LSU men’s basketball came up a little bit short last night against 14th ranked Arkansas as the Hogs rallied from a seven-point second-half deficit to beat the Tigers 77-76 and sweep the regular-season series. Tari Eason led LSU with 24 points and Tiger fans are upset over some questionable fouls that went against LSU.

Louisiana Tech rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit to beat Old Dominion 67-54. The Bulldogs close out the regular season on Saturday by visiting UAB in a battle for second place in Conference USA West.

Nicholls and UNO both won last night so the Colonels and Privateers will play for a Southland Conference regular-season championship on Saturday in Thibodaux.

Brandon Ingram had 33 points as the Pelicans crowned the Sacramento Kings 125 to 95 for a third straight blowout win for New Orleans.

LSU baseball beat UNO 11-3, Southeastern edged La Tech four to three, the Cajuns doubled up Northwestern State six to three and 2nd ranked Ole Miss defeated ULM 11 to 1 in seven innings.

The Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Tournament gets underway in Pensacola, Florida today. The Cajuns are an 8-seed and will face 9th seeded UTA at 11:30 this morning. The Mavericks beat U-L Lafayette twice during the regular season including an overtime defeat at home. A game Coach Bob Marlin remembers well…
Cut 16 (15) “…Pensacola.”
Also today, ULM faces Arkansas State.

Many LSU fans are shocked that Kim Mukley did not win SEC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year. Instead that honor went to South Carolina’s Dawn Staley as the Gamecocks are ranked number one. Mulkey says she’s not worried about the apparent snub…
cut 20 (16) “….accomplished a lot”
LSU will play Friday night in the SEC Tournament.

The annual NFL Scouting Combine started Tuesday, with several prominent LSU prospects looking to impress as the draft nears. Butkus Award Finalist Damone Clark should draw plenty of interest. After collecting 114 tackles in his first three seasons in Baton Rouge, Clark had 135 last season for the Tigers, including 5.5 sacks, and earned Second-team All-America honors from multiple outlets. His nose for the football and his sideline to sideline ability has pushed his name up draft boards says NFL analyst Mike Detillier.

Cut 17 (11) “…in this league.”

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Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday that it was canceling the opening two series of the 2022 season after the players union unanimously rejected what was called the owners’ final offer. Nine straight days of negotiations failed to produce a new collective bargaining agreement. Instead, baseball will extend the ninth work stoppage in the sport’s history, and the fourth to cause the cancellation of games. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said there are no plans at this time to make up those games and players will not be paid.

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Louisiana Tech closes out the home portion of its schedule tonight when they host Old Dominion at the Thomas Assembly Center. The Bulldogs are 11-and-5 in Conference USA, third place in the West. The Monarchs are 7-and-9 in league play, but Tech Coach Eric Konkol says Old Dominion is playing its best basketball of the season…

Cut 19 (18) “…taken it”

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The LSU men’s basketball team has another important test tonight as they go on the road to face 14^th-ranked Arkansas. The Tigers still have an outside shot at the fifth seed in the SEC tournament. Nicholls and UNO continue their fight for the top seed in the Southland…the Colonels visit Texas A&M Corpus-Christi and the Privateers host Houston Baptist.

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At the Smoothie King Center tonight, the New Orleans Pelicans will be gunning for their third consecutive win as they host the Sacramento Kings. The Pels are 10^th in the Western Conference Standings and just two games behind the Lakers for ninth.

The LSU men’s basketball team plays its final road game of the season tonight when they visit 14th ranked Arkansas. The Razorbacks are one of the hottest teams in college hoops, winning 13 of their last 14 including a come-from-behind win in Baton Rouge in mid-January. Tip time is at Eight.

Louisiana Tech plays its final home game of the season as they host Old Dominion at 6 PM. Fifth-year seniors Amorie Archibald and Exavian Christon will play their final game inside the TAC. Both players have spent the past five seasons with the Bulldogs, combining to play in 266 career games. Coach Eric Konkol says they are great people…
cut 20 (17) “…got his”

In college baseball last night, Tulane trounced Southeastern Louisiana 23 to 1. That’s the most runs the Green Wave have scored since 2005. Nicholls scored four runs in the seventh to beat Louisiana Tech five to four. The Cajuns outscored Northwestern State 11 to 8. Ninth-ranked Mississippi State edged Grambling two to one and second-ranked Ole Miss slammed ULM ten to two.

