The Swiss chemicals company cut its 2025 earnings margin guidance on weaker sales and currency effects.
Source link
Sika Shares Drop After Guidance Cut
Alonso wasn’t perfect, but sacking him ignores Madrid’s real problems
-
Graham Hunter
So, Xabi Alonso becomes the tenth permanent Real Madrid manager of Florentino Pérez’s 21-plus-year presidential reign to be sacked without even completing a year in charge.
Just when the 44-year-old Madrid playing legend seemed to have calmed the stormy waters that had threatened to overwhelm him since autumn, the biggest sin in the entire dictionary of Must Not Commit for Bernabéu managers, losing to Barcelona when a trophy is at stake, has cost him his job. Those around Alonso — who leaves with Madrid only four points off the top of LaLiga, safely in the UEFA Champions League top eight and with a nervy Copa del Rey tie at Albacete on Wednesday — will look back at the final moments of Sunday’s Supercopa final and think about Álvaro Carreras and Raúl Asencio, who each had point-blank chances to score and take the final to penalties.
Alonso, in retrospect, stands condemned, at least in the eyes of Pérez — the only person whose opinion matters when a coach’s fate is concerned — of several offenses.
First: The damage done to Alonso’s public reputation and club credibility when, on substituting Vinícius Júnior in the victorious Clásico last October, the Brazil international erupted in anger while showing disrespect for his manager. Even in victory, the player’s actions hogged the headlines because he screamed into the night air, “This is why I’m going to leave this team. This is why I’m leaving!”
Pérez wants Vinícius to renew his contract, at all costs. So although Alonso palpably repaired much of the damage with his 24-year-old star, and on Sunday helped him produce his best goal and best performance since Carlo Ancelotti left, it’s now clear that irreparable damage was done to Pérez’s view of his coach.
Second: Losing to Barcelona in a big final remains, it seems, a capital offense. Just as a reminder, it has been about five weeks since I wrote in this very space, “If the 44-year-old coach, who won all there is to win in his playing career and then made history by making Bayer Leverkusen Bundesliga champions for the first time, can beat Atlético Madrid in the Supercopa semifinal and either Barcelona or Athletic Club in the final, then he’ll finally be left alone to do his job until the end of the season. But to come home without a trophy? Alonso will almost certainly be sacked.”
Third: When Madrid played anodyne, point-dropping football against Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Girona, and then lost consecutively at home to Manchester City and Celta Vigo, there was a massive manhunt mounted, by the club and by the media, to find someone to blame. Correctly or not, and I think the answer is firmly “not,” it has been the coach — rather than the president or the players — who has been found guilty.
Fourth: Alonso, it must be said, hasn’t “played the game.” Managing upward is an increasingly key skill when you’re coaching at a big club — that’s true anywhere in the world, but particularly when your direct boss is the unaccountable Pérez.
Throughout his life, either as the son of the excellent player Periko Alonso; or while coming through the ranks at Real Sociedad; playing brilliantly for Liverpool, Madrid, Bayern Munich and Spain; or making history by taking Bayer Leverkusen to their best-ever trophy season; Xabi Alonso has been the man. Venerated, respected, ultra talented, backed, fêted, desired, rewarded and awarded deity status. Don’t take my word for it, just think how he’s regarded by Spain (European and world champion), at Liverpool (hero of the greatest match in their entire history), local boy made good at Real Sociedad, José Mourinho’s lieutenant at Madrid and Pep Guardiola’s chosen linchpin while winning trophy after trophy at Bayern. He simply didn’t need to kowtow to anyone. Ever.
It’s different at Madrid and, so, when his friend and mentor, Guardiola, used a vulgar expression in support of Alonso before City won at the Bernabéu in December, it went down very badly indeed when Alonso’s postmatch response, teased out by a journalist, seemed to be sympathetic to what City’s Catalan coach was suggesting about Alonso’s relationship with Pérez.
Until very recently, Alonso, never rude, was standoffish and cool with the assembled, hard-nosed, some would say Pérez-aligned media who turned up to news conferences six times a week at the Madrid training ground. He changed his stance when he knew he was fighting for his continued employment: He began to expand on answers, share a joke, become a bit more touchy-feely, and it was working. But he played that game a little too late.
