Saints Head Coach Sean Payton tells Pro Football Talk that he’s close to finalizing a new contract with the team. Payton didn’t give any details on the contract extension, but said he sees himself with the Black and Gold for at least the next four to five years. The head coach also expressed confidence that the team will work out a contract extension with quarterback Drew Brees, who is entering the last year of his deal.

In the NBA tonight…the Pelicans host the Oklahoma City Thunder. We’ll see how Anthony Davis bounces back from a nine point performance in a losing effort to Washington on Tuesday.

In college hoops tonight…ULM is at South Alabama. The Warhawks are on a five game winning streak. The Ragin Cajuns have lost three in a row and they are at Troy. And Louisiana Tech hosts North Texas. The Bulldogs are in fourth place in Conference USA and the top four teams will receive a bye to the quarterfinals in the conference tournament.

Two big upsets in college baseball last night as a pair of teams ranked in the top ten go down in defeat. Fifth ranked LSU blew an eight-run lead and lost to Lamar 12-11. Third baseman O’Neal Lochridge blasted a three-run homer in an eight-run second inning for the Tigers, but LSU’s pitching staff couldn’t hold the lead. They walked eight batters and hit four others. Rough outing for Riley Smith as he allowed seven runs in 1.2 innings.

In Ruston, Louisiana Tech defeated sixth ranked UL Lafayette six to two. The Bulldogs scored four runs in the fifth inning. Raphael Gladu and Marshall Boggs each drove in two runs and Tyler Clancy struck out a career-high nine hitters to earn the victory on the mound.

In other action….Sacramento State doubled up Northwestern State four to two, Alabama crushed Nicholls State 13-1, Southeastern Louisiana thumped Alcorn State 15 to 3 and Tulane blanked Alabama A-and-M seven to nothing.

Two big upsets in college baseball last night as a pair of teams ranked in the top ten go down in defeat. Fifth ranked LSU blew an eight-run lead and lost to Lamar 12-11. Third baseman O’Neal Lochridge blasted a three-run homer in an eight-run second inning for the Tigers, but LSU’s pitching staff couldn’t hold the lead. They walked eight batters and hit four others. Rough outing for Riley Smith as he allowed seven runs in 1.2 innings.

In Ruston, Louisiana Tech defeated sixth ranked UL Lafayette six to two. The Bulldogs scored four runs in the fifth inning. Raphael Gladu and Marshall Boggs each drove in two runs and Tyler Clancy struck out a career-high nine hitters to earn the victory on the mound.

In other action….Sacramento State doubled up Northwestern State four to two, Alabama crushed Nicholls State 13-1, Southeastern Louisiana thumped Alcorn State 15 to 3 and Tulane blanked Alabama A-and-M seven to nothing.

The Pelicans host Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Smoothie King Center. Durant is averaging almost 28 points a game, while Westbrook is averaging 24 points and 10 assists a contest. New Orleans has won eight of its last eleven home games. Tip-off is at 7:00.

LSU baseball had a tough loss on the road last night to Lamar, after getting out to a big lead. The Tigers fell to the persistent Cardinals 12-11. Lamar improves to 5-0 on the year, and it was the first loss of the season for LSU. The tigers erupted for eight runs on six hits in the second inning to take an 8-0 lead. But Lamar continued to rally to eventually lock the victory. LSU will play host to Sacramento State at 7 p.m. CT Friday in Game 1 of a three-game series in Alex Box Stadium.

New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson has once again been ruled mentally competent to handle his affairs, after a Louisiana appeals court upheld a civil judge’s ruling. Benson removed his heirs from ownership positions of the NFL and NBA clubs, naming his wife the primary successor. They argued their father wasn’t competent to make call, but the judges disagreed. Benson released a statement that said he hopes one day soon all of his estranged heirs ungratefulness will end.

