Saints coach Sean Payton tells reporters at the NFL owners meetings that he’s agreed on a new five-year contract with the Black and Gold. Payton is 87-and-59 in his nine seasons in New Orleans and has led the Saints to five playoff appearances. There are also reports that the Saints are working on a four-year contract extension with Quarterback Drew Brees. And the Saints do not have to worry about Hard Knocks as the Los Angeles Rams will appear on the popular HBO series.

At Louisiana Tech’s Pro Day, NFL teams kept a close eye on Bulldogs running back Kenneth Dixon’s workout. Draft analyst Mike Detillier says teams like Dixon’s ability to catch passes out of the backfield…
cut 17 (20) “….round three”

In a battle of I-10 rivals, the LSU Tigers knocked off UL Lafayette 8-5 at the Wally Pontiff Junior Classic at Zephyr Field in Metairie. Cole Freeman and Jake Fraley each drove in two runs, as the Tigers as a team were 6 of 12 with runners in scoring position. Steven Stensley blasted a three-run homer, but the Cajuns lost their third in a row.

In a I-20 match-up…Louisiana Tech topped ULM seven to one. Chase Lunceford and Cody Daigle hit home runs for the Bulldogs, while the Warhawks were held to just two hits.

Elsewhere…UNO upended South Alabama eight to two, Tulane topped Southern Miss 12 to seven and Southeastern Louisiana outscored Jackson State 12-8 for the Lions ninth straight win.

The SEC Network will televise LSU’s Spring game on Saturday April 16th. Kick-off for the contest is at 3 PM.

And tonight at the Cajundome, the Ragin Cajuns men’s basketball team will host Big West Conference opponent UC Irvine in the quarterfinals of the College Insider-dot-com Tournament.

The Pelicans still put on a good showing Tuesday night against the Heat even without star Anthony Davis, and injured leading scorer Ryan Anderson, but New Orleans ended up falling to Miami late in the game, 113-99. Jrue Holiday scored 24 for the Pels, but didn’t make 16 of 23 shots. The Pelicans, who have the league’s 6th worst record, take on the Pacers on the road tomorrow.

In college baseball, No. 10 LSU got the 8-5 win over UL-Lafayette in the 13th annual Wally Pontiff Jr Classic last night at Zephyr Field in Metairie. The Tigers improve to 15-5 on the year, while the Ragin Cajuns dropped to 12-9. LSU takes on Texas A&M on the road in a three game series this weekend. UL-Lafayette hosts Georgia State.

In other in-state rival action Tuesday, Louisiana Tech powered past ULM in a 7-1 victory.

Elsewhere UNO gets South Alabama 8-2, and Tulane beat Southern Miss 12-7.

All 32 NFL teams were in attendance for Louisiana Tech’s Pro Day. A lot of attention was paid to defensive tackle Vernon Butler, who could be selected in the first round. Draft analyst Mike Detillier says NFL general mangers and coaches like that Butler is more than just a pass-rush specialist…:
Cut 16 (18) “everybody’s eye”
Detillier says a lot of NFL teams are also interested in running back Kenneth Dixon.

The Chicago Tribune is reporting the Bears have signed Saints tight end Josh Hill to an offer sheet, and now New Orleans has five days to match the offer. Sources say the deal is for 3 years.

In Havana Cuba, LSU head football coach Les Miles attended the Tampa Rays’ 4-1 victory over the Cuban national team Tuesday, in a historic game also attended by President Barack Obama.

LSU Football Coach Les Miles is in Cuba of all places. LSU Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette says this is Miles’ spring break trip…:
CUT 9 (08) “to Cuba”
Bonnette says Miles plans on visiting some schools in Cuba and handing out soccer balls and maybe even a few footballs.

Just outside of New Orleans tonight, the 13th ranked LSU takes on UL Lafayette at the Wally Pontiff Junior Classic at Zephyr Field in New Orleans. Freshman right-hander Cole McKay will make his first start of the season, while the Cajuns will send Evan Guillory to the hill. The sophomore right-hander is 1-2 with a 2.95 ERA.

