7:30 LRN Sportscast

The Pelicans seven-game road winning streak came to an end last night with a 125- to 113 loss the defending champion Denver Nuggets. New Orleans was never really in this game. Zion Williamson had 30 points, 18 were scored in the fourth quarter. The Pels are in Dallas tonight and they play the Mavericks again on Monday.

Alabama has found its replacement for Nick Saban. It’s Washington’s Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer just led the Huskies to the College Football National Championship game. The 49-year-old from South Dakota has a coaching record of 104 and 12, 25 and 3 at Washington.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports LSU is set to hire Missouri assistant Kevin Peoples as an assistant coach. Football Scoop reported earlier this week that it’s possible Peoples will coach the defensive ends and Bo Davis will coach the defensive tackles.

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The LSU men’s basketball team will try to go to 3-and-0 in the SEC tonight when they visit 16th-ranked Auburn. Coach Matt McMahon on what makes Auburn so good…
cut 15 (18) “…togetherness’
Tip-off is at 5 PM.

Also today….ULM ends a four-game homestand in desperate need of a victory as the Warhawks host Texas State. The Cajuns are at Arkansas State. U-L Lafayette is 1-and-3 in league play while the Red Wolves are 3-and-1.

In the Southland, 13-and-2 McNeese hosts Southeastern Louisiana. Nicholls battles Lamar in Thibodaux in a matchup of 2-0 teams in league play and Northwestern State looks for its first conference win as they host U-I-W.

4:45 LRN Sportscast

It didn’t take long for Alabama to hire a new head coach. The Crimson Tide are reportedly working on a contract with Washington’s Kalen DeBoer to replace Nick Saban. DeBoer just led the Huskies to the College Football National Championship game. The 49-year-old from South Dakota has a coaching record of 104 and 12. He want 67-and-3 at Sioux Falls an NAIA school. He was 12 and 6 at Fresno State and 25 and 3 at Washington.

The Pelicans are at Denver tonight. New Orleans has won six of its last seven.

The 7th ranked LSU women’s basketball team won its 16th straight game last night as the Lady Tigers took down Texas A&M 87-70. Statistically the Aggies had the best defense in the country coming into the game, but they couldn’t stop Kim Mulkey’s squad….
cut 20 (21) “…keep showing em”
LSU is at Auburn on Sunday.

The LSU men’s basketball team will try to go to 3-and-0 in the SEC tomorrow when they visit 16th ranked Auburn. Coach Matt McMahon on what makes Auburn so good…
cut 15 (18) “…togetherness’
Kick-off is at 5 PM.

After beating Middle Tennessee last night 60-52, Louisiana Tech will be home on Sunday to host Liberty at 2 PM in a game that will be televised on ESPN 2. The Flames are 0-2 in Conference USA.

ULM tries for its first Sun Belt when its host Texas State to wrap up a four game home stand. The Ragin Cajuns are in the middle of a four game road trip and they are at Arkansas State tomorrow.

McNeese hosts Southeastern, Nicholls hosts Lamar in a game featuring two teams that are 2-0 in the Southland.

06:45 LRN Sportscast January 12

The 7th ranked LSU women’s basketball team won its 16th straight game last night as the Lady Tigers took down Texas A&M 87-70. The Aggies came into the game ranked number one in the nation for points allowed at 49 a game. But LSU nearly scored 90 points. Coach Kim Mulkey….
cut 20 (21) “…keep showing em”
Aneesah Morrow had 21 points and eight rebounds. Angel Reese had 20 points and 18 rebounds.

ULM falls to 0-4 in the Sun Belt with a loss to Southern Miss 71-58. Louisiana Tech got a nice win on the road as the Bulldogs knocked off Middle Tennessee 60-52. 24th ranked FAU edged Tulane 85-84.

The surging Pelicans have a big game tonight in Denver as they take on the defending NBA champion Nuggets. New Orleans is 23-15, winners in seven of their last ten and in sixth place in the West. The Nuggets are 26-13 and in third place. Four Pelican players are listed as questionable with injuries, Zion Williamson, C-J McCollum, Trey Murphy and Brandon Ingram. Tip time is at 9.

The LSU men’s basketball team will try to go 3-0 in the SEC tomorrow when they visit 16th-ranked Auburn. LSU and Auburn are among five teams in the league with a 2-0 conference record.

In the Southland tomorrow…13-and-2 McNeese hosts Southeastern Louisiana. Nicholls battles Lamar in Thibodaux in a matchup of two teams that are 2-0 in league play and Northwestern State looks for its first conference win as they host U-I-W.

In the Sun Belt…the Cajuns are at Arkansas State, while ULM hosts Texas State.

LRN PM Newscall

Louisiana get a real taste of winter at the start of next week. LRN meteorologist Bill Jacquemin has the latest…

Cut 1 (29)  “…I’m Bill Jacquemin”

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While some say changing to a closed-party primary is too expensive and not fair, Governor Landry’s administration says otherwise. Brooke Thorington has more.

