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North Carolina's Henri Veesaar went frombarely practicing or working outdue to a nagging lower-body injury to playing nearly a full allotment of minutes in his return to action at Syracuse.

North Carolina Syracuse Basketball

"It feels great, it feels much better than it did before," the 7-footer said after posting 19 points and three blocksin Saturday's 77-64 road win.

The16th-rankedTar Heels desperately need things to stay that way, too.

The junior had missed two straight games alongside freshman star Caleb Wilson, who isout indefinitely with a hand fractureand due to be re-evaluated next week. The uncertainty surrounding both had threatened to throw a season coming off the high ofa last-second win against rival Duketwo weeks ago into disarray.

Veesaar's return was a stabilizing step with No. 21 Louisville set to visit Chapel Hill on Monday night.

"It's easier because he's a guy that can consistently score in the paint," UNC coach Hubert Davis said. "He can shoot from 3. He can pass. And there's a lot of (defensive) attention on him.

Veesaar saw 25:58 of game action, "a little bit more than I wanted to play him," Davis added. "But he kept saying he felt good. It was nice to have him back in the lineup."

Veesaar entered as the team's No. 2 scorer (16.4) and rebounder (9.0), forming a potent frontcourt tandem with Wilson as the leader in both categories and a high-end NBA prospect. But things had gone awry for the Tar Heels since the Duke thriller, first with Wilson suffering his injury in the first half of a Feb. 10 loss at Miami.

Then Veesaar suddenly popped up with an illness as well as what was described only as an injury to a "lower extremity." He missed last weekend's home win against a Pittsburgh team near the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

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He recovered from the illness but was still outfor Tuesday's loss at N.C. State, with UNC falling by 24 for its most lopsided loss in the longtime rivalry since 1962.

"I feel like it was just kind of something that was kind of nagging, and then just building on that," Veesaar said. "After Miami, it kind of flared up in that game and I was able to get through that game. But then it felt like we needed to take a little bit of time off for me to get back to the form I need to play at, and just be able to go 100%."

His first running drills came Wednesday. He did more individual work Thursday. Then Davis said Friday that Veesaar would go through a limited team practice, though he called him questionable for the Orange.

Davis wanted to see how Veesaar responded overnight, then again during warmups. Veesaar ultimately started as he had for his previous 24 games, finishing 9 for 13 from the field with a 3-pointer and three rebounds while being within range of his typical 31-minute average.

"I felt good, it didn't hurt at all," he said. "So just being able to do that kind of gave me confidence to play today."

AP freelancer Mark Frank in Syracuse, New York, contributed to this report.

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MILAN — This wasn't a miracle. It was a moment of magic.

Forty-six years to the day after a bunch of unheralded amateurs stunned the heavily favored Soviet Union en route to winning Olympic gold, the U.S. men's hockey team engineered another epic victory. The Americans won a battle of the sport's superpowers on Sunday, toppling longtime nemesis Canada 2-1 in overtime to win their country's first Olympic gold in men's hockey since the famed 1980 "Miracle on Ice."

Jack Hughes scored the decisive goal, ripping a shot past Jordan Binnington less than three minutes into 3-versus-3 overtime.

The Americans forced overtime only because Connor Hellebuyck withstood target practice from Canada's all-world forward corps. Hellebuyck made incredible save after incredible save against constant Canadian pressure, turning away 41 of the 42 shots he faced.

To win gold was a dream fulfilled for the American players. To do it at Canada's expense made it all the more satisfying and cathartic.

In the biggest moments, Canada had previously owned this rivalry since NHL players began participating in the Olympics in 1998. Canada won gold-medal matches against the U.S. at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics and shut out the Americans in the 2014 semifinals. The U.S. did beat Canada in round-robin play at last year's 4 Nations Face-Off, but when it mattered, the Americans lost again.

A winner-take-all showdown between the U.S. and Canada has long been the most enticing potential matchup at these Olympics, but neither hockey superpower had the luxury of just strolling to the gold-medal match. The U.S. needed an overtime game winner from Quinn Hughes to survive Sweden in the quarterfinals. Canada rallied to overcome third-period deficits against Czechia in the quarters and Finland in the semis.

That set up the gold-medal matchup that the hockey world has waited a dozen years to see on an Olympic stage. Bars opened before sunrise in New York, Minneapolis, Milwaukee and other hockey hotbeds. Fans across the U.S. watched "Miracle" on Saturday night to hype themselves up, set their alarm clocks for an early wakeup and then gathered over early-morning beers and bloody marys.

