UConn caps its 11th unbeaten regular season, but coach Geno Auriemma warns tougher March ahead

NEW YORK (AP) — UConn completed its 11th undefeated regular season with avictory over St. John'son Sunday night and is nine wins from repeating as national champion with a seventh perfect season.

UConn St Johns Basketball

Despite winning by an average of nearly 38 points per game, coach Geno Auriemma insisted this season hasn't been as easy it's looked from the outside for theNo. 1 teamin the AP women's basketball Top 25. He also knows winning a 13th national championship won't be as easy as last season's title run.

"I do think when the NCAA Tournament begins, it certainly is not going to be as easy as we experienced it last season," he said. "I think somebody like Paige (Bueckers) can (take over the postseason). We have enough good players to have as good a chance as anybody else out there to win a national championship."

The Huskies (31-0), who have won 47 consecutive games, have two of the best players in college basketball in guard Azzi Fudd and forward Sarah Strong.

"Coach came in (the locker room), said he was proud of us," Strong said after the St. John's win. "We also have a lot to work on to get ready for the Big East Tournament, so just enjoy the win now and be ready to get back to work."

The top-seeded Huskies have a bye until the quarterfinals on Saturday. If they do win another Big East Tournament, they'll enter the NCAAs unbeaten for the first time since the 2017 and 2018 seasons. UConn lost in the Final Four both times in heartbreaking fashion on last-second shots.

"Generally, the best team usually wins the national championship, but not always," Auriemma said. "It's the team who comes together at the right time. We've got a great group. We can do a lot of different things, and our defense has been really, really good all season long. So if we stay in that mindset, then we'll have a chance."

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NET rating

UConn stillheld the top spotin the NET ratings Monday ahead of UCLA, South Carolina and Texas. The SEC has four of the top seven teams, while the Big Ten has seven of the first 17.

Richmond and Princeton are the top mid-major teams, coming in at 37 and 38, respectively.

The NET is just one tool the selection committee uses to figure out which teams make the NCAA Tournament and where they are seeded. It has predicted the winner pretty accurately since it first was used in 2021. Four of the five national champions were No. 1 in the NET on Selection Sunday.

NCAA reveal

The NCAA revealed for the second time this season its top 16 teams heading into the start of conference tournaments and UConn, UCLA, South Carolina and Texas were the No. 1 seeds. Fifteen of the 16 teams were the same as the first reveal, with the only exception being Minnesota entered and Ole Miss exited.

Games of the week

The Power Four conference tournaments begin with numerous potential Top 25 matchups in the Big Ten and SEC. If seedings hold, No. 5 Vanderbilt will face fourth-ranked Texas in the SEC semifinals with a potential 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament on the line.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign uphere. AP women's college basketball:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

byNeo

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March 03, 2026

UConn caps its 11th unbeaten regular season, but coach Geno Auriemma warns tougher March ahead

NEW YORK (AP) — UConn completed its 11th undefeated regular season with avictory over St. John'son Sunday night and i...

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Jon Rahm: DP World Tour 'extorting players' with 6-event requirement

Jon Rahm issued a fiery explanation on Tuesday as to why he wasn't among the eight LIV Golf players who signed waivers to compete on the DP World Tour.

Laurie Canter, Thomas Detry, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, David Puig and Elvis Smylie all agreed to the terms set out by the DP World Tour (DPWT), formerly known as the European Tour. The players had to agree to pay any pending fines, compete in a prescribed minimum of DPWT tournaments and drop pending appeals.

Rahm said those conditions amount to "extorting players like myself."

He owes the DPWT a fine of between $2 million and $3 million, according to various media reports. Rahm added that the DPWT would require him to enter six of its events, two of which it would choose.

"I don't know what game they're trying to play right now," Rahm said, "but it just seems like in a way they're using us to (capitalize on) our impact in tournaments and fining us and trying to benefit both ways from what we have to offer, and it's just in a way they're extorting players like myself and young players that have nothing to do with the politics of the game.

"So I don't like the situation and I'm not going to agree to that.

"Now, I did tell them, funny enough, lower that to four events, like the minimum says, and I'll sign tonight. They haven't agreed to that. I just refuse to play six events. I don't want to, and that's not what the rules say."

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The 31-year-old Spaniard added, "I just don't like the situation. I think we should be able to freely play where we want and have the choice to play where we want and not be dictated what we do. Especially myself. I can't speak for others, only myself.

"I've always committed to play the minimum requirement (on the DPWT), and I think I've played four events, including the Spanish Open, every year except one as a pro, and I commit to do that. That's not going to change. I still fully intend to do that."

If Rahm sticks to his current position, he would be ineligible to compete for the European team at the 2027 Ryder Cup in Limerick, Ireland. He has part of the European squad for the past four competitions, winning the title three times while compiling a 9-5-3 record.

