The NFL free agency signing period begins tomorrow and there are reports the Saints have lost tight end Ben Watson to the Baltimore Ravens. That’s a big blow for the Black and Gold, as Watson is coming off a season where he caught 74 passes for 825 yards and six touchdowns.

Spring football is underway for LSU as they work to improve a passing game that’s ranked outside of the Top 100 the last two seasons. Coach Les Miles says it’s also an important time for the defense as they learn a new system taught by 1st year defensive coordinator Dave Aranda….
cut 30 (20) “…opponents formations”
To help improve the depth at linebacker, freshman Devin White has been moved from running back to linebacker.

The LSU baseball team is set to take on Louisiana Tech tonight at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers are 9-2, while the Bulldogs are 8-3 and will send senior left-hander Tyler Clancy to the hill, who is 3-0 on the season.

In other action tonight…Northwestern State is at Texas A-and-M, UL Lafayette visits Tulane and Southeastern Louisiana hosts Southern Miss.

LSU’s Ben Simmons was named SEC Freshman of the Year based on voting by the league’s coaches. Simmons and the Tigers will play Friday in the SEC Quarterfinals and the native of Australia is ready to make a run through the tourney…
cut 29 (11) “…the team”
LSU has to win the SEC Tournament in order to play in the NCAA Tournament.

And UL Lafayette’s Shawn Long has been named Sun Belt Player of the Year. Long is averaging nearly 19 points and 13 rebounds a game this year.

Despite the chance of rain tonight, sixth ranked LSU plans on hosting Louisiana Tech. It’s the first time the two schools have met in 18 years in baseball. LSU will start Alden Cartwright on the mound. He usually comes out of the bullpen, but Coach Paul Mainieri wanted to give the right-hander from Baton Rouge a chance to start…
cut 30 (08) “…good start”
Louisiana Tech brings an eight and three record to Alex Box Stadium as the Bulldogs are off to their best start since 2011. Senior left-hander, Tyler Clancy, who is 3-0 is expected to start for the Bulldogs. First pitch is at 6:30.

In other action tonight…Northwestern state is at second ranked Texas A-and-M, 16th ranked UL Lafayette starts a five-game road trip at Tulane. Grambling hosts Valpraiso and Southeastern hosts Southern Miss.

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting the Saints are working on bringing back running back Tim Hightower. He started three games for the Black and Gold last year and rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns in a game against Jacksonville. New Orleans has already re-signed cornerback Kyle Wilson to a one-year deal.

The Bills have announced they’ve met with former Saints offensive guard Jahri Evans. And the Chargers have announced they’ve resigned former LSU offensive tackle Joe Barksdale to a four-year deal.

LSU men’s basketball star Ben Simmons admits he’s missed some classes, but he is going to classes now. Simmons was asked about his academics after it was learned he was not eligible for the Wooden Award, because of issues in the classroom. Today, Simmons was named the USA Today National Freshman of the Year.

UL Lafayette’s Shawn Long was named the men’s Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. Long averages 19 points and 13 rebounds a game. ULM senior guard Justin Roberson was named the league’s defensive player of the year.

Spring football is underway for the LSU Tigers. After finishing the last two seasons ranked out of the top 100 in passing offense, Coach Les Miles says the passing game will be a point of emphasis…:
Cut 13 (15) “team better”
The Tigers’ spring game is April 16th.

In the NBA, the Pelicans snapped a four game losing streak as Anthony Davis posted 31 points and 10 rebounds to lift New Orleans to a 115-112 win over the Sacramento Kings last night. the Pels came back from a 17 point, second-half deficit. Norris Cole added 23 for New Orleans and Jrue Holiday added 20. The Pels travel to face the Hornets tomorrow.

College hoops, LSU freshman forward Ben Simmons says he’s not upset that he will not be eligible for the Wooden AWard, which is considered the top individual award a college basketball player could receive. Simmons reportedly can’t win the award because of academics. The soon to be NBA player says he’s not losing sleep over the situation..:
Cut 15 (12) “players regardless”
Simmons is expected to enter the NBA draft once LSU’s season is concluded.

In other honors news, Louisiana Tech’s Alex Hamilton swept Conference USA and LSWA Player of the Week accolades for a second straight week, after turning in one of the best back-to-back performances in Bulldog history.

Northwestern State’s Zeek Woodley nets first-team All-Southland honors after leading the conference in scoring for the second straight season.

Baseball: For the first time in 18 years, Louisiana Tech is set to make the trip to face off against No. LSU tonight at Alex Box Stadium.

Northwestern State opens a two-game midweek series at No. 2 Texas A&M today. 16th ranked UL-Lafayette faces No. 27 Tulane Tuesday.
Southeastern hosts Southern Miss.

Spring football is underway for the LSU Tigers as the first of 14 practices got underway today leading up to the Spring game on April 16th. The Tigers need to find two new starting offensive tackles. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says soon to be sophomore Toby Weathersby has a chance at one of those spots…
cut 15 (15) “…a starter’

It’s conference tournament week in college basketball…LSU plays Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the SEC tourney. In the Sun Belt…UL Lafayette is the four seed, while ULM is a two-seed and will not play until Saturday in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tourney. Louisiana Tech plays Thursday afternoon as they are in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament as a four-seed.