It was extremely telling when Alonso suggested to his players on Sunday in Jeddah that they form a guard of honor for Barcelona’s victorious players (as Hansi Flick’s men had done for them while they walked up to get their losers’ medals), but Kylian Mbappé usurped him and fiercely gestured to the squad that he, not Alonso, had the final word and that no way would they be forming two lines and letting the Supercopa winners feel honored. Very, very damaging imagery.
What’s a little bit shocking is that the Spanish football media, having set the table for an Alonso sacking over and over again in November and December, were utterly caught by surprise. Even playing pretty moderately, in victory against Sevilla, Real Betis and Atlético, Madrid’s players were clearly pulling for their coach, they were building results — admittedly from a low base — and they were looking very like steering Los Blancos into the extremely valuable top eight of the Champions League with two winnable matches in their sights this month. Marca’s headlines this morning included “Xabi revives the Mourinho style” and “What a miss from Carreras in the 95th minute.” No blame thrown at the coach. Their famous columnist, Alfredo Relaño, stated, “Xabi Alonso lost the final but saved his situation.” The much more hawkish, Pérez-oriented Diario AS used “Only Raphinha was better than Madrid” as their match headline, and the self-confessed ultra-Madridista columnist Tomás Roncero’s column read “Nothing to reproach you over.”
One of the biggest signs, in my opinion, as to the general mood of this singular, polemic, but highly successful, billionaire president, and something that Alonso could have paid more attention to, is the name of the stadium.
For the longest time, it’s been called the Santiago Bernabéu in honor of the man previously regarded as the greatest leader in Real Madrid’s history. More and more, and often in formal terms, it’s being called “the Bernabéu” — a change that, in my view, will preface a gradual, strategic and corporate-driven moving of Pérez toward the top of the podium of all-time presidents. This 78-year-old has, gradually but consistently, aimed at moving beyond his “Primus inter pares” (“first among equals”) status to be regarded as the all-time greatest. His costly and, so far, not wholly successful redevelopment of the stadium was supposed to be the jewel in the crown but, for a host of reasons, hasn’t hit home with the power he expected it to. I think, a couple of months away from his 79th birthday, he feels that time is flying, and he has none to waste.
He needs, desires, more league wins, more Champions Leagues, fewer sights of Barcelona lifting trophies, less whistling and jeering when Madrid play at their imperious HQ. He craves the formation of a European Super League. Right now, he’s being thwarted in too many of those desires.
Those previous nine coaches he sacked only a few months into their reigns usually, it must be pointed out, made way for more successful, more glorious periods for the club as European and domestic trophies were stacked up and the best players actively chose to move to Real Madrid. This fact is incontestable.
President Pérez, in my opinion, has blamed the wrong man, has ignored the real problems and, now that he has passed the baton to Álvaro Arbeloa, he has perpetuated the real flaws rather than cured them in sacking Alonso. But he won’t care about that opinion and, in the past, his irresistible force has defeated any apparently immovable object. This time? I’m unconvinced.
Bad luck, Xabi. You only partially contributed to this situation. But, as you always said yourself, Real Madrid is different. Real Madrid is unique. Good luck with what comes next.
New Mexico's Massive Healthcare Expansion
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) is reshaping healthcare across the state in a massive expansion effort underway. UNMH is establishing new clinics, a Critical Care Tower, and requesting state assistance to fund a brand-new, $600 million School of Medicine. This week on the New Mexico News Insiders Podcast, UNM Health System […]
Source link
Generative Engine Optimization Tools that Marketing Teams Actually Use
If you‘ve noticed your brand appearing less frequently in ChatGPT answers, you’re not alone. Savvy marketers are using generative engine optimization tools to address this issue. These tools help your content get cited by AI platforms, rather than being buried under competitors.
Fortunately, I spend way too much time monitoring how content performs across different platforms (an occupational hazard of being a marketer), and I’ve watched GEO tools evolve from experimental technology into genuinely helpful software that marketing teams actually rely on.
