Hormel Foods logged higher profit and revenue in its fiscal first quarter, as the steps it has taken to improve profitability are starting to yield results.
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Hormel’s Turnaround Gains Traction in Face of Continued Headwinds
Seahawks among possible landing spots for free agent RB Najee Harris
With free agency season less than two weeks away, Najee Harris‘ representation has provided an update on his recovery from last year’s season-ending Achilles injury.
Harris’ agent posted a video of his client running on a treadmill five months after undergoing surgery on his Achilles. While his recovery is impressive, anyone that is familiar with Harris’ work ethic shouldn’t be surprised.
Prior to last season, Harris had never missed an NFL game. His durability allowed him to become the first player in Pittsburgh Steelers history to begin his NFL career with four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. As a rookie, Harris broke Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris’ 49-year-old franchise record for rushing yards by a rookie.
Harris’ durability in Pittsburgh was a testament to his intense training regiment that sometimes included individually training for up to an hour after practice had concluded. One can assume that Harris’ work ethic has paid dividends during his recent post-surgery rehabilitation.
Last season, Harris played in just three games for the Chargers, who signed him to a one-year deal last offseason after the Steelers let him test the open market. Despite missing significant time last summer with an eye injury, Harris played well during his limited time on the field. He averaged a respectable 4.1 yards per carry and caught each of his three targets.
At 6-foot-1 and 242 pounds, Harris is a physical back who isn’t afraid of contact. While he doesn’t have elite speed, Harris has more than enough quickness to get to the outside. He’s also an exceptional pass protector and pass-catcher; he caught a career-high 74 passes from Ben Roethlisberger during his standout rookie season.
Where will Harris end up next? Here’s a rundown of some possible options for the soon-to-be 28-year-old.
Seattle Seahawks
Harris would make a lot of sense for Seattle if the Seahawks don’t re-sign Kenneth Walker, who like Harris is also slated to hit the open market. Walker, though, will likely command a higher salary as he is coming off an MVP performance in Seattle’s Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots.
Walker’s current projected market value is just over $36 million over four years. Harris’ projected market value is one year for $2.95 million.
It’s conceivable that Harris would be able to mimic what Walker has brought to Seattle’s offense. While Walker may be slightly more talented and versatile as a runner, Harris is a better pass-catcher. He also wouldn’t have an issue sharing the workload with Zach Charbonnet after he was asked to do so in Pittsburgh with Jaylen Warren and Omarion Hampton in Los Angeles.
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco was just 24th in the league in rushing in 2025, which was largely a byproduct of not having a more impactful complementary back alongside Christian McCaffrey. Brian Robinson Jr. averaged a solid 4.3 yards per carry, but he carried the ball just 92 times and caught just 8 of 12 targets.
Harris would likely have a bigger impact if the 49ers signed him. His presence would likely help limit McCaffrey’s workload, would help the 49ers possess the ball more while also taking some of the pressure off of quarterback Brock Purdy.
Kansas City Chiefs
Harris makes a lot of sense here with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt set to become free agents. Last year, the duo of Pacheco and Hunt ran for a combined 1,073 yards but averaged just 3.8 yards per carry. Neither one made much of an impact for Patrick Mahomes in the passing game.
After starting his career with Roethlisberger, Harris would get another chance to work with a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Mahomes, who could certainly use a stable running game if he and the Chiefs want to get back to the NFL’s upper echelon.
Houston Texans
Houston appears to have a promising young runner in Woody Marks, but it could use some depth behind Marks given Joe Mixon’s uncertain future and Nick Chubb slated to enter free agency. With Marks playing on a rookie contract, the Texans can afford to bring in another accomplished running back.
Harris’ presence would not only help Marks and the running game, it would also undoubtedly help quarterback C.J. Stroud, whose lack of consistency in recent years has contributed to the Texans’ inability to get beyond the AFC divisional round.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos are looking to upgrade their running game after finishing 16th in rushing in 2025. Specifically, Denver is looking at outside options to potentially replace J.K. Dobbins, who like Harris is expected to be a free agent. Dobbins played well last season before an injury sidelined him for the season’s final seven games.
In Denver, Harris would complement RJ Harvey, who was just as valuable during his rookie season as a receiver than as a runner. Harris’ presence would likely allow Harvey to continue to thrive in that role.
Dallas Cowboys/Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas and Cincinnati were lumped together because both could use depth behind their starting running backs. Javonte Williams ran for 1,201 yards last year, but no other Cowboys player ran for over 250 yards. Jaydon Blue, a 2025 fifth-round pick, had only 38 carries while playing in just five games.
In Cincinnati, Chase Brown eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career, but Samaje Perine (382 yards) was the only other Bengals player who ran for over 45 yards. Tahj Brooks, a 2025 sixth-round pick, appeared in 16 games but carried the ball just 16 times for 45 yards.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani set to meet with Trump again in Washington
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, according to a White House official and two people familiar with the plans.
The timing and purpose of the meeting, which was first reported by The New York Times, are unclear. The New York Post first reported that Mamdani would travel to Washington.
