GEAR MAG

The league is starting up again on Wednesday, Feb. 25, and NHL games will be played for the first time since Feb. 5. TheDetroit Red Wings,Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders,Buffalo Sabres,Boston Bruins,Seattle Kraken,Utah MammothandAnaheim Duckssit in a playoff position after missing the postseason in 2024-25.

Thetrade deadline is around the cornerand the rush to a playoff berth is on before theregular season endson April 16.

Here's a look at key questions as the NHL regular season resumes:

Feb. 4: The Los Angeles Kings acquired left wing Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Liam Greentree and conditional third-round (2026) and fourth-round (2028) picks.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 27: The New York Islanders acquired left wing Ondrej Palat, a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forward Maxim Tsyplakov.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 20: The San Jose Sharks acquire forward Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks for second-round picks in 2026 and 2027, plus defenseman Cole Clayton.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 16: The Anaheim Ducks acquire winger Jeffrey Viel from the Boston Bruins for a 2026 fourth-round pick. Anaheim will give up the better of the fourth-rounder previously acquired from Philadelphia and Detroit.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jan. 8: The San Jose Sharks acquire goaltender Laurent Brossoit, defenseman Nolan Allan and a 2028 seventh-round pick from the Chicago Blackhawks for defensemen Ryan Ellis, Jake Furlong and a 2028 fourth-rounder.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Dec. 29: The Pittsburgh Penguins acquire forward Yegor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Danton Heinen, a 2026 second-round draft pick and a 2027 third-rounder.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Dec. 12: The Minnesota Wild acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Dec. 12: The Edmonton Oilers acquired Tristan Jarry and Samuel Poulin from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round pick.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

NHL trade tracker: Who changed teams in 2025-26

Will the trade deadline be busy?

The date is March 6 this year, so teams don't have a lot of time to work something out.

There was a major trade right before the Olympic freeze when theRangers moved Artemi Panarin to the Kings. Once the freeze lifted, theAvalanche traded defenseman Samuel Girardto the Penguins for Brett Kulak on Feb. 24.

Advertisement

There's an opportunity for more trades because there's a gap between the haves and the have-nots, and top teams have needs. The last-place Canucks, who already moved Quinn Hughes and Kiefer Sherwood, have Evander Kane and Teddy Blueger as pending free agents. The Rangers could move Vincent Trocheck, Flames center Nazem Kadri would be coveted and the Blues could be sellers.

Will the Panthers keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive?

They won the last two Stanley Cup titles, went to the Final the year before that and were Presidents' Trophy winners in 2021-22. But that string of success suffered a serious blow when captain and Selke Trophy winner Aleksander Barkov needed ACL surgery after being injured on his first day of practice in September.

They're also missing defensemen Dmitry Kulikov and Seth Jones and sit in last place in the Atlantic Division with 61 points, eight points out of a playoff spot. The good news is Matthew Tkachuk returned before the break and that Jones is skating with a non-contact jersey. Bill Zito is a creative general manager and Paul Maurice a top-notch coach. They have 25 games to make up those points, which is possible if they come out strong after the break. And as they showed the last three years, if they make it into the postseason, they can go far.

Can the Sabres end their playoff drought?

Their 14 years out of the playoffs is an NHL record. It looked like it might reach 15 when they started slowly. But things turned around when they fired general manager Kevyn Adams and promoted Jarmo Kekalainen. They pushed a winning streak to 10 games and now sit in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. But they lost three out of four heading into the break and will need to remedy that, especially when they will be facing the Lightning and Golden Knights two times each in the next 11 games.

Can the Red Wings end their playoff drought?

They haven't made the playoffs in nine years and are sitting in third place in the tough Atlantic Division. Other teams have a game or more in hand. But their goaltending is better than in the past because of John Gibson, and they have plenty of cap space to make a move at the deadline.

Can Kings overcome the loss of Kevin Fiala?

Fialabroke his legwhile playing for Switzerland at the Olympics, had surgery and will miss the rest of the regular season. The Kings have Panarin now, but his acquisition was designed to boost an offense that had Fiala in the lineup. Fiala leads the Kings with 17 power-play points. Los Angeles is three points out of a playoff spot, so it might need to make another trade.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NHL season resumes: Here are 5 pressing questions

But forcollege basketballfans, the angst and excitement of March Madness has already arrived. With conference tournaments around the corner, the excitement for the2026 NCAA Tournamentis building among many fan bases.

REQUIRED READING:March Madness bracketology prediction for NCAA Tournament has another shakeup

Fans have been treated to potential Final Four previews, withDuke-MichiganandHouston-Arizonafacing off on Saturday, Feb. 21. Another big one ― No. 11 Illinois hosting No. 3 Michigan ― is on the docket for Friday, Feb. 27, which could help determine final seeding for the tournament.

However, while fans of programs are certainly excited, the bigger joy fans get is watching the teams currently on the bubble playing for their postseason lives. For all intents and purposes, their NCAA Tournament has already begun for these teams.