In this guide, I’ll break down what generative engine optimization tools actually do, how they complement your existing SEO strategy, and which ones are worth your time and budget.
Table of Contents
What is a generative engine optimization tool?
A generative engine optimization tool is a software that helps create and improve digital content to increase its visibility and inclusion in responses from AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and Claude AI.
Basically, GEO tools analyze how AI models like ChatGPT and Claude “read” and prioritize content, then give you recommendations on structure, formatting, and language that increase your chances of being cited in their responses to inquiries.
So, how does GEO differ from SEO? SEO is focused on ranking high in SERPs by optimizing for keywords, building backlinks, and praying to the algorithm gods that your website lands at the top of the first results page.
In contrast, GEO means you’re optimizing to be quoted or referenced within the AI-generated response. The AI doesn’t show a results page — it synthesizes information from multiple sources and generates one cohesive answer.
The mechanics differ from traditional SEO because AIs aren‘t limited to examining keywords and backlinks. Instead, they’re evaluating credibility, clarity, how well your content answers specific questions, and whether your information can be easily extracted and synthesized.
In short, while SEO gets you clicked, GEO gets you quoted.
GEO software vs. SEO software
We know that SEO helps people find your website through search engines. GEO gets your brand mentioned in AI answers. Does this mean marketers should choose one method over the other? No. You need both, and they actually complement each other.
While SEO builds your discoverability foundation, GEO extends your reach into AI platforms where people are increasingly getting their answers. They‘re not competing strategies; they’re covering different parts of the customer journey.
A user might ask ChatGPT for product recommendations (GEO territory), see your brand mentioned, and then search for your company name on Google to learn more (SEO territory). Or they might find you through organic search first, and later reencounter your brand in an AI answer, reinforcing your authority.
The key is to know when to prioritize SEO or GEO.
Prioritize SEO when:
- You’re building a new site or brand and need foundational visibility
- Your audience primarily uses traditional search engines
- You’re in e-commerce or local services where Google Maps and shopping results matter
- You need direct website traffic for conversions
Prioritize GEO when:
- Your target audience is heavy AI users (tech-savvy, younger demographics, developers)
- You’re in industries where people ask questions (B2B software, education, health)
- You want to establish thought leadership and get cited as an authority
- Your competitors aren’t doing it yet (first-mover advantage)
It’s that simple.
How Generative Engines Choose Sources
When you ask an AI a question, it scans through massive amounts of content to generate its answer, looking for signals that indicate “this information is trustworthy and relevant.”
The AI prioritizes content that’s crystal clear and well-structured. If your content rambles or buries the answer six paragraphs deep, the AI will skip over it for something more straightforward.
This is where structure becomes crucial, so descriptive headers, bullet points for key facts, and clear definitions help the AI quickly extract the information it needs. The easier you make it for the AI to understand and quote you, the more likely you’ll get cited.
Citations and external credibility are must-haves. AIs are trained to value content that shows its work, much like a good college research paper. When your content references authoritative sources, includes data from reputable studies, and links to other credible sites, AIs interpret that as a signal that you’ve done your homework.
Entity consistency is another significant factor, although it may sound more complicated than it is.
Essentially, if you’re writing about “email marketing,” stick with that term consistently rather than switching between “email campaigns,” “inbox strategy,” and “electronic mail promotion.”
AI seeks precise and consistent use of terms and entities to understand the content’s actual subject matter and its connections to other authoritative sources on the same topic.
This is precisely where GEO tools come in handy. They analyze your content and flag issues like unclear structure, missing citations, inconsistent terminology, or buried key information. Instead of guessing what might help you get cited, these tools give you specific recommendations. They essentially reverse-engineer what AIs are looking for and give you a roadmap to fix it.
Generative Engine Optimization Tools that Marketing Teams Actually Use
Best for: HubSpot users who want native GEO capabilities without adding another platform to their stack
Stack fit: Already in your stack if you‘re a HubSpot customer. The AI Search Grader analyzes how your content performs in AI search results and provides optimization recommendations directly within HubSpot—pairs with HubSpot’s Content Assistant for AI-optimized content creation.