Hatton, a four-team Team Europe member who owns an 8-4-3 record in the Ryder Cup, made himself eligible by agreeing to the DPWT's terms.

"I'll gladly pay my way to go on the Ryder Cup, not have to pay to still be a member of the DP World Tour and fulfill a commitment that I'm fully willing to commit," Rahm said.

Even with drama surrounding him off the course, Rahm is performing well. He finished as runner-up in each of the first two LIV events of the season, at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Adelaide, Australia, as he looks ahead to the tournament in Hong Kong that starts on Thursday.

"Happy with my play so far," Rahm said. "I wish I could have converted one of those wins."

--Field Level Media

byNeo

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March 03, 2026

Jon Rahm: DP World Tour 'extorting players' with 6-event requirement

Jon Rahm issued a fiery explanation on Tuesday as to why he wasn't among the eight LIV Golf players who signed wai...

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Iran strikes the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia as war expands yet again

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranexpanded its targetsTuesday, striking the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia as Washington began to pull many staff out of the Middle East. The U.S. and Israel battered Iran with airstrikes in what President Donald Trump suggested was just the start of a war that has severely disrupted the world's supply of oil and gas, international shipping, and air travel.

Theconflict escalated furtheron its fourth day, with Israel sending new ground troops into Lebanon and explosions ringing out in Iran's capital. Hundreds of people have been killed, the vast majority in Iran.

The spiraling nature of the war raised questions about when and how it would end. Trump said it could last four to five weeks — but that the U.S. was prepared to go longer. He seemed to leave open the possibility for more extensive U.S. military involvement, telling the New York Post on Monday that he wasnot ruling out the possibilityof boots on the ground.

Still, the administration's objectives remain unclear. The initial U.S.-Israeli strikes killed IranianSupreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameneiand Trump urged Iranians to overthrow their government.

Since then, however, senior administration officials have saidregime change was not the goal. Trump's initial announcement of the strikeslisted several grievances, from concerns about Iran's nuclear and missile programs to its leadership.

Iran hits the US Embassy in Riyadh and Washington pulls out staff

An attack from two drones on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh caused a "limited fire," according to Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry, and the embassy urged Americans to avoid the compound. It followed an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait. The embassy announced Tuesday it was closed until further notice.

The U.S. State Department ordered the evacuation of non-emergency personnel and family in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, the U.S. has urged citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries, though with much of the airspace closed many remained stranded. Several other countries arranged evacuation flights for their citizens.

The U.S.-Israeli strikes have killed at least 787 people, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society. In Israel, where Iranian missiles struck several locations, 11 people were killed. The Iranian-supported militant group Hezbollah has also attacked Israel, whose retaliatory strikes killed 52 people in Lebanon.

The U.S. military has confirmed six deaths of American service members. In addition, three people were killed in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Kuwait and Bahrain.

Israel and US target nuclear facilities in Iran

Across Iran's capital, explosions rang out throughout the night into Tuesday, with aircraft heard overhead. Strikes caused two explosions at a broadcasting facility in Tehran, Iranian state TV said, adding that no one was injured.

The United Nations' nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment site had sustained "some recent damage," though there was "no radiological consequence expected."

The U.S. hit Natanz during the 12-day war in June, when Israeli and American strikesgreatly weakenedIran's nuclear program.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintained, however, that Iran was rebuilding "new sites, new places" underground for making atomic bombs. He offered no evidence to support his claim.

"We had to take the action now and we did," Netanyahu told Fox News Channel's "Hannity."

Iran has said it has not enriched uranium since June, though it has maintained its right to and says its nuclear program is peaceful.

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Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed limited activity at two Iranian nuclear sites before the war. Analysts said Tehran was likely assessing damage from the 2025 strikes and possibly salvaging what remained.

It's not clear how long the war will last

The expansion of Iranian retaliation across the Gulf and the intensity of the Israeli and American attacks, Khamenei's killing and the lack of any apparent exit plan suggested the conflict could be prolonged.

Trump said Monday that operations are likely to last four to five weeks but that he was prepared "to go far longer than that." He later added the U.S. had a "virtually unlimited supply" of munitions.

"Wars can be fought 'forever,' and very successfully, using just these supplies," he wrote on social media.

The conflict is roiling business interests in the Mideast

Iran has hit many countriesdeemed safe havensin the Mideast in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli strikes. Recent targets included two Amazon data centers in the United Arab Emirates and one in Bahrain. The centers in the UAE were hit, while a drone struck near the one Bahrain, causing damage, the company said.

Iran has also struck energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and attacked several ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes, sending global oil and natural gas prices soaring.

"The Strait of Hormuz is closed," declared Iranian Brig. Gen. Ebrahim Jabbari, an adviser to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, vowing that any ships that passed through it would be set on fire.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari vowed that Iranian attacks on the gas-rich country "will not go unanswered."