Republicans have publicly bashed Mamdani, trying to frame the mayor as a radical Democrat who would hurt New York City. At the same time, Trump and Mamdani had a friendlier than expected meeting at the White House in November, just days after Mamdani was elected the city’s next mayor.
At the time, Trump called Mamdani “a very rational person” and that he believed Mamdani was “focused on New York City.”
“We agree on a lot more than I would have thought,” Trump said in November. “I want him to do a great job, and we’ll help him do a great job.”
Since that meeting, the extent of Trump’s and Mamdani’s ongoing relationship is unclear. Asked by a reporter Wednesday how often he speaks with the president, Mamdani said that he would keep those conversations “private.” When the conversations do take place, Mamdani said, they center on bettering New York City.
Trump brought up Mamdani during his State of the Union address, calling him a “communist” but also referring to him as “a nice guy.”
“I think he’s a nice guy, actually,” Trump said. “I speak to him a lot. Bad policy, but nice guy.”
In recent weeks, Trump has railed against a project to build another tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey underneath the Hudson River. He has emphasized that he did not want the federal government to be responsible for cost overruns, but Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last week that the multibillion-dollar project would resume after the Trump administration released $127 million in frozen funds.
US and Iran wrap up another round of indirect nuclear talks
Iran and the United States wrapped up another round of indirect talks in Geneva on Thursday aimed at reaching a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program and potentially averting another war as the U.S. gathers a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the Middle East.U.S. President Donald Trump wants a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program, and he sees an opportunity while the country is struggling at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests. Iran also hopes to avert war, but maintains it has the right to enrich uranium and does not want to discuss other issues, like its long-range missile program or support for armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.Oman’s foreign minister, who is mediating the talks, said Thursday that they had ended but “will resume soon.” Badr al-Busaidi wrote on X that there had been “significant progress in the negotiation” without elaborating.He said technical-level talks would take place next week in Vienna, home to the International Atomic Energy Agency. There was no immediate comment from U.S. or Iranian officials.If America attacks, Iran has said U.S. military bases in the region would be considered legitimate targets, putting at risk tens of thousands of American service members. Iran has also threatened to attack Israel, meaning a regional war again could erupt across the Middle East.”There would be no victory for anybody — it would be a devastating war,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told India Today in an interview filmed Wednesday just before he flew to Geneva.”Since the Americans’ bases are scattered through different places in the region, then unfortunately perhaps the whole region would be engaged and be involved, so it is a very terrible scenario.”Ali Vaez, an Iran expert with the International Crisis Group, said it was a good sign that the Americans did not walk away immediately when Iran presented its latest proposal on Thursday.”There might still not be a breakthrough at the end of this day, but the very fact that the U.S. team is returning shows that there is enough common ground between the two sides,” he said.Geneva talks are the third meeting since June warThe two sides held multiple rounds of talks last year that collapsed when Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in June and the U.S. carried out heavy strikes on its nuclear sites, leaving much of Iran’s nuclear program in ruins even as the full extent of the damage remains unclear.Araghchi is representing Iran at the talks. Steve Witkoff, a billionaire real estate developer and friend of Trump who serves as a special Mideast envoy, is heading up the U.S. delegation with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The talks are again being mediated by Oman, an Arab Gulf country that’s long served as an interlocutor between Iran and the West.The two sides adjourned after around three hours of talks. Convoys carrying diplomats from both sides could be seen returning to the Omani diplomatic residence hours later, apparently to resume the negotiations.”We’ve been exchanging creative and positive ideas in Geneva today,” said Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated. “We hope to make more progress.”Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said diplomats held “very intensive” negotiations, meeting with the Omani envoy and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog.He said the Iranians felt there were “constructive proposals” offered on both nuclear issues and sanctions relief.Trump wants Iran to completely halt its enrichment of uranium and roll back both its long-range missile program and its support for regional armed groups. Iran says it will only discuss nuclear issues, and maintains its atomic program is for entirely peaceful purposes.US suspects Iran is rebuilding its programU.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Wednesday that Iran is “always trying to rebuild elements” of its nuclear program. He said that Tehran is not enriching uranium right now, “but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can.”Iran has said it hasn’t enriched since June, but it has blocked IAEA inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed. Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press have shown activity at two of those sites, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.The West and the IAEA say Iran had a nuclear weapons program until 2003. After Trump scrapped the 2015 nuclear agreement, Iran ramped up its enrichment of uranium to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to restart a weapons program, but has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.” Some Iranian officials have spoken openly about the country’s readiness to produce a bomb if that decision is taken.Threat of military action sparks war fearsIf the talks fail, uncertainty hangs over the timing of any possible U.S. attack.If the aim of potential military action is to pressure Iran to make concessions in nuclear negotiations, it’s not clear whether limited strikes would work. If the goal is to remove Iran’s leaders, that will likely commit the U.S. to a larger, longer military campaign. There has been no public sign of planning for what would come next, including the potential for chaos in Iran.There is also uncertainty about what any military action could mean for the wider region. Tehran could retaliate against the American-allied nations of the Persian Gulf or Israel. Oil prices have risen in recent days in part due to those concerns, with benchmark Brent crude now around $70 a barrel. Iran in the last round of talks said it briefly halted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil passes.Satellite photos shot Tuesday and Wednesday by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by the AP appeared to show that American vessels typically docked in Bahrain, the home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, were all out at sea. The 5th Fleet referred questions to the U.S. military’s Central Command, which declined to comment. Before Iran’s attack on a U.S. base in Qatar during the closing days of the war last June, the 5th Fleet similarly scattered its ships at sea to protect against a potential attack.___Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Melanie Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press reporters Will Weissert in Washington and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.