What to measure after adoption: AI Search Grader scores over time, citation rates in AI platforms for HubSpot-optimized content, content performance improvements when following AI recommendations, and how AI visibility correlates with traditional SEO metrics you’re already tracking in HubSpot.
Best for: Tracking your brand’s visibility across multiple AI platforms (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Claude)
Stack fit: Works alongside your existing SEO tools and HubSpot. Think of it as the “AI version” of rank tracking. Data can be reported into HubSpot dashboards for centralized reporting and analysis.
What to measure after adoption: Track citation frequency across different AI platforms, which topics you’re being cited for, and how your visibility trends over time compared to competitors.
Best for: Getting actionable optimization recommendations for existing content
Stack fit: Can integrate with HubSpot via API to audit your existing blog posts and pages. Use it during content audits or before publishing. Recommendations can feed back into your HubSpot content workflow.
What to measure after adoption: Improvement in AI citation rates for optimized content vs. non-optimized baseline, time saved in content optimization, and conversion of recommendations into measurable visibility gains tracked in HubSpot analytics.
Best for: AI-native content creation that’s optimized for both traditional search and generative engines
Stack fit: Integrates with HubSpot CMS via Zapier or API. Create optimized content briefs and drafts that you can publish directly to your HubSpot blog. Works in conjunction with HubSpot’s built-in Content Assistant.
What to measure after adoption: Content production velocity, citation rate of AI-generated content vs. human-only content, time to publish, and whether AI-assisted pieces maintain your brand voice standards.
Best for: B2B content teams who need both SEO and GEO baked into their content workflow with native HubSpot integration
Stack fit: Direct HubSpot integration that syncs content, tracks performance, and feeds data into your HubSpot reporting. More comprehensive than a point solution — it’s a content operations platform with GEO features built in.
What to measure after adoption: Overall content ROI in HubSpot dashboards, AI platform visibility, organic traffic growth, lead attribution from AI-optimized content, and whether the integration actually streamlined your workflow.
To choose the right GEO tool, identify your actual problem, not the trendy solution. Are you invisible in AI answers and need to understand where you stand? Get a visibility monitoring tool first. Do you already know you‘re not being cited but don’t know why?
You need an optimization tool that audits your content and gives you specific fixes.
Trying to scale AI-optimized content production? Look for creation and brief tools. Don‘t buy a comprehensive enterprise platform when you really just need citation tracking — and definitely don’t buy citation tracking if your content fundamentally isn’t structured for AI discoverability yet.
Use a simple evaluation rubric to compare tools.
- Coverage: Does it track the AI platforms your audience actually uses?
- Accuracy: Are the recommendations based on real AI behavior or just guesses?
- Actionability: Can your team implement the suggestions without a PhD in machine learning?
- Integration: Does it work with your existing stack (CMS, analytics, project management), or does it create more silos?
- Governance: Can you control access, maintain brand standards, and audit what the tool is doing with your data? Score each tool on these five dimensions, and the right choice usually becomes obvious.
Finally, involve the right people early. Your SEO team needs to vet whether GEO recommendations conflict with the existing SEO strategy. Your content team needs to use the tool daily, so if they find it clunky or confusing during the demo, walk away.
Your operations team evaluates the integration complexity, licensing, and whether this solution adds to or reduces tool sprawl. Your analytics team confirms that you can actually measure success and pull data into existing dashboards.
A tool that works for one team but frustrates the other three is a failed implementation waiting to happen.
GEO Tool Buying Checklist
Before the demo:
- [ ] Define your primary problem (visibility tracking, content optimization, or content creation)
- [ ] List AI platforms your audience uses most
- [ ] Document your current content workflow and tech stack
- [ ] Set a realistic budget range
- [ ] Identify 3-5 success metrics you’ll track in the first 90 days
During evaluation:
- [ ] Score tool on coverage, accuracy, actionability, integration, and governance (1-5 scale)
- [ ] Request a trial or sandbox with your actual content
- [ ] Have content creators test the interface (not just watch a demo)
- [ ] Ask for customer references in your industry and company size
- [ ] Confirm what’s included vs. add-on modules
- [ ] Review data privacy and security policies
- [ ] Check integration documentation for your CMS and analytics platform
Cross-functional review:
- [ ] SEO sign-off: Recommendations align with (not contradict) SEO strategy
- [ ] Content sign-off: Team finds the tool intuitive, and the workflow fits reality
- [ ] Ops sign-off: Integration is feasible with current resources and timeline
- [ ] Analytics sign-off: Data can flow into existing reporting dashboards
- [ ] Legal/Security sign-off: Data handling and privacy meet company standards
Before purchase:
- [ ] Calculate actual cost (licensing + implementation + training + maintenance)
- [ ] Define ownership (who’s the internal champion and admin?)