New Orleans native Peyton Manning gave a tearful goodbye to the NFL today. He announced his retirment after 18 seasons in professional football and two Super Bowl championships. Manning’s former high school teammate and current coach at Isidore Newman, Nelson Stewart, says he hops Manning remains involved in the NFL in some way, like ownership or broadcasting…
cut 11 (10) “…for him”
Manning is the only quarterback in NFL history to win Super Bowl titles with two different teams.

Despite winning all four of its games last week, LSU fell three spots in the USA Today Coaches Poll to number eight. The Ragin Cajuns tumbled 11 spots to 24th.

Louisiana Tech shortstop Chandler Hall has been named Hitter of the Week in Conference USA. The junior was 7-of-15 at the plate last week with a home run and six RBIs. The Bulldogs are at LSU tomorrow night.

Spring football gets underway today for the LSU Tigers. LSU heads into the spring, thin at linebacker, especially if the Tigers decide to play a three-four front. Tiger Rag Associate editor James Moran says incoming freshman, Michael Divinity, who has already enrolled in school, has a chance to earn himself playing time with a good spring…
cut 14 (17) “….young player”
On offense, LSU needs to find two new starting tackles as last year’s starters, Jerald Hawkins and Vadal Alexander are getting ready for the NFL draft.

Also, it’s been reported that LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has agreed to a three-year contract. Cameron will be entering his fourth season as LSU’s play caller.

The college football playoff has announced that this year’s semifinal games will be played again on New Year’s eve, despite concerns about low TV viewership. The game times have been moved up to two-pm and six pm central time. The Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl are the sites for this year’s semifinal games. The Sugar Bowl will be played on Monday, January second.

It’s conference tournament week in college basketball…LSU plays Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the SEC tourney. Louisiana Tech plays Thursday afternoon as they are in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament as a four-seed. In the Sun Belt…UL Lafayette is the four seed, while ULM is a two-seed and will not play until Saturday in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tourney.

The LSU baseball team went 4-0 last week and remain ranked in the top 10 in the major college baseball polls. The Tigers next game is tomorrow night at home against Louisiana Tech.

The Bulldogs are 8-3 on the season after rallying back to defeat Valparaiso 7-5 yesterday.

In the biggest sports news of the day, New Orleans native Peyton Manning will announce his retirement today. The Denver Broncos confirmed the news that Manning, who played 18 seasons in the NFL, is calling it a career. The Newman alum quarterback played in four Super Bowls and got two titles with two franchises. Manning will retire as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns, yards and quarterback wins. The news conference is slated for noon Monday.

Spring football kicks off today for the LSU Tigers. The Bayou Bengals will practice 14 times before the Spring Game, which will take place on April 16th at 3 PM in Tiger Stadium. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says the biggest curiosity heading into spring is LSU’s new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who is expected to bring a different look to the Tigers defense…:
Cut 13 (19) “years past”

It was a nice weekend for college baseball. Louisiana Tech completed a comeback with a thrilling win over Valparaiso, 7-5 to take the series. The Bulldogs come to Baton Rouge to face LSU Tuesday.

The 16th ranked Ragin Cajuns shutout Sacred Heart for the second time on the weekend defeating the Pioneers 4-0 in Lafayette.

Southeastern got a 5-4 win over Tennessee.

McNeese State blew past Bradley 9-3 in a game where Cowboy Shane Selman became the first freshman in school history to hit for the cycle.

Grambling edged Southern 10-9. Tulane beat Pepperdine 4-3. Nicholls State fell to ACU 5-3.

ULM hosts Samford today at 1pm.

In college hoops Tulane fell to Temple 64-56 Sunday and the Owls picked up the American title. The LSU men’s basketball team finished the regular season with another loss Saturday and prepare for the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament Friday.

In the NBA, after a loss against the Jazz on Saturday, the Pelicans hosts the Kings tonight in New Orleans.

The LSU men’s basketball team left for Lexington today where they’ll play Kentucky in the final regular season game of the year tomorrow….
cut 30 (09) “…playing Kentucky”
That’s forward Ben Simmons. If Simmons can lead the Tigers to a victory and if Texas A-and-M losses to Vanderbilt, then LSU will have the number one seed in next week’s SEC Tournament.

The Sun Belt Tournament is in New Orleans next week. ULM has already nailed down the second-seed as they’ve won eight in a row. The Warhawks wrap up the regular season tomorrow afternoon by hosting Georgia State. UL Lafayette will host Georgia Southern tomorrow as the Cajuns are trying to keep the four-seed and a bye to the quarterfinals.

Northwestern State and Nicholls are fighting to get in the Southland Tournament. The Colonels host Southeastern Louisiana, while the Demons are at UNO.

The Saints have gone through their fair share of kickers in the last few seasons and the latest one they’ll try is veteran Josh Scobee. The 33-year-old who graduated from Louisiana Tech has a career 80-percent field goal percentage. He was cut by the Steelers after four games last year.