In college hoops, Tulane falls to East Carolina in New Orleans last night 79-73. In Hammond, Southeastern picked up the win over UNO, 93-81. JaMichael Hawkins hit six 3 pointers and scored 29 points to lead the Lions. Today ULM travels to face South Alabama. UL-Lafayette is at Troy. and Louisiana Tech hosts North Texas.

Back to college baseball, Tulane shutout Alabama A&M last night 7-0. In Ruston, Louisiana Tech got the in-state rivalry win over UL-Lafayette 6-2. Southeastern had no problem against Alcorn State, picking up the 15-3 victory. UNO drops to Southern Miss 7-4. Nicholls State was clobbered by Alabama, 13-1. Northwestern State fell to Sacramento State 4-2. Southern baseball’s home opener against Jackson State was called off due to a wet outfield.

The Saints have reportedly cut cornerback Brandon Browner. He’d hinted on social media on February 5th that he’d be saying goodbye to New Orleans, and now it seems like the Saints will make the official announcement next week.

In the NBA, The Pelicans host the Kevin Durrant and the OKlahoma City Thunder. Tipoff is 7pm.

An appeals court has upheld a New Orleans judge’s ruling that says Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson is mentally competent to run both professional franchises. Benson’s daughter Renee Benson and grandchildren Rita and Ryan Leblanc have argued that the 88-year-old Benson is not competent to make big business decisions. It’s unclear if Benson’s estranged heirs will file appeal as they fight to gain ownership of the teams after Mr. Benson passes away. Benson released a statement that said he hopes one day soon all of their ungratefulness will end and he can continue to enjoy his work with the Saints and Pelicans.

The 5th ranked LSU baseball team is in Beaumont tonight to take on the Lamar Cardinals. Both teams are undefeated on the season. Austin Bain will start on the mound for the Tigers. It’s his first start since offseason shoulder surgery. In Ruston, Louisiana Tech takes on sixth ranked UL Lafayette in the Bulldogs home opener.

The Saints will reportedly officially cut ties with cornerback Brandon Browner on March ninth. Browner has already hinted that he would be done in New Orleans after one season, when he sent out a couple of tweets saying goodbye to the Who Dat Nation. Browner had a rough 2015 as he was the victim of several big plays and called for his fair share of penalties.

According to WBRZ-TV injured Southern football player Devon Gales will return to Baton Rouge in the next few days. Gales has been rehabbing in Atlanta since fracturing his neck in several places in the Jaguars game against Georgia on September 26th. Gales underwent several surgeries to get to this point. He’s still in a wheel chair, but doctors are impressed with the progress he’s made.

In college basketball…the LSU Tigers losing streak as hit three games after losing by 20 points to Arkansas last night. The Bayou Bengals are 16-and-12 and out of the picture when it comes to reaching the NCAA Tournament.

The LSU men’s basketball team’s season is spinning out of control after losing their third straight last night. Arkansas thumped the Tigers 85-65. Forward Ben Simmons registered his 19th double-double, 23 points and 12 rebounds, but ended up fouling out with about two minutes left after picking up a technical foul. The Tigers are now 16-and-12 on the season and their NCAA Tournament hopes seem to be dashed, unless they win the SEC Tournament.

After scoring 59 points in a win over Detroit on Sunday, Anthony Davis was held to nine points in a 109-89 loss to Washington. Davis was just three of nine from the floor. The Wizards John Wall had a triple-double, 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. New Orleans hosts Oklahoma City on Thursday.

And one other college basketball note…Louisiana Tech announces Qiydar Davis will miss the rest of the season because of a knee injury. He averaged 10 points a game, before he got hurt in December.

The Saints will reportedly officially cut ties with cornerback Brandon Browner on March ninth. Browner has already hinted that he would be done in New Orleans after one season, when he sent out a couple of tweets saying goodbye to the Who Dat Nation.

An ESPN report says the Saints are also set to part ways with the franchise’s leading pass catcher Marques Colston. Colston is 32 years old and had just four touchdown catches last year.