- [ ] Create 30-60-90 day adoption plan
- [ ] Set review checkpoint to evaluate ROI after 6 months
- [ ] Document what “success” looks like and when you’d cancel
Red flags to watch for:
- Vendor can’t explain how they track AI citations (vague = probably inaccurate)
- Zero integration options with your existing stack
- Pricing structure that punishes growth or usage
- No straightforward onboarding or training plan
- Sales pressure to buy “everything” when you need one specific capability
- Customer references all in different industries/sizes than yours
The tool that scores highest on your rubric and gets enthusiastic buy-in from all four teams (SEO, content, ops, analytics) is your winner. If you can‘t reach consensus, you probably haven’t found the right fit yet — or you need to resolve an internal alignment issue before purchasing external software.
Frequently Asked Questions About GEO Tools
Do GEO tools replace my current SEO stack?
No, GEO tools don’t replace your SEO stack; instead, they complement it. Traditional SEO still drives the majority of your organic traffic through search engines, while GEO extends your visibility into AI platforms where people increasingly get answers.
Keep your existing SEO tools (e.g., Ahrefs, SEMrush) and layer geographic capabilities on top of them. The best approach is to maintain strong technical SEO fundamentals (site speed, mobile optimization, schema markup) since these same elements also help AIs crawl and understand your content.
How do I prove GEO’s value without changing my entire strategy?
Begin with a focused pilot on a single high-value topic cluster where you already have established content. I suggest 5-10 related articles on a subject your audience frequently asks about.
Optimize that cluster using GEO best practices (clear structure, citations, entity consistency) while leaving the rest of your content unchanged as a control group. Track AI citation frequency for the optimized cluster compared to your baseline, but also monitor down-funnel signals like branded search volume, direct traffic, and conversions from users who discovered you through AI platforms.
Run the pilot for 60-90 days, and if you see measurable improvements in either visibility or business impact, you have data to justify expanding GEO across more content.
What’s the minimum viable GEO pilot?
Start with GEO Ranker for measurement. It tracks your visibility across major AI platforms without requiring any changes to your content, giving you a baseline to work from. For optimization, use Profound or HubSpot‘s AI Search Grader if you’re already on HubSpot.
Both HubSpot’s AI Grader and Profound will provide you with specific, actionable recommendations you can implement immediately. Pick one content cluster you own completely, ideally 5-8 blog posts on a single topic where you already rank decently in traditional search and know your audience asks AI tools about it.
Optimize that cluster over 2-3 weeks, then track it for 60 days.
You’re looking for two key metrics: increased citations on AI platforms (as measured by your tracking tool) and any uptick in branded searches, direct traffic, or conversions that correlate with improved AI visibility.
This approach costs $200-$500 per month in tools and a few weeks of content work, and provides you with concrete data on whether GEO moves the needle for your business. If it works, you‘ve got proof to expand; if it doesn’t, you haven’t blown your entire content strategy or budget finding out.
How often should I monitor AI citations and visibility?
Begin by monitoring your progress weekly during the first 60-90 days to identify patterns, determine which optimizations are effective, and make course corrections promptly.
Once you‘ve established a baseline and your strategy stabilizes, shift to biweekly check-ins. AI citation patterns don’t fluctuate as wildly as daily search rankings, so you don’t need to obsess over them daily.
Create monthly roll-ups for leadership that tie AI visibility metrics to business outcomes (traffic, leads, brand searches) since executives care more about “did this drive results?” than “we got cited 47 times this month.”