In other action tonight…Southeastern Louisiana looks for its ninth straight win as they visit Jackson State, while Louisiana Tech is at ULM.

The NFL owners have approved seven rule changes at their meetings in Florida. They’ve made the extra point from the 15-yard line permanent, they’ve also outlawed all chop blocks, the horse collar-rule has been expanded, and coaches in the coaches booth can now communicate plays to players on the field.

The Bears have signed Saints restricted free agent Josh Hill to a three-year offer sheet. New Orleans has five days to match.

Pelicans star Anthony Davis will be off the basketball court for the next four to five months as he rehabs from surgeries to his knee and shoulder. Davis says the hardest thing is that he’ll miss representing his country in the Summer Olympics….
cut 18 (16) “…the floor”
The Pelicans host the Miami Heat tonight.

Guess where LSU Coach Les Miles is today? With spring break underway on the LSU campus and no spring practice, he’s in Cuba and according to former LSU baseball star Mikie Mahtook he’ll watch the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Cuban national team. According to LSU, Miles will also visit some school and hand out soccer balls and a few footballs.

LSU faces off with UL Lafayette tonight in the Wally Pontiff Classic at Zephyr Field in Metairie. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri says he’ll use a lot of different pitchers, but six-foot-five freshman right-hander Cole McKay (Mc-kie) will make his first start. Mainieri says they want to see what McKay’s got, after getting some instruction from pitching coach Alan Dunn…
cut 19 (15) “…90-plus”
UL Lafayette will counter with sophomore right-hander Evan Guillory, who is 1-2 with a 2.95 ERA.

Pelicans star Anthony Davis will spend the next four to five months recovering from surgeries to his knee and shoulder. The 23-year-old says with the team out of playoff contention, now is the time to take care of these issues in the hopes it prolongs his career…
cut 17 (14) “…the way”
The Pelicans are in action tonight as they host the Miami Heat, who are battling for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference.

Former NFL star and member of the Saints Super Bowl team, Darren Sharper, has reportedly pleaded guilty again to charges that he drugged and rapped women in four states. This time he’ll leave the length of his sentence up to a federal judge. Last month, US District Court Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, rejected a nine-year sentence for Sharper and said his sentence should range from 15 to 20 years.

NBA superstar Pelicans center Anthony Davis says he’s been playing with a torn labrum in his shoulder for three years and will take the rest of the season off due to surgery. This also means he won’t go to the summer Olympics in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. Davis says he isn’t looking forward to being off the court but something needs to be done…:
Cut 16 (10) “next season”
He says the hardest thing about taking this time off is he’ll miss representing his country in the Olympics. The Pels will face the Heat tonight at 7pm in the Smoothie King Center.

LSU freshman star Ben Simmons made it official in a published report by ESPN Monday, that he’s decided to enter the NBA draft. Simmons will mostly likely be the number one overall pick in June.

In college baseball, Louisiana Tech will take a short trip down I-20 and face in-state rival ULM tonight in Monroe.

Also in in-state action, the UL-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns take on No. 10 LSU in the Annual Wally Pontiff Jr Classic at Zephyr Field in Metairie. The Tigers lead the all-time series with a 52-24 record having won the last three meetings. The game can be seen live on Cox Sports Television. Both teams are coming off a weekend series loss.

Southeastern visits Jackson State today. Grambling hosts Jarvis Christian. South Alabama is at UNO. Tulane takes on Southern Miss.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees told a radio host on Baton Rouge Monday that he’s confident a contract extension with the Black and Gold will hammer out, and restated that he has no desire to leave the team for the remainder of his career. The timetable for when it’ll happen remains uncertain, Brees said.

A newspaper in Athens reports that New Orleans Saints cornerback Damian Swann was arrested Friday and charged with reckless driving and speeding for allegedly pushing the 100 mile per hour mark when passing another vehicle in a 65.