The scene was even more festive across the Atlantic. The Milan metro was awash with Canada and U.S. jerseys of every era, Eruzione, Gretzky, McDavid and Tkachuk. Chants of "U-S-A" and "Let's go Canada" rang out as the train hurtled toward Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. One particularly brazen fan in a USA cap playfully tried to start a chant of "51st state." Outnumbered by Canadians, he was quickly shouted down.

The combination of speed, skill and physicality on display lived up to pregame expectations once the puck dropped. There were ooohs and ahhhs every few seconds from fans on both sides as the Americans and Canadians generated scoring chances.

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It was American fans who had reason to cheer first. Six minutes into the first period, Matt Boldy scored a goal that was a product of both individual stickhandling brilliance and defensive negligence.

With Cale Makar and Devon Toews between him and the Canadian net, Boldy deftly flipped the puck over both their sticks and skated unencumbered right between two of the NHL's top defensemen. Then he deked a stunned Binnington and beat the Canadian goaltender with a backhand.

The Americans withstood unrelenting Canadian pressure for most of the second period, even killing off the 5-on-3 power play that lasted 93 seconds. Hellebuyck made a series of massive saves at close range, even stuffing the Olympics' leading points scorer Connor McDavid on a breakaway.

Then, just when it seemed like a period of squandered opportunities for Canada, Makar beat Hellebuyck with a wicked wrist shot from the right faceoff circle. It was an absolutely perfect shot from Makar, just over Hellebuyck's right pad but just under the blocker.

That set the stage for a pressure-packed third period with the Canadians pushing hard for a game winner and the Americans desperately trying to withstand it long enough to give themselves the chance for a moment of magic.

In the opening minutes of the third period, Hellebuyck robbed Toews at the last possible moment, reaching behind his back with his stick to keep the Canadian defenseman's point-blank shot from crossing the goal line. Minutes later, Macklin Celebrini had a clear breakaway, but Hellebuyck denied him with a pad save.

Hellebuyck withstood the onslaught.

Hughes delivered an overtime goal for the ages.

And now the U.S. gold-medal drought is over.

Follow along with Yahoo Sports for the latest updates from the Olympics men's ice hockey final, featuring Team USA against Team Canada:

Footage shows a furious Lionel Messi entering an area near the referees' locker room afterInter Miami's season-opening defeat to LAFCon Saturday, Feb. 21.

The defending MLS champions fell 3-0 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, with David Martinez, Denis Bouanga and Nathan Ordaz scoring for LAFC.

LAFC kept Messi and Co. in check for much of the game, making a major statement in its first MLS game under new manager Marc Dos Santos.

Video taken by Síntesis Deportes shows players and officials walking through the tunnel after the game. The match referees enter their locker room, with a visibly angry Messi following them.

Messi's teammate Luis Suárez attempts to restrain him but to no avail, with the Argentine legend continuing on past the camera's viewpoint.

Suárez does eventually succeed as Messi exits the referee locker room area after only a handful of seconds.

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Will Lionel Messi be suspended?

There is recent precedent for a MLS player being suspended for behavior similar to Messi's.

FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga was suspended three matches for entering the referees' locker room after his side's playoff defeat against the New York Red Bulls in November 2023.

Miazga's suspension was eventuallyreduced by one gamefollowing a successful petition.

But according to theMiami Herald,Messi is unlikely to face a suspension after a spokesperson for the Professional Referee Organization said the Argentine did not enter the referee locker room.

Inter Miami is next in action against rival Orlando City on March 1.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Lionel Messi confronts refs after Inter Miami loss at LAFC

A powerful nor'easter is expected to intensify into a "bomb cyclone" this weekend, bringing blizzard conditions, heavy snow, and damaging winds from the Mid-Atlantic to New England.

Blizzard warnings have been issued across the East Coast from Virginia to New Hampshire, including all five boroughs of New York City.

You can track Winter Storm Hernando's movementshere. We're recommending that anyone in the region avoid travel, as dangerous road conditions are expected through Monday. As snow piles up and winds rise, power outages and flight cancellations are expected.

We'll be bringing you live updates of the storm as they happen, covering every angle of this storm.

(02:15 p.m. EST) Shovel Smart, Not Hard

From Content Writer Toby Adeyemi

A quick reminder for snow shovelers out there:

Push, don't lift. Slide snow to the side instead of picking it up, this will save your back and your energy. Bend with your knees, not your back. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, back straight, and let your legs do the work. Don't twist your body. Move your feet to face where you're tossing the snow, twisting is how people get hurt. Go light. Only fill the shovel halfway, especially if it's wet or packed. Shovel often. Clear snow early and frequently before it gets heavy or icy. Clear around fire hydrants. Keep a 3-foot radius open so emergency crews can access them fast if needed.