Here's a look at the latest NCAA Tournament preview, including bubble teams and locks to reach March Madness:

March Madness bracket bubble watch tracker

March Madness locks

Based on games through Tuesday, Feb. 24

Advertisement

• Big Ten (7): Michigan, Purdue, Nebraska, Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin

• Big 12 (6): Iowa State, Arizona, Kansas, Houston, Brigham Young, Texas Tech

• ACC (6): Duke, Louisville, Virginia, North Carolina, Clemson, North Carolina State

• SEC (5): Florida, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee

• Big East (3): UConn, Villanova, St. John's

• Other (3): Utah State, Gonzaga, Saint Louis

Thirty teams entered play on Tuesday, Feb. 24, with a 99.8% chance or better to reach the Tournament, according toBart Torvik's "TourneyCast." That number isup from the 27 entering play on Feb. 22.

Torvik's metrics are used in the NCAA's BPI equation, alongside third-party analyst Ken Pomeroy, also referenced as KenPom by college basketball fans.

NCAA Tournament likely ins

• Big 12 (1): UCF

• Big Ten (2): Indiana, UCLA

• ACC (2): SMU, Miami

• SEC (4): Kentucky, Texas A&M, Texas, Georgia

• Big East (0): N/A

• Other (2): Saint Mary's, New Mexico

Even with two weeks left in the regular season, the likely-ins list is shorter than the locks. The teams on this list have between a 70% and 98.9% chance to reach the NCAA Tournament, per Torvik.

However, Texas and New Mexico have been big droppers over the past few weeks, while UCLA has worked itself into the equation following an upset win over Illinois on Feb. 21.

NCAA Tournament bubble teams

• Big 12 (3): Texas Christian, West Virginia, Cincinnati

• Big Ten (3): Ohio State, Southern California, Washington

• ACC (2): Virginia Tech, California

• SEC (2): Auburn, Missouri

• Big East (1): Seton Hall

• Other (3): Santa Clara, San Diego State, VCU

All of these teams have their work cut out to reach the NCAA Tournament, and not all of them are going to crack a spot in the tournament. They are going to either need to win out, win their respective conference tournament, or need some help with other teams stumbling.

However, having a shot is all that matters at this point in the season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NCAA tournament bubble tracker: Who's in, out March Madness bracket

Britain Epstein Mandelson

Mandelson was arrested Monday at his north London home on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Hewas releasedon bail early Tuesday morning after more than nine hours of questioning.

Lawyers for Mandelson, a former senior Cabinet minister, said the arrest was the result of a "baseless suggestion" that he planned to flee the country and was carried out despite an agreement that he would speak to London's Metropolitan Police voluntarily whenever requested.

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle told lawmakers that he passed "relevant" information to police, without disclosing the source.

"To prevent any inaccurate speculation I'd like to confirm that, upon receipt of information, that I felt it was relevant I pass this on to the Metropolitan Police in good faith, as is my duty and responsibility," Hoyle said. "It is regrettable this rapidly ended in the media."

Hoyle added that it would not be appropriate for him to say anything further because the investigation into Mandelson was ongoing.

"Peter Mandelson's overriding priority is to cooperate with the police investigation, as he has done throughout this process, and to clear his name," his lawyers at the firm Mishcon De Reya said after his release.

Advertisement

Mandelson's arrest came four days afterthe former Prince Andrewwas arrested on thesame suspicion of misconduct in public officelinked to Epstein.

Both men face allegations that they passed confidential government information to the disgraced financier. The claims surfaced after the U.S. Justice Department last month released atrove of more than 3 million pagesof Epstein-related documents.

Mandelson, 72, appears to have sent Epstein, whom he referred to as his "best pal," sensitive government information that could potentially influence markets when he was a senior minister in the British government in 2009 and 2010.

One internal government report discussed possibly selling government assets to raise money for the U.K. after the 2008 global financial crisis. He also appeared to tell Epstein — who died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 — he would lobby other members of the government to reduce a tax on bankers' bonuses.

Payment records suggest Epstein gave Mandelson or his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, $75,000 in 2003 and 2004. Mandelson said he had no recollection of receiving that money and questioned the authenticity of bank statements. He has denied wrongdoing.

Mandelson does not face allegations of sexual misconduct.

The former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has also denied any wrongdoing over his links to convicted sex offender Epstein, but has not directly responded to the latest allegations stemming from the so-called Epstein Files.

Laurence des Cars' tenure has been under intense scrutiny since the heist and she has faced calls for resignation.

Christophe Leribault has been named the new director of the Louvre. Leribault's resume includes running the Versailles Palace, another world-renowned French landmark and tourist attraction, and was also the previous head of Paris' Orsay Museum.

Leribault will oversee a long-overdue multi-million-dollar renovation project.

A French government spokesperson said he's the perfect choice, saying, "He will notably have to direct major projects for the future of the institution, on the one hand securing and modernizing the Louvre, and on the other, the continuation of the 'Louvre -- New Renaissance' project."

French President Emmanuel Macron praised des Cars' resignation "as an act of responsibility at a time when the world's largest museum needs both stability and a strong new impetus to successfully complete major security and modernization projects," the Élysée said in a statement Tuesday.