LSU’s Ben Simmons has told Head Coach Johnny Jones he is forgoing his remaining college eligibility and he’ll enter the NBA Draft. Simmons will most likely be the number one overall pick in June. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says statistically, Simmons had one of the best seasons in college basketball history, but he was not able to lead the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament…:
cut 15 (09) ” he would”
Coach Jones says Simmons brought a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm to the team and did an outstanding job of making those around him better.

Pelicans star Anthony Davis told reporters he’s facing four to five months away from the basketball court as he’ll need surgery on his knee and shoulder. A-D says he’s been playing with a torn labrum since his rookie year.

The LSU and UL Lafayette baseball teams will face off against each other tomorrow in the Wally Pontiff Classic, which will be played in Metaire. The Tigers avoided a sweep to Alabama, by scoring six runs in the eighth inning to beat the Crimson Tide seven to five. Kramer Robertson drove in the eventual game winning run by lifting a shallow pop fly to right field, which the outfielder lost in the sun. Kramer says the Tigers will take the big break…
cut 18 (03) “…going forward”
UL Lafayette is also coming off a weekend series loss as they dropped two of three to Little Rock.

Cowboys senior right-hander Kaleb Fontenot has been named Southland Pitcher of the Week. Fontenot pitched a complete game shuout on Friday as McNeese blanked Incarnate Word four to nothing. Fontenot struck out seven on the night.

Southeastern Louisiana is in first place in the Southland after sweeping Abilene Christian. The Lions are 6-0 in league play. Two games ahead of UNO who is 4-2.

Not a surprise to hear that LSU forward Ben Simmons is declaring for the NBA draft. That’s according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, who spoke with Simmons last night. The native of Australia could be the top pick in the June NBA draft, but Duke’s Brandon Ingram will also get some consideration from whatever team that gets the first pick.

The SEC was nearly shutout from having a team in the Sweet 16. But Texas A-and-M rallied back from a 12-point deficit with 44 seconds left in regulation and went on to beat Northern Iowa 92-88 in double overtime.

The Pelicans Anthony Davis is out for the rest of the season, because of shoulder and knee injuries. He’ll likely need surgery, which means he might not be able to play for the US Olympic Team in this summer’s Rio games. Without Davis, the Pels still defeated the Clippers 109-105 last night. Jrue Holiday had 22 points.

After losing two out of three to Alabama, LSU has fallen out of the top ten in the Baseball America poll. The Tigers dropped six spots to number 13. But the Bayou Bengals got a confidence building come from behind victory over the Crimson Tide yesterday. The Tigers scored six runs in the eighth to win seven to five. Brody Wofford had a key hit, with two-run pinch hit single…
cut 17 (09) “…make it happen”
LSU faces UL Lafayette tomorrow night in the Wally Pontiff Classic at Zephyr Field in Metairie. The Cajuns fell out of the top 25 in the Baseball America poll after losing their series with Little Rock.

But the UL Lafayette basketball team will host UC Irvine in the quarterfinals of the College-Insider-dot-com tournament. It will take place at 7:15 on Wednesday. Before that game, the Cajuns women’s basketball team will face Youngstown State in the semifinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitational.

The sixth ranked LSU baseball team busted out of a hitting slump by scoring six runs in the 8th inning to beat Alabama 7-5 to avoid a three-game sweep. The Tigers needed that inning after getting swept in a doubleheader on Saturday. Coach Paul Mainieri is pleased his team found a way to win the series finale..:
Cut 16 (16) “at bats“
The Tigers take on UL-Lafayette next tomorrow.

The Ragin Cajuns fell Sunday to Little Rock 7-1. Louisiana Tech edged UAB 5-4. Tulane beat Texas 5-3. Southeastern got the win over ACU 9-7. Nicholls State was shutout by Texas A&M-CC 8-0. ULM gets Dallas Baptist 6-3. McNeese State fell to Incarnate Word 8-7. Grambling loses to Texas Southern 21-14.