ESPN is reporting the Saints are expected to release its all-time leading receiver Marques Colston and the move could become official in the coming days. Colston is 32-years-old and has 97-hundred receiving yards and caught 72 touchdown passes during his 10 year career.

Tonight the LSU men’s basketball team will visit the Bud Walton Arena where they’ll play the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Tigers are 16-11 overall, 9-5 in the SEC, while the Hogs are 13-and-14 overall, six and eight in league play. Coach Johnny Jones says handling the Razorbacks defensive pressure is a top priority…
cut 18 (17) “….make shots”
No Keith Hornsby tonight for LSU as he’ll miss the game with an injury.

After three games, Coach Paul Mainieri has already made a change to his starting line-up. Mainieri says Cole Freeman will be the Tigers starting shortstop for the foreseeable future in the place of freshman Trey Dawson. Dawson struggled in the field and at plate during the opening weekend series as he was 0-for-7 and five strikeouts. Mainieri says with Freeman starting short, O’ Neal Lochridge will start at third base. The Tigers are at Lamar tomorrow night.

Tonight…McNeese State visits ninth ranked Houston. The Cowboys took two of three from Southern Illinois this past weekend. The weather has washed out Northwestern State’s home game with Sacramento State. The teams will play tomorrow at 7. Louisiana Tech’s home opener against Little Rock has also been postponed. The Bulldogs will host 13th ranked UL Lafayette tomorrow night. And ULM’s game against Southern Miss has been re-scheduled for May 17th.

In the NBA…the Pelcians are at Washington. New Orleans is trying to improve its record to 3-0 since the All-Star break.

The LSU men’s basketball team is at Arkansas tonight in a game that is a must have for the Tigers who are on the wrong side of the bubble when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament. LSU will play the game without senior shooting guard Keith Hornsby, who re-aggravated a sports hernia injury that forced him to miss several games earlier this season. Coach Johnny Jones on Hornsby’s absence…:
Cut 16 (15) “we’ll miss him“
Tipoff is at 6pm.

Weekly honors from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association named both ULM’s Nick Coppola and Louisiana Tech’s Alex Hamilton the men’s basketball co-players of the week. Both players helped lead their respective teams in a pair of conference road games.

The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation is reportedly putting in a bid to host the SEC baseball tournament, which has been held in Hoover, Alabama for the past 18 years. The legislature isn’t wasting time on advancing a bill that would allow a special fund that draws in a portion of excise and sales taxes generated by major events to be paid as an incentive for holding big high-profile action here.

In more college hoops, McNeese fell to Central Arkansas last night 88-82. Northwestern State clobbered Nicholls State 81-67. Today UNO plays at Southeastern. Southern fell to Alabama A&M 78-66.

Coming off the best game of his career Sunday when Anthony Davis put up a whopping 59 points, the power forward and the Pelicans return to action tonight at Washington.

In college baseball, Southern moved their home opener to tomorrow due to weather. On the schedule today is LeMoyne Owen at Grambling. ULM is at Southern Miss. Louisiana Tech hosts Little Rock. Northwestern State hosts Sacramento State. Alabama A&M is at Tulane and McNeese State travels to Houston..

There are reports that senior LSU guard Keith Hornsby could miss the rest of the season with an injury. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says Hornbsy re-aggravated a sports hernia injury that kept him out the first part of this season. Coach Johnny Jones said earlier this afternoon that the doctors are still looking at the X-rays and there’s no final prognosis. The Tigers are at Arkansas on tomorrow night.

UL Lafayette Coach Bob Marlin says small forward Jay Hedgeman has been suspended for the rest of the season due to conduct detrimental to the team. Hedgeman was averaging five points and three rebounds a game. UL Lafayette has lost three in a row and they host Troy on Thursday.

In college hoops tonight…Southern, who is in third place in the SWAC, visits Alabama A-and-M. McNeese State hosts Central Arkansas. The Cowboys have lost six of their last seven. And Northwestern State hosts Nicholls State. Each team has won seven games total this season.

