Sean Payton remains the head coach of the Saints, despite weeks of speculation that he may want to coach for another NFL team. Payton spoke with reporters for about an hour talking about his love for the fans, the franchise and the city, despite all of its faults…

cut 14 (12) “it is home”

Payton has brought the Saints to the playoffs five times, which includes a Super Bowl championship, since his first season in New Orleans in 2006.

Payton still has two years left on his current deal. He says any talk of a contract extension will take care of itself. The coach also denied any kind of rift between him and general manager Mickey Loomis and also said its likely that interim defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will be back next season.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle decided to rest four starters last night and the Mavericks still beat the Pelicans 100-91. Reserve guard Raymond Felton led the way for the Mavs with 22 followed by Chandler Parsons, the only starter in uniform for Dallas, with 21. Anthony Davis led all scorers in the game with 26, while Tyreke Evans added 16 for the Pels who are now 11-23 on the season. The Pelicans get a day off before taking on the Pacers in Indianapolis Friday night.

The Louisiana Tech men’s basketball team hopes to extend their home winning streak to 40 games when they host Old Dominion tonight. Both teams are undefeated in Conference USA play.

In the Sun Belt, UL-Lafayette is on the road to face Arkansas-Little Rock. The Ragin Cajuns are 5-6 and have won their last two. UALR comes into tonight’s matchup with a 12-1 overall record and a perfect 2-0 mark in conference play.

The ULM Warhawks are in Jonesboro, Arkansas to face Arkansas State. The two teams come into tonight’s game with identical 6-7 overall records and 2-0 records in the Sun Belt. The Red Wolves are riding a three game winning streak, while ULM has lost two of their last three.