Iran and the United States wrapped up another round of indirect talks in Geneva on Thursday aimed at reaching a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program and potentially averting another war as the U.S. gathers a massive fleet of aircraft and warships in the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump wants a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program, and he sees an opportunity while the country is struggling at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests. Iran also hopes to avert war, but maintains it has the right to enrich uranium and does not want to discuss other issues, like its long-range missile program or support for armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Oman’s foreign minister, who is mediating the talks, said Thursday that they had ended but “will resume soon.” Badr al-Busaidi wrote on X that there had been “significant progress in the negotiation” without elaborating.
He said technical-level talks would take place next week in Vienna, home to the International Atomic Energy Agency. There was no immediate comment from U.S. or Iranian officials.
If America attacks, Iran has said U.S. military bases in the region would be considered legitimate targets, putting at risk tens of thousands of American service members. Iran has also threatened to attack Israel, meaning a regional war again could erupt across the Middle East.
“There would be no victory for anybody — it would be a devastating war,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told India Today in an interview filmed Wednesday just before he flew to Geneva.
“Since the Americans’ bases are scattered through different places in the region, then unfortunately perhaps the whole region would be engaged and be involved, so it is a very terrible scenario.”
Ali Vaez, an Iran expert with the International Crisis Group, said it was a good sign that the Americans did not walk away immediately when Iran presented its latest proposal on Thursday.
“There might still not be a breakthrough at the end of this day, but the very fact that the U.S. team is returning shows that there is enough common ground between the two sides,” he said.
Geneva talks are the third meeting since June war
The two sides held multiple rounds of talks last year that collapsed when Israel launched a 12-day war against Iran in June and the U.S. carried out heavy strikes on its nuclear sites, leaving much of Iran’s nuclear program in ruins even as the full extent of the damage remains unclear.
Araghchi is representing Iran at the talks. Steve Witkoff, a billionaire real estate developer and friend of Trump who serves as a special Mideast envoy, is heading up the U.S. delegation with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The talks are again being mediated by Oman, an Arab Gulf country that’s long served as an interlocutor between Iran and the West.
The two sides adjourned after around three hours of talks. Convoys carrying diplomats from both sides could be seen returning to the Omani diplomatic residence hours later, apparently to resume the negotiations.
“We’ve been exchanging creative and positive ideas in Geneva today,” said Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated. “We hope to make more progress.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said diplomats held “very intensive” negotiations, meeting with the Omani envoy and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog.
He said the Iranians felt there were “constructive proposals” offered on both nuclear issues and sanctions relief.
Trump wants Iran to completely halt its enrichment of uranium and roll back both its long-range missile program and its support for regional armed groups. Iran says it will only discuss nuclear issues, and maintains its atomic program is for entirely peaceful purposes.
US suspects Iran is rebuilding its program
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Wednesday that Iran is “always trying to rebuild elements” of its nuclear program. He said that Tehran is not enriching uranium right now, “but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can.”
Iran has said it hasn’t enriched since June, but it has blocked IAEA inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed. Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press have shown activity at two of those sites, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.
The West and the IAEA say Iran had a nuclear weapons program until 2003. After Trump scrapped the 2015 nuclear agreement, Iran ramped up its enrichment of uranium to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to restart a weapons program, but has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.” Some Iranian officials have spoken openly about the country’s readiness to produce a bomb if that decision is taken.
Threat of military action sparks war fears
If the talks fail, uncertainty hangs over the timing of any possible U.S. attack.
If the aim of potential military action is to pressure Iran to make concessions in nuclear negotiations, it’s not clear whether limited strikes would work. If the goal is to remove Iran’s leaders, that will likely commit the U.S. to a larger, longer military campaign. There has been no public sign of planning for what would come next, including the potential for chaos in Iran.
There is also uncertainty about what any military action could mean for the wider region. Tehran could retaliate against the American-allied nations of the Persian Gulf or Israel. Oil prices have risen in recent days in part due to those concerns, with benchmark Brent crude now around $70 a barrel. Iran in the last round of talks said it briefly halted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil passes.
Satellite photos shot Tuesday and Wednesday by Planet Labs PBC and analyzed by the AP appeared to show that American vessels typically docked in Bahrain, the home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, were all out at sea. The 5th Fleet referred questions to the U.S. military’s Central Command, which declined to comment. Before Iran’s attack on a U.S. base in Qatar during the closing days of the war last June, the 5th Fleet similarly scattered its ships at sea to protect against a potential attack.