Are there risks to optimizing for LLMs?
Yes, and the biggest one is sacrificing accuracy for AI-friendliness. If you oversimplify complex topics or remove nuance just to create “quotable” content, you risk being cited for information that’s technically correct but misleading in context.
Set a guardrail: Every piece of content should be reviewed by a subject matter expert before publication, regardless of its score on GEO metrics.
Brand voice is another risk. Content optimized purely for AI discoverability can start sounding robotic, generic, or like everyone else in your space.
Establish a review step where someone on your team reads the final piece and asks, “Does this still sound like us?” If anyone could write your competitors‘ content, you’ve optimized too far.
Governance matters because once an AI cites incorrect information from your site, you can‘t easily “recall” it the way you’d update a blog post. Implement a fact-checking process, cite your own sources properly, and include dates on time-sensitive content so AIs (and humans) know when information might be outdated.
The goal is to be cited often and cited accurately — not just to rack up mentions at the expense of your credibility.
Massive stashes of meth found in secret labs in Mexico as Trump threatens possible military action
More than 1,500 pounds of methamphetamine were seized from clandestine laboratories in Mexico, authorities announced on Monday, days after President Trump threatened possible military action to curb cartels in the country.
In separate operations, authorities found the secret labs along with more than 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds) of meth, as well as various chemical precursors, in the states of Durango, Sinaloa and Michoacán, the Mexican navy said in a news release.
During a land patrol in the town of Carricitos, Durango, a hidden laboratory was found with 1,150 liters and 695 kilograms of chemical precursors and material used for the production of synthetic drugs.
“The laboratory had extensive operating areas, materials and accessories for the production of synthetic drugs, which were completely disabled in order to prevent their reuse,” the navy said.
The second operation took place in Sinaloa, which is home to the notorious cartel of the same name. In the town of Los Cedros, authorities uncovered a lab where about 750 kilograms of finished meth were seized, as well as 1,150 liters and 695 kilograms of chemical precursors.
Finally, in the violence-wracked western state of Michoacán, in the town of La Escondida, another lab was discovered. Authorities seized 9,700 liters and 500 kilograms of chemical precursors, as well as laboratory equipment and tools.
The navy said it destroyed the labs, and released video and photos of the operation on social media.
“The total destruction of the laboratories represents a significant blow to the logistical structures of organized crime and prevents these illicit substances from reaching society,” the navy said in a statement.
The seizures were announced as the U.S. continues its campaign against drug trafficking, which has included more than 20 strikes against alleged drug-ferrying boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. More than 100 people have been killed in the strikes.
Earlier this month, the U.S. attacked Venezuela in an operation that led to the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro. Mr. Trump has also threatened possible action in Mexico to curb drug cartels.
In an interview with Fox News last week, Mr. Trump said, “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water and we are going to start now hitting land, with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico. It’s very sad to watch.”
On Monday, Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had “a very good conversation” with Mr. Trump and insisted that U.S. intervention against cartels was unnecessary.
“We told him, so far it’s going very well, it’s not necessary, and furthermore there is Mexico’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and he understood,” she said.
JPMorgan Profit Falls on Investment-Banking Miss, Apple Card Charge
Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said the economy remains resilient and doesn’t appear to be worsening.
Source link
Virginia vs. Louisville prediction, odds, spread: 2026 college basketball picks, best bets
The Virginia Cavaliers will visit the Louisville Cardinals on Tuesday’s college basketball schedule as each squad plays its fifth ACC game of the season. No. 16 Virginia (14-2, 3-1 ACC) is riding a three-game win streak, each coming by double-digits, with the Cavs defeating Stanford, 70-55, on Saturday. No. 20 Louisville (12-4, 2-2 ACC) bounced back from consecutive losses with a 75-62 victory over Boston College on Jan. 10. UVA leads the all-time series with a 24-7 record.
Tipoff is at 7 p.m. ET from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. Louisville swept the two-game season series last year. The Cardinals are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Louisville vs. Virginia odds, while the over/under is 154.5. Before making any Virginia vs. Louisville picks, check out the men’s college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
New users can target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $300 in bonus bets if your $5+ bet wins:
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times and it enters Week 11 on a sizzling 9-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its college basketball betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.