Israel sends troops into Lebanon

The conflict has spread to Lebanon, where Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on Monday, prompting Israel to retaliate.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military hit Beirut with more airstrikes and said it had moved additional troops into southern Lebanon and taken new positions on several strategic points close to the border.

The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon later said its peacekeepers saw Israeli troops going into and then out of Lebanon. But Israel's army said its troops are still operating in Lebanon.

This story has been updated to clarify that more than one drone hit the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia. Some instances referred to just one drone.

Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece, and Magdy from Cairo. Konstantin Toropin in Washington, David Rising in Bangkok, Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Hallie Golden in Seattle, and Giovanna Dell'Orto in Miami contributed to this report.

byNeo

in

March 03, 2026

Iran strikes the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia as war expands yet again

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranexpanded its targetsTuesday, striking the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia as Washingt...

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Dog Treats Recalled After Potential Salmonella Contamination

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recall for dog treats that may be contaminated with salmonella

NEED TO KNOW

• Elite Treats Chicken Chips for Dogs were identified as the potential source of the bacteria

• Products that could be affected were sold in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina

A pet food company based in Florida has issued a precautionary recall due to the possibility of Salmonella contamination.

On Feb. 24, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)announcedthat Elite Treats LLC is recalling a single lot of 6-ounce bags of Elite Treats Chicken Chips for Dogs, stating the products may be contaminated with Salmonella following third-party laboratory testing.

The recalled Elite Treats Chicken Chips for Dogs were sold to Florida Hardware, LLC, which distributed the treats to feed stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

As of Feb. 24, no illnesses related to the dog treats had been reported.

Customers are urged to check to see if they purchased the 6-ounce black and gold bags that include the lot number 24045 and an expiration date of 04/2027 marked on the back side.

According toPetMD, salmonella infects the gastrointestinal tract of pets. It can cause a condition called salmonellosis, which is uncommon, typically only affecting dogs with weakened immune systems or puppies.

However, the symptoms of salmonellosis can still be serious, resulting in dehydration, decreased appetite, lethargy, fever and blood in the stool.

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Additional symptoms in pets include vomiting and abdominal pain.

Since the salmonella pathogen can be spread through physical contact when humans are handling the dog treats, pet owners and individuals who may expose bowls, utensils, or countertops to the contaminated products are advised by the FDA to thoroughly wash their hands and thoroughly clean surfaces that may have come in contact with the treats.

If left untreated, salmonella-related infections can be fatal in both humans and animals.

If your pet has consumed these dog treats and is showing these symptoms, or you are concerned that they might become ill, the FDA recommends contacting a veterinarian to seek treatment. The FDA also notes that customers who have the treats affected by the recall should stop using them immediately. They should be disposed of so no human, pet or wildlife has access to them.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE'sfree daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Customers who purchased Elite Treats Chicken Chips for Dogs can contact the company atelite.treats@yahoo.comor 561-901-5310 Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. EST for information about returning the recalled products for a refund or replacement product.

PEOPLE reached out to Elite Treats for comment.

Read the original article onPeople

byNeo

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March 03, 2026

Dog Treats Recalled After Potential Salmonella Contamination

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recall for dog treats that may be contaminated with salmonella ...

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British woman, 29, found dead on £27m superyacht in Mallorca

Police are investigating the death of a British woman on board a £27m superyacht that was moored inMallorca.

The 29-year-old was found in one of the vessel's cabins on Sunday night. Paramedics rushed to Palma, where the yacht was moored, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy was expected to take place on Tuesday as Civil Guard investigators seek to establish what happened.

No obvious signs of violence were found on or near the body of the woman, but a forensic expert and police officers were unable to determine her cause of death ahead of a post-mortem.

A source close to the investigation said: "Everything is pointing to her death being the result of natural causes. At this moment in time, it is not being treated as a crime although the results of the autopsy are still pending."

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Police are not expected to name the woman. She is understood to have been a crew member believed to help with maintenance. The alarm was raised by colleagues, who went to check on her after she failed to respond to messages or answer calls.

The vessel has been identified as Lind, a custom-built motor yacht said to cost nearly £300,000 a week to charter in the high season.

The Cayman Islands-flagged 170ftsuperyacht, built in the Netherlands with an exterior design by the award-winning Tim Heywood, has a top speed of just over 15 knots and can accommodate up to 10 guests and 13 crew members.

Its facilities include an open-air cinema, jacuzzi, gym and inflatable trampolines.

The superyacht's current owner is reported to be Peter-Alexander Wacker, a German billionaire who owns around 10 per cent of chemical company Wacker Chemie AG.

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.

byNeo

in

March 03, 2026

British woman, 29, found dead on £27m superyacht in Mallorca

Police are investigating the death of a British woman on board a £27m superyacht that was moored inMallorca. T...

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