Cut 2 (32)  “…I’m Brooke Thorington.” 

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Nick Saban is heading into retirement after winning seven national championships, six of them at Alabama and one at LSU in 2003. Former LSU quarterback Marcus Randall played for Saban and there’s a reason why he’s considered the greatest college football coach of all time.

Cut 3 (11) “…he’s been.”

Randall was LSU’s starting quarterback for Saban’s final season in Baton Rouge. He left to coach for the Miami Dolphins. Randall says if Saban stayed at LSU, the Tigers would have had a dynasty,,,,

Cut 4 (08) “..a winner.”

Saban had a 48-16 record at LSU, winning two SEC championships and a national title in 2003. Saban began coaching at Alabama in 2007, winning six national titles and nine conference titles. Randall says there will never be another Saban…

Cut 5 (07) “ …unheard of.” 

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The debate over moving to closed-party primary elections versus the current open process in Louisiana is being met with opposition. But Brent Littlefield, longtime political advisor to Governor Jeff Landry, says there’s a campaign underway to confuse lawmakers and the public about the issue.

Cut 6 (08) “…this idea.” 

JMC Analytics and Polling estimates a change would cost the state an extra $90 million annually. Littlefield says such numbers are speculative and exaggerated…

Cut 7 (11) “…in the sky.” 

With the transition, politically unaffiliated voters would only be able to vote in the general election and not the primary. Those against say voters who aren’t registered with a political party would be disenfranchised.  Littlefield says that’s a false talking point.

Cut 8 (11) “…presidential election.” 

During next week’s redistricting session for both the congressional and judicial maps, Littlefield says legislation for closed-party primary elections will be introduced.

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There’s a crawfish crisis ongoing because of last year’s drought. LSU Ag Center crawfish specialist Mark Shirley is predicting this could be the worst season ever. Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says he’s spoken to a few farmers who have pressed pause on fishing…

Cut 9 (09) “…one or two sacks.” 

Strain says expect to pay more crawfish this season…

Cut 10 (10) “…of crawfish” 

Strain says they’ll have a better idea in three weeks on how bad the season might be…

Cut 11 (10) “…quit fishing.”

Strain remains optimistic there will be a good supply of crawfish once Easter rolls around.

4:45 LRN Sportscast

Nick Saban tells ESPN the grind of coaching was the reason why he decided to retire at the age of 72. Saban says it was getting harder to work long hours on just four hours of sleep.

Saban coached at LSU from 2000 to 2004 and went 48-16 during those five seasons. He built the Tigers into a national powerhouse and after a two-year stint with the Miami Dolphins he arrived at Alabama in 2007. Saban won his first national title at Alabama in 2009 and went on to win five more national titles. Former LSU wide receiver Marcus Clayton has mixed emotions about his former coach’s retirement…
cut 18 (18) “,,,under his leadership”

The Pelicans won their seventh straight road game last night as New Orleans crushed the Golden State Warriors 141 to 105. Eight players scored in double figures. Coach Willie Green…
cut 20 (12) “…turnover games:
The Pels only had eleven turnovers. New Orleans is at Denver tomorrow.

In college hoops…the Ragin Cajuns lost to Troy 79-73. ULM hosts Southern Miss tonight, while Louisiana Tech is at Middle Tennessee. Bulldogs Coach Talvin Hester on what needs to happen to get a win in Murfreesboro…
cut 19 (16) “….like our chances”
Tip off is at 8 PM.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

Alabama coach Nick Saban has announced his retirement after winning seven national championships, the first one came at LSU in 2003. Wide receiver Michael Clayton was one of several standout recruits in LSU’s 2001 recruiting class that led the Tigers to a BCS National Championship. Clayton remembers that in home visit with Saban….
cut 17 (14) “…my life”

LSU has hired defensive line coach Bo Davis away from Texas. Tiger Rag Assistant Editor William Weathers says this should end the revolving door of D-Line coaches the program experienced in 2003 when Jamar Cain left for job with the Broncos…
cut 15 (12) “…stability”
Davis will reportedly start out making 1.25 million dollars.

The Pelicans won their seventh straight road game last night as New Orleans crushed the Golden State Warriors 141 to 105. Eight players scored in double figures led by Jonas Valanciunas who had 21 points. Zion Williamson had 19 points and seven assists and Trey Murphy came off the bench and scored 16. Coach Willie Green…
cut 20 (12) “…turnover games:
The Pels only had eleven turnovers. New Orleans is at Denver tomorrow.

The Ragin Cajuns had four players in double figures last night but lost to Troy 79-73. Kobe Julien had 20 points as U-L Lafayette fell to 1-and-3 in the Sun Belt.

The Lady Techsters fell in overtime to Middle Tennessee 64 to 61 last night. Tech is now 1-and-1. The Lady Cajuns lost to Troy 90-44.