Now, the model has simulated Louisville vs. Virginia 10,000 times and just revealed its men’s college basketball picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several men’s college basketball odds and men’s college basketball betting lines for Virginia vs. Louisville:
|
Louisville vs. Virginia spread: |
Louisville -3.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook |
|
Louisville vs. Virginia over/under: |
154.5 points |
|
Louisville vs. Virginia money line: |
Louisville -164, Virginia +136 |
|
Louisville vs. Virginia picks: |
|
|
Louisville vs. Virginia streaming: |
Fubo (Try for free) |
New users can check out the latest bet365 bonus code to get $200 in bonus bets after placing a $5 bet:
How to make Virginia vs. Louisville picks
After simulating Louisville vs. Virginia 10,000 times, SportsLine’s model is going Under on the total (154.5 points). If recent history is any indication, the Under should hit with points to spare. Each of the last 10 meetings have gone under not only 154.5 points, but none of them have even reached 150 combined points. Those 10 meetings have averaged just 124.8 total points.
Granted most of those came under former UVA coach Tony Bennett, and his preferred slow pace implemented on the Cavaliers, but Virginia still ranks 262nd in the country in tempo this season. The Under is 9-7 for Virginia, as each of its last three, and five of its last six games have gone under. Louisville also has an Under record of 9-7, with each of its last three also failing to reach the total. The model projects 152 combined points as the Under hits in almost 60% of simulations.
The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Virginia vs. Louisville, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Louisville vs. Virginia spread to back, all from the model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times, and find out.
Death of missing man in New Mexico investigated as homicide
The body of a man missing for weeks has been found in New Mexico. The town of Mountainair says Albert Peña had been missing for several weeks. Town officials say Peña’s death was the result of a homicide. According to the Otero County Sheriff’s Office, multiple search and rescue crews from several different agencies conducted a search near High Rolls, New Mexico for Pena. The sheriff’s office says during the search they found a body believed to be that of Pena. The sheriff’s office says the case is being investigated as a homicide and that four people have been arrested in connection to the death. The body has been turned over to the Office of the Medical Investigator for positive identification and to find the cause of death. Peña was also the brother-in-law to Albuquerque City Council President Klarissa Peña.She sent a statement saying in part, “Albert was a man of the mountains who found joy in the simple, honest things in life. A talented man who ‘knew how to fix anything,’ he was truly one of the hardest-working people you could ever meet.”
The body of a man missing for weeks has been found in New Mexico.
The town of Mountainair says Albert Peña had been missing for several weeks.
Town officials say Peña’s death was the result of a homicide.
According to the Otero County Sheriff’s Office, multiple search and rescue crews from several different agencies conducted a search near High Rolls, New Mexico for Pena.
The sheriff’s office says during the search they found a body believed to be that of Pena.
The sheriff’s office says the case is being investigated as a homicide and that four people have been arrested in connection to the death.
The body has been turned over to the Office of the Medical Investigator for positive identification and to find the cause of death.
Peña was also the brother-in-law to Albuquerque City Council President Klarissa Peña.
She sent a statement saying in part, “Albert was a man of the mountains who found joy in the simple, honest things in life. A talented man who ‘knew how to fix anything,’ he was truly one of the hardest-working people you could ever meet.”
Syrian army declares closed military zone east of Aleppo as tensions rise with Kurds
ALEPPO, Syria — The Syrian army on Tuesday declared an area east of the northern city of Aleppo a “closed military zone,” potentially signaling another escalation between government forces and fighters with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Several days of clashes in the city of Aleppo last week that displaced tens of thousands of people came to an end over the weekend with the evacuation of Kurdish fighters from the contested neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud.
Since then, Syrian officials have accused the SDF of building up its forces near the towns of Maskana and Deir Hafer, about 60 km (37 mi) east of Aleppo city, something the SDF denied.
State news agency SANA reported that the army had declared the area a closed military zone because of “continued mobilization” by the SDF “and because it serves as a launching point for Iranian suicide drones that have targeted the city of Aleppo.”