5 more suspects arrested over Louvre jewel heist

Advertisement

"The President thanked her for her work and commitment over the past few years and, recognizing her undeniable scientific expertise, entrusted her with a mission within the framework of the French G7 presidency, focusing on cooperation between the major museums of the participating countries," according to the statement.

At least seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the October robbery but thejewels have not been recovered.

Empress Eugénie's crown was the only item the thieves did not escape with during the robbery. The thieves dropped it on the street outside the Louvre during the roughly five-minute long heist.

The crown "was crushed and significantly deformed" during the heist, the Louvre said in a statement earlier this month. However, "it remained largely intact," meaning museum officials believe it can be fully restored.

Password to Louvre's video surveillance system was 'Louvre', according to employee

In light of the robbery, security lapses at the museum have been exposed, including that the password to the world-famous museum'svideo surveillance systemwas "Louvre," according to a museum employee with knowledge of the system.

During testimony before a French Senate committee after the robbery, des Cars said the only camera installed outside the Apollo Gallery, where the stolen jewels were displayed, was facing west and did not cover the window where the thieves used power tools to break in and exit.

Des Cars said all of the museum's alarms and video cameras work, but said there was a "weakness" in the museum's perimeter security "due to underinvestment."

Canada Mexico Alert

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she not discuss Canada's aid intentions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or the other U.S. officials.

"This is Canadian foreign policy," he said. "We are focused on the humanitarian situation."

The funding will be delivered through United Nations agencies instead of the Cuban government.

Global Affairs Canada has warned travelers for more than a year of "shortages of basic necessities, including food, medicine and fuel," across most of Cuba.

Cuba is facing anincreasingly dire energy crisisthat has heightened in recent weeks after oil shipments from Venezuela, its main oil supplier, were halted when the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January andarrested its then-leader. Mexico, another major supplier, then alsosuspended oil shipmentsunder U.S. pressure.

Air Canada and other airlines havecanceled flightsto the Caribbean island because of a shortage of aviation fuel on the island.

Advertisement

Canadian tourism is vital to Cuba's economy. Global Affairs Canada, a governmental office, has said Canada is Cuba's second-largest source of direct investment to the island, particularly in the mining and tourism sectors.

Mexico has sent asecond humanitarian aidpackage for Cuba. Two Mexican navy vessels carrying 1,193 tons of supplies departed the Gulf of Mexico port of Veracruz on Tuesday, the Mexican Foreign Ministry announced. The shipment is expected to arrive on Saturday.

The Papaloapan is carrying 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk, while the Huasteco is transporting 92 tons of beans and 23 tons of other food items. According to the Foreign Ministry, the final 23 tons of humanitarian aid were provided by various social organizations with the support of the Mexico City government.

In February, Mexico dispatchedmore than 814 tons of food and hygiene products to Cubawhile diplomatic talks continued regarding the resumption of oil supplies. Theoil shipments were halted in mid-January,just before U.S. President Donald Trump announced a significant tightening of the economic embargo on Havana.

The economic crisis gripping Cuba since 2020 has been compounded by intensified U.S. sanctions aimed at forcing a change in the island's political model. These pressures led tocritical shortages and severe blackoutsthat peaked in early 2026.

Because Cuba produces only 40% of its required fuel, it remains highly vulnerable to external blockades. While strong allies like Russia and China have condemned the U.S. measures, their support has remained largely symbolic thus far.

Follow AP's Latin America coverage athttps://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A sideline scuffle between the two teams resulted in Hurley getting knocked to the floor early in the second half. The fun began when a trap by Arizona State's Andrija Grbović and Bryce Ford forced a timeout, with the two continuing to be physical with TCU's Brock Harding after the whistle.

Players, coaches and staff from both teams rushed to the Sun Devils' sideline once the shoving began, with Hurley physically pushing back Horned Frogs center Vianney Salatchoum. TCU head coach Jamie Dixon then got involved, and Hurley appeared to fall down after tripping over someone's feet.

Advertisement

The incident didn't result in any ejections, nor did Hurley appear harmed by the fall.

Regardless, it was another bad day for a coach widely seen as being on the hot seat as the calendar nears March. Tuesday's loss marks a second straight loss for Arizona State, which lost 73-68 to Baylor on Saturday.

The Sun Devils now hold a 5-10 record in Big 12 play, tying them for 12th worst in the conference. They finished 15th last year with a 4-16 record as well.

Hurley outright admitted to having "failed" to get through to his team last monthand his contract expires at the end of this season, making it easy for Arizona State to move on if it chooses.

Spain La Liga Soccer

Mbappé was not included in the squad for the game at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium because of a left knee injury he has been nursing for some time.

Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham also won't be available because of injuries.

Advertisement

Madrid's forwards will include Vinícius Júnior, Franco Mastantuono, Brahim Díaz and Gonzalo García.

Madrid won the first leg 1-0 last week in Benfica and only needs a draw to advance to the round of 16.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer