2026 Big Ten men's basketball tournament bracket, schedule, how to watch: Can anyone knock off Michigan in Chicago?

Conference Tournament Previews:SEC|ACC|Big 12|Big East

Michigan has likely done enough to claim a No. 1 seed already. But is a conference tournament title a given?

Here's everything you need to know entering the Big Ten tournament this weekend in Chicago.

Can anyone actually get Michigan?

Michigan went 29-2 this season and only truly slipped up briefly in a bad loss to Wisconsin back in January, which snapped its 14-game win streak. The Wolverines nearly beat Duke in an unusually late non-conference matchup not even a month ago, too, though Cameron Boozer and the Blue Devils held on late in Washington, D.C., to grab a five-point win.

Other than that, and a narrow escape at Penn State in January, nobody in the Big Ten has really been able to come close. They beat Michigan State, perhaps the second-best team in the league, twice by double digits — including on Sunday to end the regular season. The Wolverines led almost the entire way in a commanding win over Purdue, and beat Nebraska, which has its own issues and just barely beat Iowa after a 20-point loss at UCLA last week.

But if anyone can get to Michigan, it's probably the Spartans. Sure, they've fallen twice to their in-state rival this season. Tom Izzo's group ended the year winning five of their last six, including at Purdue. And they've received the double-bye in the conference tournament and are on the opposite side of the bracket at the 3 seed, so their biggest threat on that side is No. 2 seed Nebraska. That, at least on paper, is an easier path to the Big Ten title game. And if the Spartans can pull that off, keeping a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament would be very likely.

Regardless, the winner of this conference tournament is likely going to come from one of the top four teams with the double bye. With how strong the top of the league is compared to the bottom half, a break until Friday will be extremely beneficial.

Big Ten men's basketball tournament basics

When: March 10-15Where: United Center | ChicagoTV: CBS, BTN, Peacock

Big Ten men's basketball schedule, results

All times ET

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Tuesday, March 10 — First Round

Game 1 | No. 17 Maryland vs. No. 16 Oregon | 5 p.m. | PeacockGame 2 | No. 18 Penn State vs. No. 15 Northwestern | 25 min. after G1 | Peacock

Wednesday, March 11 — Second Round

Game 3 | G1 winner vs. No. 9 Iowa | 12 p.m. | PeacockGame 4 | No. 13 USC vs. No. 12 Washington | 25 min. after G3 | PeacockGame 5 | G2 winner vs. No. 10 Indiana | 6:30 p.m. | BTNGame 6 | No. 14 Rutgers vs. No. 11 Minnesota | 25 min. after G5 | BTN

Thursday, March 12 — Third Round

Game 7 | G3 winner vs. No. 8 Ohio State | 12 p.m. | BTNGame 8 | G4 winner vs. No. 5 Wisconsin | 25 min. after G7 | BTNGame 9 | G5 winner vs. No. 7 Purdue | 6:30 p.m. | BTNGame 10 | G6 winner vs. No. 6 UCLA | 25 min. after G9 | BTN

Friday, March 13 — Quarterfinals

Game 11 | G7 winner vs. No. 1 Michigan | 12 p.m. | BTNGame 12 | G8 winner vs. No. 4 Illinois | 25 min. after G11 | BTNGame 13 | G9 winner vs. No. 2 Nebraska | 6:30 p.m. | BTNGame 14 | G10 winner vs. No. 3 Michigan State | 25 min. after G13 | BTN

Saturday, March 14 — Semifinals

Game 15 | G11 winner vs. G12 winner | 1 p.m. | CBSGame 16 | G13 winner vs. G14 winner | 25 min. after G15| CBS

Sunday, March 15 — Championship

Game 17 | G13 winner vs. G14 winner | 3:30 p.m. | CBS

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2026 Big Ten men's basketball tournament bracket, schedule, how to watch: Can anyone knock off Michigan in Chicago?

Conference Tournament Previews:SEC|ACC|Big 12|Big East Michigan has likely done enough to claim a No. 1 seed a...