It’s expected the legislature will get involved in the public versus private school split that’s impacted high school sports. River Ridge Representative Kirk Talbot has filed a bill that attempts to reverse the LHSAA’s decision to split its postseason in several sports. Talbot’s bill would prevent a high school from receiving state funds, if they participate in an association with a split postseason…:
Cut 8 (07) “A,B and C “
Schools around the state have been invited to join a new high school sports association that would NOT have a split playoff system.

The cost of Saints season tickets is going up. It’ll be the first time since 2014. The team says season ticket holders that it will be raising prices for around half of the seats with increases of no more than $5 per game.

The Pelicans Anthony Davis’ season is officially over, according to his head coach. The New Orleans’ star will sit out the team’s final 14 games after sustaining knee and shoulder injuries. The Pels beat the Clippers yesterday 105-109 Sunday.

An SEC west battle in baseball between LSU and Alabama begins today with a doubleheader, starting at two PM. Game two is scheduled for 6:30. These two teams tried to play last night, but it was rained out.

Also rained out…16th ranked UL Lafayette and Little Rock. The two teams will play a doubleheader today at two PM at the Tigue.

ULM’s three-game series with 26th ranked Dallas Baptist has been shifted from Warhawk Field to DBU’s Horner Ballpark. The two teams will play a doubleheader today at 3 PM.

La Tech lost its conference opener with UAB, seven to nothing as the Blazers scored six runs in the first inning.

Southeastern won its sixth straight as the Lions rallied from a three to nothing deficit to beat Abilene Christian four to three. Northwestern scored seven runs in the 9th inning to beat Sam Houston seven to five. Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi edged Nicholls five to four and McNeese blanked Incarnate Word 4-0.

The biggest upsets in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament involved teams from Conference USA and the Southland. 15th seeded Middle Tennessee shocked the Michigan State Spartans 90-81. 14th seeded Stephen F Austin won easily over 3rd seeded West Virginia 70-56.

UL Lafayette faces Furman in a second round CIT matchup today. Tip-off is at 1 PM. Kasey Shepherd is coming off a career-high 28 point performance in a Round one win over Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi. While Furman rallied back from ten down in the final two minutes to beat ULM on Monday.

The Pelicans lost to Portland 117 to 112 last night as the Trail Blazers Damian Lillard had 33 points. New Orleans Anthony Davis did not play in the second half because of a sore left knee. The Pels have lost nine of their last 11 and they’ll host the Clippers tomorrow.

The Saints will wear a special patch on their uniforms in 2016 to commemorate their 50th season as an NFL franchise.

Conference play begins tonight for the LSU baseball team as they host Alabama for the start of a three-game series. Alex Lange will be on the mound for the Tigers, while Chris Reid will start at third base for the injured O’ Neal Lochridge, who has a stress fracture in his back. Coach Paul Mainieri says he likes what he’s seen from Reid a freshman from Baton Rouge…
cut 18 (20) “…really well”
Alabama has not been good at the plate, they are last in the SEC in batting average, slugging percentage and runs scored.

Conference play also begins tonight for Louisiana Tech. The 9-and-4 Bulldogs are at 6-and-11 UAB. First pitch at Regions Field begins at 6:30.

The 16th ranked UL Lafayette baseball team begins the home portion of its Sun Belt schedule when they host Little Rock in a three-game series. The Cajuns have won three of their last four and they’ll start sophomore left-hander Gunner Leger on the mound. He’s 1-1 with a 1.52 ERA.

Severe weather in the Monroe area has led to the postponement of ULM’s home game against 26th ranked Dallas Baptist. There’s no word on when this game will be made up.

The LSU Board of Supervisors approves a new three-year contract for LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. The 55-year-old will make 300-thousand dollars less than he did last year as his annual salary for 2016 is one-point-two million. It will rise slightly over the next couple of years.

If you had Michigan State winning the NCAA Tournament, you might as well tear up your bracket. Conference USA’s Middle Tennessee upset the second-seeded Spartans 90-81. The Blue Raiders are coached by former LSU assistant Kermit Davis.