___
Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Melanie Lidman from Jerusalem. Associated Press reporters Will Weissert in Washington and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.
‘Todd Snider Rules!’ Tribute Concert Announces Lineup
Songwriter Todd Snider was one-of-one. His death in November, at age 59, still looms over East Nashville, where Snider was the “pied piper” of the local scene. But his impact and influence far exceeded his little slice of Nashville: He was essential to the scenes of Portland, Oregon, where he was born, and to Texas, where he once lived. On Friday, March 20, artists like Cody Canada, Amanda Shires, and Hayes Carll will gather at Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch outside of Austin to pay tribute to Snider at the “Todd Snider Rules!” daylong concert.
Along with Canada, Shires, and Carll, the lineup will feature more than 20 artists, including Jack Ingram, Drivin N Cryin’s Kevn Kinney, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Jason Boland, John Craigie, Dalton Domino, Shelby Stone, Ashleigh Flynn, Kat Hasty, Tommy Prine, Levi Snider, Garrett Boys, Emma Ogier, Caleb Martin, Dallas Burrow, Olivia Ellen Lloyd, Briscoe, Travis Roberts, Sterling Finlay, and Pedal Steel Noah.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere in music if I hadn’t stumbled onto Todd when I was a teenager,” Canada, the frontman of Cross Canadian Ragweed said in a statement. “The coolest, the funniest, the wittiest. There’s a hole in my family’s heart without him here. Thanks for friendship buddy.”
Tickets for “Todd Snider Rules!” are on sale now via Luck Presents’ website. Gates open at 2 p.m./CT.
“The impact the loss of Todd Snider has had on the music community and on me personally cannot be overstated,” Tasjan, who co-produced Snider’s final album, High, Lonesome and Then Some, said in a statement. “For over 20 years he was my friend, mentor and one of my closest and most trusted allies, and so the opportunity to come together with Todd’s friends and fans to honor him at Luck is something I feel so fortunate to be doing this year. I know it will help us all to process and navigate the way his absence continues to affect us all.”
Following Snider’s death, Tasjan, Elizabeth Cook, and Chuck Mead, all friends and collaborators of the songwriter, joined Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast to reflect on his legacy and share their personal stories of Snider. Many were humorous, including one that Tasjan told about the time that Garth Brooks was reportedly going to record Snider’s original song “Alright Guy.”
Snider turned the opportunity into a bit and joked that he was putting in a pool with the payday. When Brooks called with the bad news that he wasn’t going to cut his song after all, Snider kept the gag going. “He immediately yelled out, ‘Stop digging the pool! We cannot do this!’” Tasjan said. “He loved bad news.”
“Todd Snider Rules!” gets underway the day after the 2026 Luck Reunion at Nelson’s ranch. Scheduled for March 19, this year’s lineup includes Trampled by Turtles, St. Vincent, James McMurtry, and annual headliner Nelson with his Family Band.
Walmart Agrees to $100 Million FTC Settlement Over Driver Pay
The Federal Trade Commission alleged the big-box retailer deceived drivers about how much they could earn.
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Men’s college basketball Power Rankings: Duke rises to No. 1
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Jeff Borzello
Multiple Authors
For a team with the cachet of Duke, it’s a testament to the strength of this season’s contenders that it took this long for the Blue Devils to rise to No. 1 in the AP poll and these Power Rankings.
But there was zero debate about their ascension this week, particularly after they looked so impressive in their win over Michigan in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night. They looked every bit like the nation’s best defensive team, keeping the Wolverines off the offensive glass and out of transition. And while the Blue Devils don’t look as explosive on the offensive end as some of the other top teams, they sandwiched that Michigan win with games against Syracuse and Notre Dame in which they scored 201 total points.
(Of course, it helps that they have National Player of the Year favorite Cameron Boozer leading the way.)
The question now becomes: Can any team pass Duke — or do the Blue Devils have the inside track to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament?
They have three games to go: vs. Virginia, at NC State and vs. North Carolina. Three top-30-caliber opponents; three chances to improve their 1-seed profile. They are first in the NET rankings, third in average résumé metrics and second in average predictive metrics. And they are tied with Arizona with 12 Quadrant 1 wins.
The Blue Devils would have to lose in order to lose their position, and with less than three weeks until Selection Sunday, they have the edge moving forward.
Previous ranking: 2
Jon Scheyer isn’t getting enough credit for the coaching job he has done this season, with limited buzz for National Coach of the Year honors. Sure, it’s Duke, and he has the best player in the country headlining the No. 1 recruiting class. But the Blue Devils are the No. 1 team with just two losses all season, with both coming in the final seconds. They were picked outside the top five in the preseason. They aren’t nearly as talented as last year’s roster yet are on track to be the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday — something last year’s team didn’t accomplish.
Scheyer also became the first head coach in ACC history with multiple 40-point road wins against ACC opponents when Duke beat Notre Dame by 44 on Tuesday.