4:45 LRN Sportscast

Stunning news in the world of college football as Alabama head coach Nick Saban has decided to retire. The 72-year-old has won seven national titles, six at Alabama and one at LSU in 2003. Some say this past season was one of his greatest coaching jobs as he led the Crimson Tide to the college football playoffs.

LSU made a big coaching hire today as they convinced defensive line coach Bo Davis to leave Texas and come back to his alma mater. Davis was a nose guard at LSU in the early 1990s and now he’s considered one of the best defensive line coaches. He’s been part of three national championships including LSU’s in 2003 as a strength and conditioning coach. He’s also produced 17 all-conference selections and seven all-americans in 12 years.

Bulldogs Coach Sonny Cumbie announced today that offensive line coach Nathan Young has been promoted to co-offensive coordinator.

After winning just two conference games last year, LSU men’s basketball is off to a 2-0 start in SEC play this season after beating Vanderbilt 77 to 69 in the Maravich Center last night. Jalen Cook had 28 points. It’s the first time since the 2019-20 season that LSU started conference play with back-to-back wins. Coach Matt McMahon says he’s seeing his team play with more confidence…
cut 18 (18) “…getting better”
LSU wil be at 16th ranked Auburn this Saturday.

Nicholls is off to a 2-0 start in league play after beating Southeastern Louisiana 66-61 last night. The Lions are 1-and-1.

The Pelicans are at Golden State tonight. New Orleans has won six straight road games.

6:45 LRN Sportscast

Defensive tackle Maason Smith has played his last game for the LSU Tigers. The former five-star recruit announced late yesterday afternoon that he’s leaving the Bayou Bengals after three seasons for the NFL. Smith entered the 2023 season as an All SEC preseason performer, but his play did not meet expectations as he finished with 28 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. Former LSU linebacker Darry Beckwith says Smith has received advice that now is the time to make the jump to the NFL…
cut 17 (14) “….his goals”
Smith’s departure leaves LSU with just two returning scholarship defensive tackles, Jacobian Guillory and Jalen Lee.

Former Many star Tackett Curtis will continue his college career at Wisconsin after playing one season at USC. Grambling’s leading rusher from last season Chance Williams has committed to Cincinnati and former Zachary quarterback Eli Holstein is going from Alabama to Pittsburgh.

The LSU men’s basketball team is 2-0 in the SEC after defeating Vanderbilt 77-69 last night. The Tigers only led by two points at halftime, but Coach Matt McMahon says his offense was more efficient in the second half…
cut 19 (15) “…ball well”
Big night for Jalen Cook as he had 28 points and Jordan Wright added 15 points.

Four Colonels players scored in double figures as Nicholls defeated Southeastern Louisiana 66-61. Diante Smith led the way for the Colonels who are 2-0 in the Southland, while Southeastern is 1-1.

The Pelicans are at Golden State tonight in a game that will be televised by ABC. New Orleans is 22-15 and the Pels have won six straight on the road. The Warriors are struggling at 17-19.

4:45 LRN Sportscast

The LSU men’s basketball team will try to go to 2-0 in SEC play with a win tonight at home against Vanderbilt. The Tigers have played better since Tulane transfer Jalen Cook was granted eligiblity in mid-December. Cook in four games is averaging 14 points and nearly five assists a game. Coach Matt McMahon says Cook has been a real shot in the arm…
cut 17 (18) “….the team”
LSU is 9-5 overall, while Vanderbilt is 5-9. Tip off is at 8 PM.

McNeese is 2-0 in the Southland after beating Northwestern State 68-59 last night. Shadada Wells had 18 points and five assists. Nicholls hosts Southeastern Louisiana tonight. Both teams won their conference opener.

Dennis Allen says he expects to be back next season as the Saints head coach. Allen went 7-10 in his first season and now 9-8. He was asked about a divide between the players and coaches over the decision to score a touchdown in the final seconds of Sunday’s blowout win over Atlanta. Allen answered the question this way…
cut 20 (10) “…fracture”
The Saints will have the 14th pick in the first round of the draft and Nola-dot-com’s Jeff Duncan is reporting former Super Bowl winning head coach Jon Gruden could be an added to the Saints coaching staff.

The Advertiser is reporting a suspension that kept Ragin Cajuns wide receiver Lance LeGendre on the sidelines for the entire 2023 season has been lifted. Legendre was suspended from the team after he was arrested in July on charges of battery of a dating partner. The charges were dropped in October.

11:40 LRN Sportscast

The college football season ended last night with Michigan defeating Washington 34-13 for its first national championship since 1997. The final AP Top 25 poll came out today and the LSU Tigers are ranked 12th.

Saints quarterback Derek Carr ended up throwing for 3,878 yards this past season with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Carr received plenty of criticism from the fanbase during the season, but finished the year strong. Coach Dennis Allen says there are several reasons why Carr played well down the stretch…
Cut 19 (26) “…he’s played.”
There’s a report the Saints are looking at bringing in former head coach Jon Gruden as an addition to its coaching staff.