7:30 sportscast March 23

LSU basketball will look to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006 when they face sixth seeded Maryland for an 11:10 tip time. The Terrapins feature two big post players in Bruno Fernando and Jalen Smith. Fernando is an NBA prospect who averages a double-double. LSU big man Kavell Bigby-Williams on the match-up…
cut 13 (08) “…for them”
Interim head coach Tony Benford says whoever wins the battle in the paint and on the glass will advance.

LSU’s Zach Hess won last night’s pitcher’s duel in Athens as Hess threw eight shutout innings in a 1-0 win over 5th ranked Georgia. Hess scattered eight hits and struck out nine, while Devin Fontenot earned his first career save. Antoine Duplantis scored on Daniel Cabrera’s sacrifice fly for the only run of the game. Game two of the series is at noon.

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The Saints are reportedly on the verge of signing tight end Jared Cook. Nothing is official yet, but Cook said he’s a big fan of Drew Brees and it will be awesome to catch passes from Brees. The 10-year veteran of the NFL caught a career-high 68 passes for 896 yards and six touchdowns for the Raiders last season and made his first pro bowl.

At LSU pro day, cornerback Greedy Williams declared he’s the best cornerback in the NFL draft. Williams had eight career interceptions in Tiger Town, while Georgia’s Deandre Baker had seven, but it was Williams who won the Jim Thorpe Award which goes to the nation’s top corner.
In college baseball last night, Louisiana Tech downed Middle Tennessee five to one. Matt Miller allowed one earned run in the victory. Tanner Huddleston and Parker Bates each drove in two runs.

Cajuns blew a 4-0 lead and lost to Appalachian State 6-5. Texas State downed ULM five to one, Southern crushed Grambling 18-8. Southeastern Louisiana clobbered Abilene Christian 14-1, Nicholls over Corpus-Christi five to three, Lamar edged Northwestern State four to three and Incarnate Word over McNeese four to one.