At the NFL draft combine in Indianapolis, the Saints can interview quarterbacks today. Tomorrow defensive backs will arrive for registration, but LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Junior will not work out as he continues to rehab from foot surgery in October. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says Stingley plans to work out for NFL teams at LSU’s Pro Day on April sixth…
cut 16 (16) “….at his pro day”

Less than a week after it was announced that Art Briles would be Hue Jackson’s offensive coordinator at Grambling, Briles decided to step down, resigning from the staff on Monday. UL System president Dr. Jim Henderson said that student safety is a priority and that the hiring of Briles sent a message that was inconsistent with the values the system has worked to promote and rules they have committed to enforce.

Cut 4 (11) “…issue to us.”

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Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the first two series of the 2022 regular season have been cancelled after the players union unanimously agreed to not accept the final offer made by the owners. Due to schedules and tickets already sold, it is unlikely those games will be made up. Opening Day was scheduled for March 31, and now the start of the season is completely up in the air. The union says that the league made very few concessions during negotiations and the two sides are still far apart on a new collective bargaining agreement. The owners locked out the players in December, but the two sides did not begin meeting until late February.

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On the college diamond, plenty of intrastate matchups on the docket. McNeese visits Southern looking to extend its four-game win streak. Tulane drives up to Hammond to take on Southeastern. UL and Northwestern State play the first of a home-and-home series in Natchitoches. UL-M is on the road at number two Mississippi, and Louisiana Tech starts a five-game road stretch at Nicholls.

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With only two weeks to go until Selection Sunday, the LSU women’s basketball team is in position to grab a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament based on the selection committee’s final top-16 list of the regular season. As a top-16 seed LSU would host first and second-round games at the PMAC. The Tigers have not hosted an NCAA tournament game since 2014, and haven’t been a top-16 seed since 2008.

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Postseason basketball awards season has begun…LSU’s Khayla Pointer and Alexis Morris were both named to the All-SEC team. Pointer was selected to the first team after leading the largest single-season turnaround in SEC history for the 25-4 Tigers. She finished third in the conference in scoring and second in assists. Morris earned Second Team honors after averaging 15.8 points and 1.8 steals per game.

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Less than a week after it was announced that Art Briles would be Hue Jackson’s offensive coordinator at Grambling, Briles has decided to step down. Briles notified the university on Monday, a school spokesperson confirmed, that he did not want to be a distraction to the team. Jackson and Grambling have been under a wave of criticism since last Thursday when the hiring was originally announced. Briles was terminated with cause by Baylor in 2016 after investigators uncovered at least 52 sexual and physical assaults committed by players that were either ignored or covered up by Briles and his staff.

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The Sun Belt Conference is dealing with controversy on the football field of a different kind. The conference released its 2022 football schedule, and it includes Marshall, Southern Miss, and Old Dominion. The problem is that last month, Conference USA released its schedule, which included those three schools as well. The trio of programs accepted invites to join the SBC last fall, but have been in a legal battle to push their move-in date up from 2023 to now. Opening games are just six months away.

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Southern maintained its hold on third place in both the SWAC men’s and women’s basketball standings with a doubleheader sweep of Florida A&M. The SWAC tourney begins next week.

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Major League Baseball and the Players Association continue to try to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, having extended their negotiating deadline to save regular-season games to 5 pm ET Tuesday. The two sides met late into Monday night with talks set to resume this morning. If a deal isn’t reached, it’s likely that baseball will not be ready to go for Opening Day, currently scheduled for March 31.

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On the college diamond, plenty of intrastate matchups on the docket. McNeese visits Southern looking to extend its four-game win streak. Tulane drives up to Hammond to take on Southeastern. UL and Northwestern State play the first of a home-and-home series in Natchitoches. UL-M is on the road at number two Mississippi, and Louisiana Tech starts a five-game road stretch at Nicholls.

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The 20^th-ranked UL Cajuns softball team was supposed to be playing Stephen F. Austin tonight, instead, they’re off until Thursday when they host number 21 LSU at Lamson Park.

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With only two weeks to go until Selection Sunday, the LSU women’s basketball team is in position to grab a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament based on the selection committee’s final top-16 list of the regular season. As a top-16 seed LSU would host first and second-round games at the PMAC. The Tigers have not hosted an NCAA tournament game since 2014, and haven’t been a top-16 seed since 2008.

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Former disgraced Baylor football coach Art Briles is no longer the offensive coordinator at Grambling State. Briles has stepped down as Grambling has faced backlash for hiring him. Briles was fired by Baylor in 2016 after the Texas school learned Briles and his staff failed to alert the proper authorities about sexual assault allegations made against 19 different football players. New Grambling coach Hue Jackson attempted to defend Briles hiring saying it was about forgiveness, redemption, and enlightenment.

Former LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Junior will reportedly not participate in workouts at the NFL Draft Combine which gets underway this week in Indianapolis. Stingley continues to rehab a Lisfrank injury that forced him to miss most of his junior season. Stingley is expected to work out for scouts at LSU’s Pro Day on April sixth.