On Saturday afternoon, an explosive drone hit the Aleppo governorate building shortly after two Cabinet ministers and a local official held a news conference on the developments in the city. The SDF denied being behind the attack.
The army statement Tuesday said armed groups should withdraw to the area east of the Euphrates River.
The tensions come amid an impasse in political negotiations between the central state and the SDF.
The leadership in Damascus under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa signed a deal in March with the SDF, which controls much of the northeast, for it to merge with the Syrian army by the end of 2025. There have been disagreements on how it would happen.
Some of the factions that make up the new Syrian army, formed after the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a rebel offensive in December 2024, were previously Turkey-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.
The SDF has for years been the main U.S. partner in Syria in fighting against the Islamic State group, but Turkey considers the SDF a terrorist organization because of its association with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Turkey. A peace process is now underway.
Despite the long-running U.S. support for the SDF, the Trump administration in the U.S. has also developed close ties with al-Sharaa’s government and has pushed the Kurds to implement the March deal.
Shams TV, a station based in Irbil, the seat of northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, had been set to air an interview with al-Sharaa on Monday but later announced it had been postponed for “technical” reasons without giving a new date for airing it.
The Beth and Rip Spin-Off Has a Name!
For the first time, Paramount executives are speaking to several of the rumored Yellowstone franchise spin-off shows, including one set to star Beth and Rip, played by Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser.
Paramount’s co-CEO Chris McCarthy not only spilled the working name of the show, but also shared a timeframe for the release — and it’s all happening much quicker than anyone anticipated.
News that the onscreen couple would have a new series leaked late last year, with Reilly seemingly confirming it with a note on social media. Without spoiling things yet, the end of Yellowstone allows for a spin-off to take place, although it’s hard to imagine it being set where the same Dutton Ranch five seasons of Yellowstone were set.
This is something of an “if you know, you know” detail about the series finale. It also makes the working name for this show very intriguing.
- The Beth and Rip show is one of at least four reported spin-offs from Yellowstone, beyond existing shows like 1883 and 1923.
- A show called 1944, a show based on Luke Grimes’ character Kayce and something called The Madison (with Michelle Pfieffer) are also rumored, being planned or in production.
- The Dutton Rules podcast team recently updated the status of each of these shows, although hosts Billy Dukes and Adison Haager lacked a major new detail about the Beth/Rip series.
Yellowstone‘s Beth and Rip Spin-Off Name and Schedule
Rip’s Yellowstone spinoff now has an official title — Dutton Ranch. The announcement came during the 2026 Golden Globes on Sunday (Jan. 11), when CBS aired a teaser featuring a quick glimpse of Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser in the highly anticipated series.
The clip was part of a broader look at Paramount’s upcoming programming slate and confirmed the show’s final name, which had previously been listed under the working title The Dutton Ranch. The new series is expected to air on Paramount Network or Paramount+.
What Is Yellowstone Spin-Off Dutton Ranch About?
There are no new details about what Dutton Ranch may be about, although the finale of Yellowstone sets the stage. Beth and Rip bought their own ranch some distance from the cattle ranch they both grew up on. That’s because she and Kayce decided to sell that land to Chief Rainwater for an 1883 price.
The show ended with every structure being disassembled and the compound razed. So, the old Dutton Ranch cannot be this new Dutton Ranch.
17 Most Stunning Yellowstone Franchise Deaths
No character is safe in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe. Here are the 17 most stunning deaths from 1883, 1923 and five seasons of Yellowstone.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
34 ‘Yellowstone’ Facts You Probably Didn’t Know
How big of a fan of Yellowstone are you? These 34 facts about the Paramount Network show are sure to stump even the most dedicated viewers. They’re almost all about the cast members and their real-life passions and roles.
The real-life marriage? Who has the most kills? Who told Taylor Sheridan “No”? These have all been added before Season 5 of Yellowstone resumes on Nov. 10.
John’s kids? Beth’s accent? Rainwater’s guitar playing? Tate’s spoilers? They’re also included on this list of 34 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Yellowstone.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes