In the second round of the NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected Tennessee cornerback Alontae Taylor. Taylor at 6-feet-even and 195 pounds has the size and ran the 40 in 4.36 seconds at the NFL combine. He had a good week of work leading up to the Reese’s Senior Bowl and then grabbed an interception in the game. Here’s head coach Dennis Allen on the pick…

Cut 16 (18) “…group today.”

Rounds 4-7 start today at 11 am.

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The Saints have also re-signed restricted free agent wide receiver, Deonte Harris. Harris had a breakout year last season, posting career-highs with 36 catches, 570 yards, and three touchdowns on 15.8 yards per reception.

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LSU topped 16^th-ranked Georgia 6-2 in the opener of their 3-game series. Ma’Khail Hilliard gave up just two runs over six innings, and struck out seven to improve to 5-0 for the Tigers. Old Dominion blanked LA Tech 5-0, McNeese scored a 7-2 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Nicholls routed UNO 12-2, Tulane lost to UCF, 2-1; and Southeastern edged Northwestern State, 6-4.

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The New Orleans Pelicans had their season come to a disappointing end, with a Game Six loss to top-seeded Phoenix Thursday night. However, it was a very successful campaign as the team reached the playoffs for the first time in four years, and did so without the services of former number one pick Zion Williamson. During Friday’s exit interviews Williamson, who is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, was asked about his future.

Cut 22 (08) “…it fast enough.”

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It’s day two of the NFL Draft. In yesterday’s first round the Saints added depth to the offensive line and receiving corps; moving up to select Ohio State wideout Chris Olave and then grabbing Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning. Adding weapons on the outside was a priority coming into the draft, and the Saints are glad to put another Buckeye opposite Michael Thomas.

Cut 16 (13) “…going.”

New Orleans has three picks remaining. One in today’s second round and then one each in the fifth and sixth.

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A big weekend of college baseball is ahead as we enter the final weeks of the regular season. LSU hosts 16^th-ranked Georgia in a very important three-game series. McNeese looks for its third straight Southland Conference series win on the road against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, while rivals Southern and Grambling battle in the SWAC. UL-Monroe is at Little Rock, UNO visits Nicholls, the Cajuns travel to North Carolina to face Appalachian State, and Southeastern takes on Northwestern State.

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The New Orleans Pelicans had their season come to a disappointing end, with a Game Six loss to top-seeded Phoenix Thursday night. However, it was a very successful campaign as the team reached the playoffs for the first time in four years, and did so without the services of former number one pick Zion Williamson. Today the team held its exit interviews and Williamson, who is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, was asked about his future.

Cut 22 (08) “…it fast enough.”

Speculation about his relationship with his teammates and the franchise has been swirling for months. Zion says it was difficult watching from the sidelines all season, but he sees something special happening in New Orleans and wants to be a part of it.

Cut 23 (12) “…those guys.

Next up for New Orleans, the NBA’s draft lottery on May 17. The Pelicans own the Lakers’ pick this season and should add another elite young player to the roster through the draft.

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Two of the Saints’ biggest needs heading into the NFL draft were at wide receiver and offensive tackle and they addressed both areas in the first round. New Orleans traded up to take receiver Chris Olave with the 11th pick and with the 19th overall pick, the Saints selected Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning. Penning is known for having a nasty side…

Cut 17 (17) “…get ready to compete.”

Penning is 6-foot-7, 325 pounds, and squats 625 pounds. According to Pro Football Focus, he received a 99.9 run block grade last season. The Saints have just three picks left in the draft. One in today’s second round and then one in the fifth and sixth.

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LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr won’t be going far from home, as he was taken third overall by the Houston Texans.

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The New Orleans Pelicans led by 10 at the half but ultimately fell to the Phoenix Suns, 115-109, losing their opening-round playoff series four games to two. Former Hornet Chris Paul had a historic performance, going 14 of 14 from the field and finishing with 33 points and eight assists. Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 21 points and 11 assists in the loss. It was a tough conclusion to a season that took the Pels from a 1-12 start to pushing the NBA’s top team nearly to the limit. Herb Jones gave his thoughts on the journey.

Cut 18 (18) “…did this year.”

The Pelicans will hold their season exit interviews this afternoon.