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What we know on the 10th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

Iranians are being directed to pledge their allegiance toMojtaba Khameneiafter he was named Iran's new supreme leader. Thoughts now turn to how he will steer Iran through one of itsbiggest crisesin its modern history and what hisfirst movewill be.

The war's economic fallout has deepened, sending global oil pricespast $100 per barrel, the first time it crossed that mark since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The surge was triggered by concerns the conflict will lead to prolonged restrictions on the flow of oil around the globe.

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Israel's attacks on Iran's energy resources and fuel storage sites have pushed the war into a "new phase," a senior Iranian officialhas warned,and threatened retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure across the region.

Here's what to know on day 10.

What are the main headlines?

• Khamenei dynasty: Iran's key power centers, including the Revolutionary Guards, have swiftly rallied behind Mojtaba Khamenei after he was chosen to succeed his slain father, Ali Khamenei, as the country's new supreme leader. The IRGC said it was ready to "fully obey and sacrifice their lives" for him. US President Donald Trump said last week that the younger Khamenei being selected would be "unacceptable." Analysts say Mojtaba's elevation suggest a continuity of his father's hardline policies.

• Economic shockwaves: The IMF chief has warned of global inflation risks, and said her advice to policymakers was to prepare for "the unthinkable." G7 finance ministers are planning to meet Monday to discuss the potential joint release of strategic oil reserves. Asian markets plunged while oil futures surged — but Trump dismissed concerns, calling soaring oil costs a "very small price to pay." South Korea will impose its first fuel cap in almost 30 years as global jitters deepen.

• Regional attacks continue: Israel said it launched strikes on Beirut and Iran, while Tehran announced missile launches. Gulf states reported interceptions and overnight strikes, including Bahrain which said at least 32 people were wounded in an Iranian drone attack on a residential area. Bahrain's national oil company BAPCO said its operations had been affected after video showed a large fire at the facility's industrial zone in Riffa, and later declared force majeure on its operations.

• School strike: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US was still investigating a strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed at least 168 children, according to state media. His comments came after new video appears to confirm a US airstrike targeted a naval base next to the school, adding to a body of evidence contradicting Trump's recent claims casting blame on Iran.

• Personnel told to leave: The US State Department ordered non-emergency diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia — a reflection of the risks facing US personnel as the conflict deepens. A US service member died after sustaining injuries during an attack last week in the country.

What's happening in the region?

• Public pledge: Iran announced a nationwide gathering on Monday to pledge allegiance to the new supreme leader. Members of the public have been called on to gather around the country at 3 p.m. local time, Iranian state media reported.

• "New phase" of war: A senior Iranian official told CNN there was no prospect for an immediate end to the conflict. He said Israel's attacks on oil and fuel depots have pushed the war into a "new phase." The official threatened retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure, raising concerns about potential further disruptions to regional oil and gas facilities.

• Stay or go?: One Tehran resident said his family was divided on whether to leave the city, saying people are "under a lot of pressure." Israeli strikes on fuel depots Saturday night were "the heaviest bombardments since the start of the war," he said.

• "Save our girls": The Iranian women's football team are at the center of growing calls for their exit from Australia, where they are playing in the Asian Women's Cup, to be blocked for fear of persecution in Iran.

The latest from the US

• Energy prices: President Donald Trump and administration officials are attempting to allay worries over rising gas prices. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described rising costs at the pump as "a short-term disruption." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Trump to tap into the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the world's largest stockpile of emergency oil, in an effort to lower energy prices.

• Terms of surrender: Trump said he will decide, together with Israel, when the war will end. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be part of the decision but Washington will have the final say, Trump said in an interview with The Times of Israel. Defense Secretary Hegseth also said that the US and Trump will set "the terms of surrender" with Iran, without offering specifics.

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What we know on the 10th day of the US and Israel’s war with Iran

Iranians are being directed to pledge their allegiance toMojtaba Khameneiafter he was named Iran's new supreme leader...

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Akshay Bhatia defeats Daniel Berger in playoff to win Arnold Palmer

Akshay Bhatia found several sources of late-day momentum, which led to another victory on the PGA Tour.

Bhatia used a late-round eagle to help secure a 3-under-par 69 before winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in a playoff Sunday in Orlando, Fla.