Next seven days: vs. Virginia (Feb. 28), at NC State (March 2)
Previous ranking: 3
Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries might not put up the stats of some of the other elite guards around the country, but there are very few players Tommy Lloyd would rather have late in games than the two backcourt stars. Bradley is one of the most clutch players in the country, while Burries’ late-game performance against Baylor was one of the more impressive stretches we’ve seen from any freshman guard this season. The two players combined for 26 points and seven assists in the second half against the Bears, finishing with 49 points and 10 assists. That came after Bradley went for 17 points against Houston and Burries hit a slew of clutch free throws.
Next seven days: vs. Kansas (Feb. 28), vs. Iowa State (March 2)
1:17
Arizona Wildcats vs. Baylor Bears: Game Highlights
Arizona Wildcats vs. Baylor Bears: Game Highlights
Previous ranking: 1
While most of the focus has been on the frontcourt, the Wolverines’ guards are starting to look like the catalyst for their success moving forward. Take the past three games, for example. Against Purdue, Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney and L.J. Cason combined for 43 points and seven 3s. Against Duke, the three guards totaled only 17 points and two 3-pointers. And against Minnesota on Tuesday, the trio went for 41 points and 11 3-pointers. It’s easy to deduce which game Michigan lost of those three. Dusty May needs his guards to play well — and make shots.
Next seven days: at Illinois (Feb. 27)
Previous ranking: 6
If UConn’s uneven performances during most of Big East play — close wins over inferior teams, a home loss to Creighton — had anyone questioning the Huskies’ national championship credentials, those concerns were likely assuaged Wednesday. They had an all-time dominant performance against St. John’s, beating the Red Storm by 32 in the biggest victory in series history. It also came on the heels of a double-digit win at Villanova over the weekend.
Tarris Reed Jr. was the best player on the floor in both games, particularly against St. John’s, finishing with 20 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, six blocks and two steals. According to ESPN Research, he became just the third UConn player in the past 30 seasons to post 20-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five-plus blocks against a ranked opponent.
Next seven days: vs. Seton Hall (Feb. 28)
Previous ranking: 4
While Killyan Toure has emerged as the breakout freshman for the Cyclones, TJ Otzelberger is beginning to get consistent production from another first-year player. Jamarion Batemon was generating significant buzz in the offseason, but his role fluctuated during the first couple of months of the season. Over the past four games, though, he has hit double figures three times while making multiple 3-pointers in three of the games. He had 11 points and three 3s against Kansas, 14 points in a loss to BYU, and 13 points in Tuesday’s win over Utah.
Next seven days: vs. Texas Tech (Feb. 28), at Arizona (March 2)
Previous ranking: 8
Florida’s winning streak was at risk in Austin on Wednesday, with Texas taking a three-point lead with 7:27 remaining — but the Longhorns didn’t make another shot.
Alex Condon again led the way for the Gators: He finished with 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and four blocks, going 10-for-12 from the field. That performance came after going for 24 points, four rebounds and six assists on 9-for-13 shooting in a win over Ole Miss over the weekend. That one followed a 20-point, 10-rebound effort against South Carolina last week. Before this three-game stretch, Condon had scored 20 points just four times all season.
Next seven days: vs. Arkansas (Feb. 28), vs. Mississippi State (March 3)
1:19
Florida Gators vs. Texas Longhorns: Game Highlights
Florida Gators vs. Texas Longhorns: Game Highlights
Previous ranking: 9
While Purdue’s loss to Michigan came in its highest profile game of the month, impacting perceptions of the Boilermakers’ ceiling, the team is playing some of its best offensive basketball over the past couple of weeks. On Feb. 1, the Boilermakers scored 1.45 points per possession against Maryland. On Feb. 14, they scored 1.35 points per possession against Iowa. And on Friday against Indiana, they scored 1.47 points per possession. Against the Hoosiers, Purdue shot 70% on 2s and 56% on 3s and had 24 assists on 33 made shots. It was remarkably efficient offense.
Next seven days: vs. Michigan State (Feb. 26), at Ohio State (March 1), at Northwestern (March 4)
Previous ranking: 5
Houston has hit its first three-game losing streak in nine seasons, and while its defense — specifically its inability to force turnovers against Iowa State and Arizona — is partially to blame, the Cougars’ shotmakers are becoming an issue. Since the Cougars don’t have a reliable inside scorer in the mold of what J’Wan Roberts had been for the previous three seasons, there’s more pressure on Kingston Flemings, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan to carry the offense. Flemings is shooting just 34.7% over his past five games; Sharp is shooting 21.9% during the losing streak; and Uzan is averaging 9.3 points on 38.5% in his past six games.
Next seven days: vs. Colorado (Feb. 28), vs. Baylor (March 4)
Previous ranking: 7
Illinois has lost three of its past five games, with all three coming in overtime. Only one of the Illini’s six losses this season has come by more than four points. The problem hasn’t been their offense; it’s a defense that allowed at least 1.19 points per possession in each of the team’s three losses this month. Over that recent five-game stretch, the Illinois defense is ranked No. 60 in adjusted efficiency at advanced analytics site BartTorvik, with teams shooting better than 36% from 3 over that span. In the Illini’s six losses, opponents have made an average of 11.5 3s.