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LSU basketball has signed four-star prospect Jalen Reed from Jackson, Mississippi. Reed is a six-ten combo forward and ranked as the seventh-best power forward in the nation according to ON-3.

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The New Orleans Saints have the 16th and 19th picks in the first round of tonight’s NFL Draft, and general manager Mickey Loomis would love to grab a couple of starters, but that depends on how the round plays out. He says the draft is a constant balancing act of trying to find the right player in the right spot.

Cut 18 (20) “…risk/reward.”

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LSU cornerback Derek Stingley is a strong candidate to be taken in the top 10. His coach at Dunham High School in Baton Rouge, Neil Weiner, says he’s been hearing from teams for years looking for inside info on the budding star.

Cut 10 (08) “…would reach out.”

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The New Orleans Pelicans face elimination tonight when they host the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of their playoff series. One storyline to watch is the health of Brandon Ingram. Ingram injured two fingers on his right hand in the second half of the Game 5 loss and in the fourth quarter shot 0-for-4 from the floor while making just 1-of-3 free throw attempts, finishing with a series-low 22 points. He says he’ll be good to go with the season on the line.

Cut 19 (15) _“…by next game.”

This afternoon the Suns announced that All-Star guard Devin Booker may be available for Game Six. Tip-off is at 6:30 pm.

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Both LSU and Tulane are headed to the NCAA women’s golf regionals. The Tigers won the SEC championship with the wave claiming the title in the AAC. LSU travels to Stanford, where it will be the third seed behind the Cardinal and USC. Tulane travels to Stillwater, Oklahoma where they will play as the 11^th seed.

The New Orleans Pelicans face elimination tonight when they host the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of their playoff series. Turnovers killed the Pelicans in Game 5, as their 15 giveaways led to 23 points for the Suns. Phoenix had scored just over 10 points per game off of turnovers over the first four games of the series. Coach Willie Green says taking care of the basketball has to be a priority.

Cut 20 (17) “…to be better.”

Game 6 tips off at the Smoothie King Center at 6:30 pm.

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The SEC champion LSU women’s golf team is headed to the Stanford regional for the NCAA championships. The Tigers are the number three seed behind the hosting Cardinal and USC. Last season, LSU finished ninth, missing team match play by just one stroke.

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The New Orleans Saints have the 16th and 19th picks in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft, and general manager Mickey Loomis says there are definite targets with those picks. However, he added that with the draft there are no guarantees that things will go according to plan.

Cut 17 (12) “…it’s never foolproof.”

The draft begins at 7 pm.                                              —

Reports indicate that former Saints head coach Sean Payton is nearing a deal to join Fox as an NFL studio analyst. According to the New York Post would appear on both “Fox’s NFL Kickoff” and “Fox NFL Sunday.”

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Louisiana Tech dropped a heartbreaker at Little Rock Wednesday night, 8-7. The Bulldogs gave up seven runs in the fifth inning, rallied to tie the score but came up short. They’ll stay on the road to take on Old Dominion in a three-game set this weekend.

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After their 15-point loss to the Suns last night, the Pelicans are on the brink of elimination from the playoffs, trailing 3 games to 2 in the best-of-seven series. Brandon Ingram had his worst game of the postseason, scoring 22 points on 7-of-19 shooting, and injured his right hand in the second half. But, he says he’ll be ready to step up in front of the home crowd on Thursday night and hopefully send the series back to Phoenix.

Cut 19 (15) _“…defensive end.”

Game 6 tips off at the Smoothie King Center tomorrow night at 6:30 pm.

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NCAA President and former LSU Chancellor Mark Emmert announced that he will be stepping down after 12 tumultuous years on the job. He will remain in his role until a new president is in place or until June of 2023.

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Former LSU cornerback Derek Stingley could be a top ten pick in tomorrow’s NFL Draft, despite only playing ten games over the last two seasons. Draft analyst Mike Detillier says health questions will follow Stingley until he proves he can stay on the field…

Cut 17 (16) “…NFL season”

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LSU baseball lost to UNO for the first time since 2017, falling 8-4 to the Privateers in New Orleans. The Tigers will look to rebound with a three-game set against 16^th-ranked Georgia at home starting on Friday. In other scores, UL-Monroe topped McNeese, 8-7, Southern Miss routed Southeastern 9-4, and Northwestern State beat Grambling 8-3.