(01:45 p.m. EST) Transit To Halt In New Jersey

New Jersey Transit has announced that bus and light rail service will be halted at 6 p.m. tonight.

(01:20 p.m. EST) Delays Mount At Airports Along The East Coast

We began the day with hundreds of flight cancellations at each of the New York City area airports and now delays are beginning to mount along the East Coast. More than 15,000 delayed flights have already been reported today across the country. Expect that number to continue to rise as gridlock begins to cascade across airports.

Some travelers, like this one below at LaGuardia Airport, are settling in for a long wait.

(12:54 p.m. EST) NYC Announces Travel Ban

A travel ban will go into effect at 9 p.m. tonight in New York City, with all roads and bridges closed to non-essential traffic.

(12:48 p.m. EST) Cutting It Close

As Winter Storm Hernando slowly inches toward the coast, shoppers at a hardware store in Quincy, Massachusetts were seen picking up last minute essentials this morning, including snowblower fuel, rock salt, and this snow shovel. If you still need supplies before this blizzard, there isn't much time left.

(12:22 p.m. EST) Schools, Broadway Announce Cancellations In New York

Closures and cancellations are just beginning to roll in across New York City. All Broadway performances at 6 p.m. have been cancelled ina joint announcementAfter a small delay, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also announced that public schools will be closed on Monday.

(11:55 a.m. EST) How To Save On Heating During A Blizzard

From content writer Toby Adeyemi

During Winter and especially during Blizzards, people tend to see an uptick in their energy bills. Here's how to save some coins during the winter months

Don't ignore your heating system!

Get the maintenance done, it'll save you in the long run! Change air filters regularly, clear vents of dust, and schedule a professional tune-up.

Close the doors and vents

Keeps warm air circulating in the spaces you actually live in

Smart Thermostat = Smart Heating

Program your thermostat to lower while you're asleep or away, then warm up before you return.

(11:25 a.m. EST) New York City Hiring Locals To Shovel Snow

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford

New York City has had its fair share of snowstorms, and they have a creative idea to help keep the city from completely shutting down.

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They are offering people part-time jobs paying 19 dollars an hour to help shovel snow.

(10:53 a.m. EST) Grocery Lines Stretch Down City Blocks

New Yorkers were lining up for groceries early on Saturday morning to gather supplies and prepare for the blizzard.

(10:21 a.m. EST) Boston Facing Historic, Destructive Winds

It isn't all just snow. The NWS forecast for Boston includes some extremely dangerous wind gusts, potentially reaching as high as 70 mph.

(09:55 a.m. EST) Snowfall Forecast To Reach Between 16 And 24 Inches

The latest snowfall forecast from the National Weather Service includes some eye-popping totals, including 20 inches in New York City.

(09:30 a.m. EST) Things To Do For Your Car Before Going Outside In A Blizzard

If you absolutely have to get in your car during blizzard conditions, don't forget these essential safety tips.

Check your lights. Test headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and flashers because visibility will be low. Top off windshield wiper fluid. Use winter-grade fluid with de-icer and replace worn blades. Check your coolant. Make sure it's full and meets manufacturer specs. Stock an emergency kit. Pack a snow shovel, ice scraper, sand or kitty litter for traction, jumper cables, flashlight, flares, first aid kit, and blankets. Keep your tank full. For gas vehicles, stay near full; for electric/hybrid, keep your battery charged so you're not stranded.

(09:05 a.m. EST) Sanitation Workers Outfit Garbage Trucks With Plows, Chains

New York City Department of Sanitation workers were up late last night outfitting garbage trucks with tire chains and snow plows in preparation for Winter Storm Hernando.

(08:50 a.m. EST) National Weather Service Predicts Extreme Impacts

It doesn't get higher than that folks. As the NWS is warning, we're expecting "widespread disruptions to daily life" as this storm passes through.

(08:35 a.m. EST) Timing of Snowfall For Major Northeast Cities

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford

For New York City and Philadelphia, the heaviest snowfall is expected through the overnight hours. Snowfall rates could exceed 1 inch per hour and winds could gust to 55 mph.

For Boston, the heaviest snowfall is expected through the day on Monday, specifically between 5 am and 4 pm. Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour are possible with some areas potentially seeing snowfall up to 3 inches per hour.