His par on the extra hole was enough when Daniel Berger missed a putt from about 7 1/2 feet.

They both were at 15-under 273 for the tournament at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

"Everyone knows when you show up to Bay Hill it's going to be a test and to play one of the hardest golf courses," Bhatia said. "And to succeed is really cool."

Bhatia won for the third time on the PGA Tour with his first victory since the 2024 Texas Open. It was the tournament's first playoff since 1999.

Berger, seeking his fifth tour victory and first in more than five years, shot 70 in the final round.

"Obviously it didn't go the way I wanted it to," Berger said. "But at the start of the week if you told me I would have a chance on the 18th hole to win Bay Hill, I would be ecstatic with that. So a lot of positives, a lot of things to learn from."

There was plenty of drama on the last hole in regulation. With his tee shot into the rough on No. 18, Berger chose to lay up rather than try to carry the lake guarding the green. Bhatia put his second shot within 19 feet of the hole and then needed a tap-in for par. Berger sank a 13 1/2-foot putt, with the ball curling into the cup, to match Bhatia's par and extend the tournament.

"You just never know what can happen in this game," Bhatia said.

Berger was in the rough off the tee again on the playoff hole, and this time he couldn't make a full recovery.

"It's tough to win (a tournament)," Berger said. "It's tough to battle. But I feel like I did a good job, and a shot here or there was the difference."

Cameron Young (69) and Sweden's Ludvig Aberg (67) tied for third place at 12 under and Collin Morikawa (70), seeking his second victory in four weeks, was fifth at 11 under.

Hours earlier, Berger's lead dipped to one stroke on Bhatia after they were among a few groups completing the weather-interrupted third round Sunday morning. Bhatia posted birdie on No. 18 to finish the third round.

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Berger and Bhatia were in the final pairing for the second round in a row.

Bhatia drew even briefly with an eagle 3 -- courtesy of a 3-foot putt -- on the 16th hole. The approach shot came from what Bhatia called the best 6-iron shot of his life.

Berger, however, left the green with a one-stroke lead after making birdie. He relinquished the final-round lead with a bogey on the following hole.

Berger dodged early trouble when his tee shot on the par-5 fourth hole went into a shallow creek off the fairway. He took a risk by powering his second shot out of trouble with water spraying, and he managed to produce a birdie on the hole.

Bhatia got back in it with four consecutive birdies to begin the back nine after a three-bogey, one-birdie front side. He said a bogey on No. 9 led to a change of mindset.

"I played with some anger for those couple holes," he said.

His birdie splurge included a 58-foot birdie putt on No. 11.

"That putt on 11 was a huge bonus for me," he said. "That really switched my momentum."

Young liked being near the top of the leaderboard.

"I got myself in a place where I hit a bunch of good shots and sometimes the putts just don't go in," Young said.

Sahith Theegala had the final round's best score with 66, allowing him to share sixth place at 10 under with Russell Henley (68) and Australia's Min Woo Lee (70).

"This week was big," Theegala said. "I played some really, really nice golf. Just got to figure out how to get one of the really bad round."

World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler's 73 marked his worst round of the tournament. He tied for 24th place at 2 under, yet he was far from discouraged.

"I hit a lot of really, really nice iron shots," Scheffler said. "Some worked out, others got some wind shifts, but overall, I felt like I struck it really nicely."

--Field Level Media

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Akshay Bhatia defeats Daniel Berger in playoff to win Arnold Palmer

Akshay Bhatia found several sources of late-day momentum, which led to another victory on the PGA Tour. ...

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Brothers of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre visit New Mexico ranch, demand unredacted documents

By Andrew Hay

STANLEY, N.M., March 8 (Reuters) - Two brothers of one of Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent accusers visited the sex offender's former New Mexico ranch ‌on Sunday for the first time to demand the Trump administration release ‌unredacted documents to reveal the identities of men their late sister alleged sexually abused her at the ​property.

With Epstein's hacienda-style mansion in the background, the brothers of Virginia Giuffre, who took her own life in April, joined hundreds of protesters at a roadside rally to mark international women's day near the gate of the ranch located 30 miles (48 km) south of ‌state capital Santa Fe.