Next seven days: vs. Michigan (Feb. 27), vs. Oregon (March 3)
Previous ranking: 10
It’s not often a team has a 29-point swing in back-to-back games against Cincinnati and Houston, but that’s what Kansas did over the past week. The Jayhawks were steamrolled by the Bearcats in the second half Saturday but turned around to hand Houston its third straight loss Monday. Kansas’ defense was fantastic against Houston, holding it to 0.86 points per possession and limiting it to 5-for-24 shooting from the perimeter. In the Jayhawks’ seven losses, their defense is ranked No. 208 nationally at CBB Analytics, shooting nearly 57% from inside the arc.
Next seven days: at Arizona (Feb. 28), at Arizona State (March 3)
Previous ranking: 11
Since returning from a three-game absence due to an ankle injury, Graham Ike has been playing some of the best basketball of his college career. In his eight games since returning, Ike is averaging 23.9 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 58.5% from the field and 37.9% from 3-point range. He made three 3-pointers twice during that span, which is notable given he made six total 3s in his first 78 college games. The Zags also avenged their lone WCC loss this season with a 41-point win over Portland on Wednesday, when Ike had 19 points, eight boards and a career-high seven steals.
Next seven days: vs. Portland (Feb. 25), at Saint Mary’s (Feb. 28)
Previous ranking: 13
Nebraska has righted the ship over the past two games, beating Penn State and Maryland after losing four of its previous six. There are a couple of headlines for the recent stretch. One, the Cornhuskers have tightened things defensively. They allowed at least 1.05 points per possession three times in a four-game stretch between Jan. 27 and Feb. 10. They haven’t allowed any opponent to score more than 0.96 since then, with their past four opponents averaging 57.8 points. The other is Pryce Sandfort, who had 33 points against Penn State and is averaging 20.8 points and shooting 42.4% from 3 in his past 12 games.
Next seven days: at USC (Feb. 28), at UCLA (March 3)
0:13
Pryce Sandfort drops in the smooth basket
Pryce Sandfort drops in the smooth basket.
Previous ranking: 12
Michigan State has bounced back after a 1-3 stretch between the end of January and early February, blowing out UCLA and then coming back down the stretch to beat Ohio State on Sunday. Carson Cooper‘s return to form could be key for Tom Izzo. After failing to score in double figures in any of the aforementioned four-game stretch, Cooper had 12 points and seven boards against UCLA before finishing with a season-high 20 points and 11 rebounds on 7-for-10 shooting in the win over Ohio State. He is averaging 11.1 points in Michigan State’s wins this season, compared to just 6.8 in its losses.
Next seven days: at Purdue (Feb. 26), at Indiana (March 1)
Previous ranking: 14
Texas Tech had its first two full games without JT Toppin this week, and the Red Raiders dispatched Kansas State and Cincinnati with relative ease. While Christian Anderson was already one of the highest-usage guards in the country before Toppin’s injury, Tech is going to go as far as its All-American point guard can carry it. In the two games since Toppin’s injury, Anderson is averaging 26.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists, while shooting 59.3% from the field and 42.9% from 3. A date with Iowa State’s elite perimeter defenders is up next.
Next seven days: at Iowa State (Feb. 28), vs. TCU (March 3)
Previous ranking: 15
Virginia has a chance to move into first place in the ACC and gain the inside track to a conference regular-season title with a win at Duke on Saturday at noon. The Cavaliers, picked fifth in the league’s preseason poll, won their ninth game in a row Tuesday with a 29-point blowout of NC State. Ryan Odom will need Jacari White to continue his hot perimeter shooting against the Blue Devils. After not scoring in double figures since mid-December, White has hit that threshold three times in the past five games, including 15 points against the Wolfpack. He’s now shooting 57.1% from 3 over his past five games.
Next seven days: at Duke (Feb. 28), vs. Wake Forest (March 3)
Previous ranking: 17
Nate Oats’ team is starting to hit its stride, winning seven games in a row while scoring at least 89 points in each and reaching the 100-point mark in three of them. The schedule stiffens to end the season, with road games at Tennessee and Georgia followed by a rivalry game against Auburn in the finale. The Tide made 16 3-pointers in the first half of Wednesday’s win against Mississippi State, scoring 63 points before halftime — and they did it without Labaron Philon Jr. Freshman Amari Allen had the best offensive game of his career, finishing with 23 points and going 6-for-7 from 3.
Next seven days: at Tennessee (Feb. 28), at Georgia (March 3)
1:17
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: Game Highlights
Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Alabama Crimson Tide: Game Highlights
Previous ranking: 18
Billy Richmond has been one of the biggest late-season breakout stars of the 2025-26 campaign. He had a couple of spot starts in November and January but had otherwise been exclusively a bench player for the first season and a half of his career. John Calipari thrust Richmond into the starting lineup when Karter Knox suffered an injury, and he has emerged as the team’s most reliable scorer not named Darius Acuff Jr. Richmond has scored at least 20 points in four straight games, doing almost all of his damage in transition and inside the arc. He’s averaging 22.3 points and 3.3 assists over that span, while also logging eight steals and five blocks. With Acuff struggling for the early part of Wednesday’s win over Texas A&M, Richmond stepped up with 23 points on 13 shots.
