would be inconsistent with the public interest, according to Monitoring Analytics.
The Trump administration and others have been pressing for data center companies to pay for their own power supply and energy infrastructure needs. President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a “ratepayer pledge” — signed by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI — that states that the companies will acquire new generation to meet their data center needs.
“Where possible, these companies will also add more capacity that serves the broader public by increasing supply,” the pledge states.
In its filing at FERC, Monitoring Analytics said the Morgantown power plant is in a constrained zone in PJM that needs existing generation to be retained and new generation to be built.
FERC should reject the proposed deal and require GenOn to refile its application to clarify that the Morgantown units would continue supplying the PJM market, according to the market monitor.
“TeraWulf should be required to commit to not removing the Morgantown Units from the PJM market to serve data center load,” Monitoring Analytics said.
TeraWulf, however, plans to be a net generator for Maryland, according to company officials.
TeraWulf intends to build its project in two phases, each with about 500 MW of gas-fired generation, 250 MW of battery storage and 500 MW of data center load, Paul Prager, TeraWulf chairman and CEO, said during a Feb. 26 earnings call.
“The site is being engineered to operate as a net generator to the state,” Prager said. “We are not just consuming capacity. We are adding it in constrained markets.”
TeraWulf intends to use the planned battery storage at the Morgantown site to shave peak load in a benefit to the PJM grid, Nazar Khan, TeraWulf chief technology officer, said.
Potentially, the project’s first phase could come online in late 2028, according to Prager.
The Morgantown power plant site includes four generating units totaling about 1,260 MW that were shuttered in 2022.
TeraWulf posted a $661.4 million loss in 2025, up from a $72.4 million loss the year before while its revenue increased to $168.5 million from $140.1 million in the same period, according to its annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Since 2022, TeraWulf has mainly funded its operations by selling bitcoin and issuing debt and equity, the company said.
Besides the Morgantown project, TeraWulf has data center projects in Kentucky, New York and Texas, according to a Feb. 26 investor presentation.
Other parties protesting the Morgantown deal at FERC include Public Citizen and area residents. FERC should direct TeraWulf to describe its plans for the Morgantown site, including how it intends to remediate coal-related pollution there, according to Public Citizen.
Tyler Durden
Sat, 03/07/2026 – 19:15
Muere otro palestino esta semana en medio de la creciente violencia en Cisjordania
Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) — Un soldado reservista israelí mató a un palestino en Cisjordania, ocupada por Israel, informó el Ministerio de Salud palestino; se trata del tercer palestino muerto esta semana en esa zona. La violencia se ha disparado en el territorio, mientras Israel intensifica su presencia militar debido a la guerra en toda la región.
Amir Muhammad Shanaran, de 28 años, murió el sábado y su hermano Khaled resultó herido de gravedad después de que un soldado reservista abriera fuego contra palestinos en las colinas del sur de Hebrón, según el grupo israelí de derechos Btselem.
Es el tercer palestino muerto esta semana. El lunes, colonos israelíes mataron a dos hermanos palestinos en la aldea de Qaryout, en el norte de Cisjordania. Otras tres personas también resultaron heridas por disparos en el incidente.
El ejército israelí indicó que respondió el sábado a reportes de un altercado violento entre colonos y palestinos. Según una revisión inicial, un soldado reservista abrió fuego e hirió a dos palestinos, y uno de ellos murió posteriormente a causa de sus heridas. El ejército señaló que ya investiga el incidente.
Palestinos y grupos de derechos humanos afirman que las autoridades israelíes, de manera habitual, no procesan a los colonos ni los hacen rendir cuentas por la violencia.
El incidente del sábado ocurrió en la región de Masafer Yatta, un conjunto de aldeas beduinas que fue retratado en el documental No Other Land, galardonado con el Oscar. El documental narra la lucha de los residentes por impedir que el ejército israelí demuela sus aldeas, así como la violencia de los colonos israelíes contra los palestinos.
El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de la Autoridad Palestina acusó el sábado a Israel de “aprovecharse del ambiente de guerra” y de la falta de atención internacional a los asuntos en Cisjordania para intensificar la intimidación, la violencia y el desplazamiento forzado.
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Esta historia fue traducida del inglés por un editor de AP con la ayuda de una herramienta de inteligencia artificial generativa.