Giuffre's brother ⁠Sky Roberts, 37, called on the U.S. Department of Justice to release documents showing, among other things, names of visitors to Epstein's ⁠Zorro Ranch where he and his acquaintances are accused of sexually abusing women and girls.

"All those names are in the files and right now the government is covering those up," ​said Roberts, ​flanked by Giuffre's older brother, Daniel Wilson, ​47, and their families.

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The release of ‌millions of records on Epstein has exposed the financier's social connections with politicians, business people and scientists who he invited to the ranch.

The files have become a persistent political problem for U.S. President Donald Trump, who was named in FBI records released on Thursday in which an unidentified woman made accusations against him related to an alleged sexual ‌encounter.

New Mexico in February became the first U.S. ​state to launch a legislative "truth commission" into how Epstein ​was able to operate in ​secrecy at Zorro Ranch for 26 years.

"New Mexico is setting the example ‌and we expect other states to follow ​behind," said Amanda Roberts, ​37, Sky Roberts' wife, citing New York and Florida where Epstein had residences where similar probes needed to occur.

Americans generally view the Epstein case as ​an example of wealthy and ‌powerful people rarely being held accountable and believe the U.S. government is ​still hiding information about Epstein's clients, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.

(Reporting by Andrew Hay ​in New Mexico; Editing by Michael Perry)

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Brothers of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre visit New Mexico ranch, demand unredacted documents

By Andrew Hay STANLEY, N.M., March 8 (Reuters) - Two brothers of one of Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent a...

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US begins large military drill with South Korea while waging war in the Middle East

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States began alarge military exercisewith South Korea involving thousands of troops Monday while also waging an escalating war in the Middle East.

North Korea Party Congress

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff has said about 18,000 Korean troops will take part in Freedom Shield, which runs through March 19. U.S. Forces Korea hasn't confirmed the number of American troops participating in the training in South Korea.

The allies' combined exercise comes amid South Korean media speculation that Washington is relocating some assets from South Korea to support fighting against Iran.

U.S. Forces Korea said last week it would not comment on specific movements of military assets for security reasons. South Korean officials also declined to comment on the reports that some U.S. Patriot anti-missile systems and other equipment were being moved to the Middle East, but they said there would be no meaningful impact on the allies' combined defense posture.

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Freedom Shield may trigger an irritated response from North Korea, which has long described the allies' joint exercises as invasion rehearsalsand used them as a pretext to ramp up its own military demonstrations and weapons tests. The allies say the drills are defensive in nature.

North Korea has suspended all meaningful dialogue with Washington and Seoul following the 2019 collapse of a summit between leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term. Tensions rose in recent years as Kim used Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a window to accelerate the development of his nuclear arsenal and increase his leverage by aligning militarily with Moscow, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large weapons shipments to help fuel its warfighting.

The allies' drills follow a major political conference in Pyongyang last month, where Kim confirmed his hard-line view of "enemy" Seoul but leftthe door open to talks with Washington,calling on the United States to drop its demand for North Korea's denuclearization as a precondition for dialogue.

Freedom Shield is one of two annual "command post" exercises conducted by the allies; the other is Ulchi Freedom Shield, held in August. The drills are largely computer-simulated and designed to test the allies' joint operational capabilities while incorporating evolving war scenarios and security challenges. As usual, the March drill will be accompanied by a field training program, called Warrior Shield, but the number of field exercises during the Freedom Shield period has declined to 22 compared to last year's 51.

While U.S. and South Korean militaries say field exercises are often spread out throughout the year, there's speculation that the allies are seeking to tone down the spring drills to create conditions for dialogue with North Korea. Liberal South Korean PresidentLee Jae Myunghas expressed a desire for diplomacy, and some of his top officials have voiced hope that Trump's expected visit to China in late March or April could possibly create an opening with Pyongyang.

byGreen Magazine

in

11:42:00 PM

US begins large military drill with South Korea while waging war in the Middle East

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States began alarge military exercisewith South Korea involving thousands of troops ...

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