(08:05 a.m. EST) Rhode Island Expecting Biggest Snowfall Of The Season

From Content Writer Toby Adeyemi

Rhode Island is about to catch its biggest snowstorm of the season. A winter storm watch is in effect from Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning, with Providence potentially seeing 15 inches of snow. Rhode Island has been warned to expect possible blizzard conditions, total accumulations between 14 and 18 inches, and wind gusts up to 55 mph. The snow's expected to be wet and heavy, so power outages are definitely on the table. Right now's the time to lock in your prep.

(07:42 a.m. EST) Flight Cancellations

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford and Wyatt Williams

Flight delays and cancellations will be a major issue as Winter Storm Hernando moves up the East Coast. As of this morning, New York City leads the way with more than 60% of flights into JFK and Laguardia airports already canceled for the day. Boston Logan International, Philadelphia International and Ronald Regean National in D.C. are also seeing hundreds of flight cancellations.

So far, delays have yet to stack up, but we expect to see major issues as the day goes on. We'll update you when we know more.

(07:05 a.m. EST) What Is A Blizzard?

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford

A blizzard is defined as meeting the following criteria:

• Blowing and/or falling snow

• Winds at least 35 mph

• Reduction of visibility to quarter mile or less

• These conditions last at least 3 hours

Blizzard warnings are in place for New York City from Sunday morning to Monday morning. Snowfall totals over a foot and winds gusting to 55 mph will cause major impacts on commutes.

(07:15 a.m. EST) It Has Been A Snowy Winter

From digital meteorologist Rob Shackelford

If you are wondering if this winter has been snowier than average, you would be correct. Some major metropolitan areas have seen above-average snowfall this year and crushed last years snowfall.

The most impressive is Boston, which has seen over 40 inches of snowfall this year so far. That is more than 8 inches above average and greatly tops last year's 28.1 inches.

New York City is also above average this year with a snowfall total of 22.3 inches. They only saw 12.9 inches all of last winter, so it looks like the city will double their snowfall from last year.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The next round of talks between the United States andIranwill be Thursday in Geneva, Oman's foreign minister said Sunday, shortly after Tehran's top diplomat said he expected to meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff then.

Iran Daily Life

Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said on social media he was pleased to confirm the development, "with a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalizing the deal." Oman previously hosted theindirect talkson the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and facilitated the latest round in Geneva last week.

There was no immediate comment from the White House.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had told CBS in an interview aired Sunday that a "good chance" remained for a diplomatic solution on the nuclear issue, adding it was the only matter being discussed.

The Trump administration has been pushing for concessions from its longtime adversary and has built up thelargest U.S. military presence in the Middle Eastin decades.

President Donald Trump warned on Friday thatlimited strikes against Iranare possible, even as Araghchi at the time said Tehran expected to have a proposed deal ready in the next few days.

Araghchi told CBS that Iran was still working on the draft proposal. He added that Iran has the right to enrich uranium. On Friday, he said his U.S. counterparts had not asked for zero enrichment as part of the latest round of talks, which is not what U.S. officials have said publicly.

Both Iran and the U.S. havesignaled they are prepared for warif talks on Tehran's nuclear program fail.

Minutes after Oman's confirmation of talks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on social media that "recent negotiations involved the exchange of practical proposals and yielded encouraging signals. However, we continue to closely monitor U.S. actions and have made all necessary preparations for any potential scenario."

The U.S. has said Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them and that it cannot enrich uranium. Tehran has long insisted that any negotiations should onlyfocus on its nuclear program, and that it hasn't been enriching uranium sinceU.S. and Israeli strikeson Iranian nuclear sites in June.

Although Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, the U.S. and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons.

Talks were deadlocked for years after Trump's decision in 2018 to unilaterally withdraw the U.S.from Iran's 2015 nuclear dealwith world powers. Since then, Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.

New protests in Iran

Confirmation of new talks came as new anti-government protests began inIran, according to witnesses, as university students in Tehran and another city demonstrated around memorials for thousands of people killed in acrackdown on previous nationwide demonstrationsabout six weeks ago.

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Iran's state news agency said students protested at five universities in the capital, Tehran, and one in the city of Mashhad on Sunday. The scattered protests erupted Saturday at universities following 40-day memorials for people killed in January during anti-government rallies.

Iran's government has not commented on the latest protests.

Many Iranians have held ceremonies marking the traditional 40-day mourning period in the past week. Most of the protesters are believed to have been killed around Jan. 8 and 9, according to activists tracking the situation.

Iranians across the country are still reeling withshock,griefandfearafter the earlier protests were crushed by the deadliest crackdown ever seen under the rule of 86-year-oldSupreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands are believed to have beenarrested.