After sweeping Cincinnati over the weekend, the LSU Tigers are ranked in the Top 10 in five of the major college baseball polls. The Tigers made the biggest jump in the Baseball America Poll, where LSU moved up three spots to number eight. UL Lafayette is ranked 10th by Baseball America after sweeping Sam Houston State.

LSU’s Alex Lange has been named SEC Pitcher of the Week. Lange allowed just one hit and struck out nine in 6.2 innings in a four to nothing win over Cincinnati on Saturday.

Southeastern Louisiana pitcher Kyle Cedotal has been named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball. The senior left-hander from Denham Springs threw a complete game shutout on opening night as the Lions blanked ULM two to nothing. Cedotal struck out 14 that night.

After scoring 59 points and grabbing 20 rebounds in a win over Detroit yesterday, the Pelicans are off tonight. They visit the Wizards tomorrow night.

What a performance by the Pelicans Anthony Davis in Sunday’s 111 to 106 win over Detroit. Davis had 59 points and 20 rebounds. He’s only the third player in the last 50 years to score at least 55 points and grab 20 rebounds. The other two are Shaquille O Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. Davis says he couldn’t miss…
cut 30 (13) “…have fun”
The win improves New Orleans record to 22-33 and they are five and a half games back of Houston for the final playoff spot in the West.

Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham has confirmed an ESPN report that says fifth-year senior Keith Hornsby could miss the rest of the season because of an injury. Worsham says Hornsby has been playing in pain all year and apparently he re-aggravated the sports hernia that required surgery at the beginning of the season.

After sweeping Cincinnati in a three-game series, the LSU Tigers remain in the top ten in both the Perfect Game and D-1 Baseball Top 25 polls. Perfect Game has LSU ranked at number five. LSU is ranked 7th by D-1 Baseball. The Ragin Cajuns, who swept Sam Houston State, are ranked 8th and 16th in those two respective polls.

According to ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper, LSU linebacker Deion Jones is one player that’s moved up on teams’ draft boards. Kiper says it’s possible Jones could be selected late in the first round or in the second round. The NFL draft combine starts later this week.

In college hoops tonight…Southern, who is in third place in the SWAC, visits Alabama A-and-M. McNeese State hosts Central Arkansas. The Cowboys have lost six of their last seven. And Northwestern State hosts Nicholls State. Each team has won seven games total this season.

Yesterday….Abilene Christian clipped Southeastern Louisiana 91-80.

NBA fans dropped their jaw in shock at the news that Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis picked up a franchise record 59 points and 20 rebounds to lift New Orleans to a 111-106 win on Sunday. The 22-year-old told reporters after the game that he’s just taking it one day at a time and as he gains experience, his only focus is getting the W….:
CUT 2 (13) “like that tonight”

The LSU men’s basketball team lessened their chances of being invited to the Big Dance following a bad loss to Tennessee on Saturday. The Volunteers easily defeated the Tigers 81-65. It’s the worst loss of the season for LSU. The big issue for the team is that they will likely have to win the rest of its games, including all of their contests in the SEC Tournament in order to get in the NCAA Tourney.

After showing not much power in its first two games of the season, the Tigers brought out the big sticks in the series finale against the University of Cincinnati. LSU hit four home runs, including a grand slam by Bryce Adams, to beat the Bearcats 12-4. Chris Blair had the call on the LSU Sports Radio network…:
CUT 1 (07) “grand slam”
LSU’s next game is Wednesday on the road against Lamar.

Elsewhere in the state, McNeese defeated Southern Illinois 8-4. Grambling fell to Prairie View 4-3. Norhwester State beat Alabama State 8-4. UL-Lafayette had an easy time over Sam Houston State, 13-3. ULM picked up the win over Southeastern, 6-5 in 10 innings. Louisiana Tech fell to UNO 9-6. Nicholls defeated MVSU, 13-3.

More college hoops: Southeastern fell to Abilene Christian 91-80 Sunday. Today Nicholls is at Northwestern State. McNeese hosts Central Arkansas.