Next seven days: at Florida (Feb. 28), vs. Texas (March 4)
Previous ranking: 20
A road win at Vanderbilt on Saturday vaulted the Vols over the Commodores in the rankings, but Tennessee followed it with a four-point road loss at Missouri. One thing to monitor is the performance of the Vols’ top three scorers. Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament struggled in the second half of the loss to Mizzou, combining to shoot 5-for-19 from the field and 1-for-7 from 3. Ament is 8-for-27 in his past two games. Then there’s J.P. Estrella, who missed two games with a foot injury but returned against Mizzou to play only six minutes. Rick Barnes hopes Estrella returns to full strength soon.
Next seven days: vs. Alabama (Feb. 28), at South Carolina (March 3)
Previous ranking: 19
Vanderbilt snapped its two-game losing streak with a win over Georgia on Wednesday, but the most positive development of the past week for the Commodores is arguably the return of Duke Miles. The senior guard had missed seven straight games after undergoing knee surgery but returned against Tennessee over the weekend. He has come off the bench in each of his two games back, but still totaled 27 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals and zero turnovers. He also shot 5-for-11 from 3 in the two games.
Next seven days: at Kentucky (Feb. 28), at Ole Miss (March 3)
Previous ranking: 21
Carolina is 3-1 without Caleb Wilson, with back-to-back wins since getting Henri Veesaar back from his two-game absence. While the return of Veesaar — and the 30-point performance from Seth Trimble against Louisville — have been the headliners, it’s worth highlighting how productive Zayden High has been since Wilson got hurt. High was barely part of the rotation for the first 24 games, seeing double-figure minutes just twice, and that was in early November. But in his past four games, High is averaging 10.3 points and 8.5 rebounds, bringing an edge the Tar Heels have lacked at times.
Next seven days: vs. Virginia Tech (Feb. 28), vs. Clemson (March 3)
Previous ranking: 16
The Red Storm’s defeat at UConn on Wednesday was as eye-opening a loss as any team in college basketball has suffered this season. It wasn’t just the final 32-point margin — although it was Rick Pitino’s second-largest loss as the coach of a ranked team. It was the way it happened. The Red Storm were awful offensively. They shot 2-for-28 from the field in the second half. Their final basket came with 17:28 remaining, missing their last 24 shots from the field. According to ESPN Research, the 24 straight misses was the longest game-ending streak by a Division I team in at least the past eight seasons.
Next seven days: vs. Villanova (Feb. 28), vs. Georgetown (March 3)
Previous ranking: 22
Louisville is likely to end the regular season without beating a ranked opponent. The Cardinals’ best wins have come at home against NC State, SMU and Kentucky, plus a neutral site win over Indiana. They have six Quadrant 1 wins, but they’re 0-6 in Quadrant 1A contests. In those Quadrant 1A games, Louisville is No. 62 in the country in adjusted efficiency margin at BartTorvik. Two big statistical gaps stand out when comparing wins and losses. In wins, the Cardinals shoot 39.3% from 3 and just 28.8% in losses. They also attempt more than 23 free throws per game in wins and fewer than 16 in losses.
Next seven days: at Clemson (Feb. 28), vs. Syracuse (March 3)
Previous ranking: Not ranked
Three days after BYU’s biggest win of the season — a 10-point victory over Iowa State — the Cougars suffered a surprising 13-point loss at home to UCF, in a game they trailed by as many as 36 points in the second half. From a body-of-work résumé perspective, BYU still has the profile of a 6-seed or a Top 25 team. The Cougars are top 25 in six of seven team sheet metrics, with 12 wins over Quadrant 1 and 2 opponents. The marquee win over Iowa State adds serious heft to a group of wins that already included Villanova, Wisconsin, Miami and Clemson. But they’re 3-6 in their past nine games and a 1-2 record without Richie Saunders (including a blowout home loss to UCF) leaves them at risk of tumbling further.
Next seven days: at West Virginia (Feb. 28), at Cincinnati (March 3)
Previous ranking: Not ranked
It’s fitting Saint Mary’s finds its way into the rankings just before the final Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s matchup as conference foes (the Zags leave the WCC for the Pac-12 this summer). The Gaels could still earn a share of the regular-season title with a win Saturday, which would be their fourth WCC title in a row. They’ve also beaten Gonzaga at least once in each of the past four seasons — though they lost the first game this season 73-65. Saint Mary’s enters the weekend with momentum, winner of seven in a row after Wednesday’s 19-point victory over Santa Clara. Mikey Lewis has been playing his best basketball since the opening weeks, averaging 16.2 points over his last six games.