The sixth ranked LSU baseball team begins a three-game series tonight against Fordham at Alex Box Stadium. Junior left-hander Jared Poche will start on the mound. He’s 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA, but the Lutcher native is looking to have more consistency with his fastball…
cut 29 (08) “….quality strikes”
First pitch is at 7 PM.

In other action this weekend…Southeastern Louisiana is at 16th ranked East Carolina. And the 24th ranked Ragin Cajuns host Sacred Heart.

Seven girls basketball teams will be crowned state champions over the next two days at the Top 28 Tournament in Hammond.

Former Louisiana Tech kicker Josh Scobee announced on his Facebook page that he’s signed with the Saints. The 33-year-old spent his first 11 seasons in the NFL in Jacksonville, but was traded to Pittsburgh before the start of the 2015 season. The Steelers released Scobee after he missed four of his first 10 field goal attempts.

The Sun Belt has released its football schedule for the 2016 season. UL Lafayette has one midweek game this year and that’s a home game against Appalachian State on October 12th, which is a Wednesday night. ULM will host the Cajuns on December third. The Warhawks will also host South Alabama, Texas State, Idaho and Southern for the season opener.

Injured Southern football player Devon Gales returns to Baton Rouge tomorrow after several months of rehab in Georgia for neck fractures he sustained in a game against the Bulldogs last September.

The Pelicans’ playoff hopes continue to fade away. They lost to San Antonio 94-86 last night. The game was tied at 86 with 2:42 left to play, but New Orleans failed to score a point the rest of the way. The Pels are now 6.5 games back of Houston for the final playoff spot and there’s 12 games left to play.

In college hoops, Derric Jean knocked down a shot from half-court at the buzzer to give Louisiana Tech a 97-945 win over Marshall. Jean’s game-winning shot made Sportscenter and Alex Hamilton should get some credit as well. The senior scored 38 points and had six assists in the victory.

In the Sun Belt…ULM won its eighth straight as the Warhawks defeated Georgia Southern 83-76. The Ragin Cajuns couldn’t hold on to a six-point lead with 5:26 to go and lost to Georgia State 72-69.

In the Southland…Southeastern won its fourth straight as they defeated UNO 61-60.

In the NBA it was another rough game for the Pelicans Thursday night as they fall to the Spurs at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans 94-86. Anthony Davis had 17 points and 13 rebounds for the Pels, which dropped its third straight.

College hoops — the ULM men’s basketball is now 12-0 on the season in Monroe after winning their 8th in a row last night against Georgia Southern 83-76. It’s been nearly a decade since the Warhawks went undefeated on its home court.

Grambling State sailed past Alabama A&M last night 65-58 which puts an end to the Tigers’ 11 game losing streak.

Southeastern Louisiana edged UNO 61-60 in New Orleans. Louisiana Tech gets the win over Marshall 97-94. Northwestern State was beat up by Stephen F Austin, 95-55. Nicholls beats Central Arkansas 68-64. UL-Lafayette fell to Georgia State 72-69.

It’ll be a nice weekend for college baseball as games resume throughout the state today.

UL-Lafayette will have to vacate 22 football games between 2011 and 2014, as a result of a two-year NCAA Committee investigation into allegations a former coach faked ACT scores for recruits which means they weren’t eligible to play. The Ragin Cajuns can no longer claim victory in the games they played in. Jay Walker is the voice of the Ragin Cajuns…:
cut 1 (11) “penalties”
University officials say it’s disappointing but they’re glad this is behind them.

The Southern football player who suffered severe neck fractures in a game at Georgia in September, is scheduled to return home to Baton Rouge tomorrow morning. The University is planning an afternoon of activities honoring Devon Gales. Southern Sports Information Director Chris Jones says Gales’ resilience has been an inspiration for many…:
Cut 10 (07) “his rehab”
Since sustaining the injury, Gales has been at a rehabilitation center learning how to move around again.

UL-Lafayette will vacate 22 victories, on the football field between 2011 and 2014. It’s to comply with an NCAA investigation that determined a former assistant coach falsified ACT scores for five students, which means those students were ineligible to play. The voice of the Ragin Cajuns Jay Walker says the school accepts the penalties and will move on.
cut 15 (06) “move forward”
Two of the games vacated are victories the team had in the New Orleans Bowl in 2011.

In college baseball action last night…the LSU Tigers scored three runs in the first inning and three more in the third inning and beat the Nicholls Colonels nine to four. Louisiana Tech edged 12th ranked Arkansas three to two. Raphael Gladu drove in all three runs. McNeese State upset 16th ranked UL Lafayette seven to two.

ULM looks to extend its winning streak to eight games when they host Georgia Southern at seven PM at the Fant-Ewing Coliseum. It’s the final two games at home for the seniors and Coach Keith Richard says they want to send them out as winners…
cut 18 (10) “…like to be”
The Ragin Cajuns host Georgia State, while Louisiana Tech is at Marshall. The Bulldogs are in a three-way tie for second in the league standings and Coach Eric Konkol says his players understand how important this game is…
cut 30 (18) “…on Thursday”
Tip-off is at 6 PM.