Although the crackdown tamped down the largest protests, smaller ones are still occurring, according to protesters and to videos shared on social media.

Duringthe 1979 Islamic Revolutionthat toppled the shah andbrought the Islamic Republic to power, 40-day memorials for slain protesters often turned into rallies that security forces tried to crush, causing new deaths. Those were then marked 40 days later, with new protests.

Posts on social media Saturday and Sunday have alleged that security forces tried to restrict people from attending some 40-day ceremonies.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency says at least 7,015 people were killed in the previous protests and crackdown, including 214 government forces. The group has been accurate in counting deaths during previous rounds of unrest in Iran and relies on a network of activists there to verify deaths.

The death toll continues to rise as the group crosschecks information despite disrupted communication with those inside the Islamic Republic.

Iran's government offered its only death toll from the previous protests on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed. Iran's theocracy in the past has undercounted or not reported fatalities from past unrest.

The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the death toll, given authorities have disrupted internet access and international calls in Iran.

Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel.

U.S. Secret Service agents and local police shot and killed an armed man who allegedly breached a secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago and raised a gun at law enforcement officials in the early hours of Sunday, Feb. 22.

A security detail detected the man near the north gate of PresidentDonald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, at about 1:30 a.m. local time. Authorities said he was carrying a shotgun and a fuel can. The president was in Washington during the incident and not at his property.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters that the man reached the property's inner perimeter near its entrance, prompting a sheriff's deputy and two Secret Service agents to go to the area and investigate.

"They confronted a White male that was carrying a gas can and a shotgun," Bradshaw said. "He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him, at which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position. At that point in time, the deputy and the two Secret Service agents fired their weapons and neutralized the threat."

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, Bradshaw said, and no agents were injured.

Nobody who receives protection from the Secret Service was present at the time of the shooting, Secret Service communication chief Anthony Guglielmi said innews release.

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Officials have not released the man's identity, but they said he was in his early 20s. When asked if the man was already known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said "not right now." He said he could not yet confirm how many shots were fired because the incident remains under active investigation, with the FBI taking lead.

Authorities asked people who live in the area to look at any security footage they may have from around their homes and report anything suspicious to the FBI or local authorities.

In aposton social media, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Secret Service "acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person." She also slammed Democrats for the ongoingpartial government shutdown,during which the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, has faced a lapse in funding.

In September 2024, Trump was targeted in an assassination attempt while he golfed at his club in suburban West Palm Beach, a short drive from Mar-a-Lago.RyanWesley Routhwas found guilty of attempting to assassinate the then-presidential nominee. It was the second attempt on Trump's life in the run-up to the November 2024 election, preceded by the shooting in July at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

In January 2020, a woman drove an SUV through barriers at Mar-a-Lago, prompting the Secret Service and Palm Beach County sheriff's officers to fire at her vehicle. The woman, opera singer Hannah Roemhild, was found not guilty byreason of insanity.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her atkapalmer@usatoday.comand on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletterhere.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Man shot and killed after allegedly breaching Mar-a-Lago

MILAN — Sidney Crosby has been ruled out of Canada's Olympic gold-medal game against the United States. The news came about an hour before the start of the game.

Crosby, a two-time Olympic gold medalist,suffered a lower-body injury during Canada's quarterfinal victory over Czechia. His status for Sunday's game had been in doubt right up until the official announcement.

In the game against Czechia, Crosby was hit along the boards in the second period by Czechia's Martin Nečas and Radko Gudas, the third major hit he'd taken that period. He exited the ice soon afterward, limped toward the locker room, and was soon ruled out of that game.

Canada head coach Jon Cooper said on Friday that he believed Crosby had a chance to play in the gold-medal game, but clearly the 38-year-old Canadian captain did not recover in time to be in Canada's active lineup.

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"He's Sidney Crosby," Connor McDavid said after Crosby's injury. "He's going to have a big influence no matter what. In the lineup, not in the lineup, he's going to have a big influence. That's what he does."

Crosby, the oldest player on Canada's roster, has played in three Olympic Games for Canada, and has won two golds, in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014. Crosby scored Canada's golden overtime goal in 2010 that sent Canada past the United States. He skated in practice on both Friday and Saturday but made no public statements, as both practices were closed to media.

McDavid will again be the playing captain for Team Canada, as he has been since Crosby's injury.

Crosby has scored two goals and four assists while in Milan, and holds the Canadian NHL-era Olympic record with 16 total points.