Next seven days: vs. Gonzaga (Feb. 28)
Previous ranking: 25
After that stretch of games in the middle of conference play when the RedHawks were barely escaping with wins, they’re leaving absolutely zero doubt over the past several games. They’ve won their past five games by an average of 13 points, leading by at least 20 points in four of those five games. Forward Almar Atlason, an Iceland native and one of the best reserves in the MAC, might be returning to his early-season form, too. Atlason hit double figures in 10 of his first 13 games this season, then did it just once over his next 10. But he’s hit that mark in four of his past five games, giving Travis Steele another player who can stretch it from beyond the arc.
Next seven days: at Western Michigan (Feb. 27), vs. Toledo (March 3)
Dropped out: Saint Louis Billikens (No. 23), Utah State Aggies (No. 24)
Fraud conviction overturned for Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai, ex-media mogul and democracy activist
An appellate court in Hong Kong reversed fraud convictions against former media tycoon Jimmy Lai. It was a rare victory for the prominent pro-democracy activist, who is a fierce critic of Beijing and has faced a litany of legal battles.
Lai, 78, an outspoken critic of China’s ruling Communist Party who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily, will stay in prison because he was sentenced to 20 years weeks ago after being convicted in another case brought under a China-imposed national security law.
He was convicted in December of conspiring to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security and conspiring to publish seditious articles, which carried a maximum penalty of life in prison. His sentence was the longest punishment brought to date since China imposed the national security law in 2020, essentially silencing Hong Kong’s dissent.
That came more than five years after he was arrested under the law, which was used in a yearslong crackdown on many of Hong Kong’s leading activists. His plight has evoked grief over the city’s loss of press freedom and sparked an international outcry, though the city’s authorities insist his case had nothing to do with media independence.
The conviction that was overturned Thursday was from an earlier fraud case in which prosecutors alleged that a consultancy firm controlled by Lai had used office space that his media business rented for publication and printing purposes.
Lai was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison in 2022 after being found guilty of two fraud charges.
The Free Press: Natan Sharansky: Jimmy Lai’s Sentence Tests the Free World
A lower court judge found that Lai and his co-defendant Wong Wai-keung had concealed that the firm was occupying space and had violated the lease agreement, saying he had used his media organization as a protective shield. He also fined Lai 2 million Hong Kong dollars ($257,000).
Judges at the Court of Appeal wrote in their judgment that while Apple Daily Printing had breached the lease terms by allowing the firm to use part of the space, it didn’t owe a duty to disclose its breach. They said even if it had owed and breached that duty, the same could not be attributed to Lai and Wong as a matter of law.
The trial judge’s “reasoning in concluding that the applicants were liable for the concealment as the prosecution contended is unsupportable,” they said.
They also ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants had made false representations, throwing out both convictions and sentences.
Neither defendant appeared in court.
The ruling could reduce Lai’s total prison time. The judges handling Lai’s national security case allowed the two sentences to be served concurrently for only two years, with the other 18 years to be added after the fraud sentence.
The government said in a statement that the Department of Justice would study the judgment thoroughly and consider whether to appeal.
It said that although the Court of Appeal found the breach of contract did not meet the threshold for a fraud conviction, it didn’t change the fact that Lai had used the office space for illegitimate personal purposes.
The lengthy sentence has raised concerns that he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Lai’s children have expressed hopes that a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to Beijing could help secure the release of their father, a British citizen. The White House has confirmed that Trump will travel to China on March 31 through April 2 to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said Lai was sentenced for exercising his right to freedom of expression and called on the Hong Kong authorities to release him on humanitarian grounds.
Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have defended Lai’s sentencing in the national security case, saying it reflected the spirit of the rule of law. They also insisted the security law is necessary for the city’s stability.
ICE chase leads to chain-reaction collision; NJ mayor demands probe
Three young siblings riding in a Lyft on their way to school were inside one of the vehicles struck during the crash.
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NUNSLAUGHTER Announce BLKIIBLK Debut Satanic Chaos Legions
Nunslaughter, Cleveland’s unholy denizens of the underground, have announced their BLKIIBLK debut album Satanic Chaos Legions, set for release on June 26, 2026. Alongside the announcement, the band unleashed the title track and an official music video, delivering a first taste of the unrelenting darkness to come.
On the track and video, vocalist Don of the Dead explains: “‘Satanic Chaos Legions,’ the first video is like a ritual dagger–sharp, merciless, and the ideal initiation into our relentless Luciferian audio onslaught.”
Discussing the upcoming album, he adds: “Now with BLKIIBLK on our side Nunslaughter can ram the black horn of Satan down the throats of every metalhead on the planet, spitting fresh venom and blistering hatred directly into the rotting face of Christianity with Satanic Chaos Legions.”
A constant in extreme metal and a direct influence on generations of black metal and thrash bands, Nunslaughter continue to deliver blistering hymns of irreligion. Tracks like the grinding “Peukharist” and the uncompromising “Unsacrament” assault the senses with the ferocity of Slayer crossed with Earth A.D.-era Misfits, inverting crucifixes while worshipping at the hoof of the ibex.
Having already set fire to the global metal scene through festival appearances, ritual performances alongside Acid Bath, and an upcoming European tour, Nunslaughter‘s campaign of sonic defilement shows no signs of slowing. Pre-orders for Satanic Chaos Legions are available here.
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