The NFL has announced that the Saints will play one of their home games in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. An opponent and a date has not been announced. And Saints Q-B Jameis Winston is running again after tearing his A-C-L on Halloween Day.

In the latest Collegiate Baseball Poll, LSU is ranked third, down one spot from last week. Louisiana Tech fell 10 spots to number 25 after getting swept in a doubleheader on Sunday by Tulane. Tech is at Nicholls tonight. LSU hosts UNO tomorrow. The Tigers face top-ranked Texas on Saturday night in Houston at Minute Maid Park.

The LSU women’s basketball team is up to number six in the A-P Top 25 poll. The Lady Tigers are the two seed in the SEC Tournament and will play Friday in Nashville.

Last night, Southern beat Florida A-and-M 58-49, while Bethune Cookman dribbled past Grambling 69-63.

The Pelicans are off tonight. They will host Sacramento tomorrow as they battle for a playoff play-in spot in the Western Conference.

In the girls non-select basketball championships….Hicks and Gibsland-Coleman advanced to the Class C title game and North Central beat White Castle 60-57 in a Class One-A semi-final game.

LSU’s women’s basketball team beat Tennessee in Knoxville for just the fourth time in program history, topping the Lady Vols, 57-54 Sunday, and clinched the second-seed in this week’s SEC tournament. The Tigers, now ranked fifth nationally, have won eight in a row and 10 of their last 11 ball games. Kim Mulkey says all credit goes to the players.

Cut 22 (9) “…find ways to win.”

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LSU’s men collected their 20^th win of the season on Saturday with a 75-55 romp over Missouri at the P-MAC. The Tigers close the season with a visit to 18^th-ranked Arkansas on Wednesday, before the regular-season finale against number 24 Alabama on Saturday. It hasn’t been the smoothest path to 20 wins, but Will Wade isn’t complaining.

Cut 19 (18) “…taken it.”

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The New Orleans Pelicans have won two in a row coming out of the All-Star break. After beating the Western Conference-leading Suns on Friday, the Pels beat the Lakers by 28 on Sunday night. CJ McCollum led six players in double figures with 22 points, with Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas adding 19 each. Ingram said the key to the Pelicans’ success has started with its defense, which has been best in the league over these last two games.

Cut 22 (14) “…to carry over.”

New Orleans hosts Sacramento on Wednesday night at the Smoothie King Center.

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The NFL has announced that the New Orleans Saints will be playing a game across the pond during the 2022-23 season. The date and opponent have yet to be announced, but the Saints will be playing in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It will be the third time the Black & Gold travels to the UK for a game. They are 2-0 in England all-time, beating the Chargers in 2008 and the Dolphins in 2017.

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LSU climbed one spot to seventh in the D-1 baseball rankings after winning four straight this past weekend. Louisiana Tech lost 2 of 3 to Tulane, and the UL Ragin Cajuns dropped three in a row at the Round Rock Classic.

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8^th-ranked LSU defeated number 16 Tennessee 57-54 on Sunday to close out Kim Mulkey’s spectacularly successful first regular season as coach of the Tigers. Both Jailin Cherry and Khayla Pointer posted double-doubles as LSU won its eighth game in a row and 25^th of the season. The Tigers will hold the second seed in the SEC women’s basketball tournament, where they will play either Kentucky or Mississippi State this Friday in Nashville.

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LSU men’s basketball started the second half on Saturday night on 15-0 run and went on to beat Missouri 75-55 at the PMAC. The Tigers are 8-8 in the SEC and in a four-way tie for sixth in the standings. LSU closes out the regular season at 18^th-ranked Arkansas on Wednesday with the home finale Saturday versus 24th ranked Alabama. Will Wade is hoping his team can get hot again as the calendar flips to March.

Cut 20 (21) “…pop us”

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Lots of action on the diamond this weekend. Louisiana Tech dropped 2 of 3 in its series against Tulane. UNO improved to 5-1 with a pair of wins over Kansas. Southeastern and UL-Monroe, took tough losses at home, and Nicholls evened its record at 4-4 with a win over Mississippi Valley. LSU outscored Towson and Southern 26-1 while taking two at the Box.

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After spending nine seasons at Louisiana Tech, Joe Sloan is the new LSU quarterbacks coach. Sloan says he has spent his few weeks in Baton Rouge getting to know his Q-Bs…

Cut 17 (22) “…can be”

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The New Orleans Pelicans have won two in a row since the All-Star break. Last night they lapped the Lakers 123-95. CJ McCollum scored 22 points, Brandon Ingram added 19, and Jonas Valanciunas finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds

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The New Orleans Saints will play a game in London this season. The date is yet to be announced.

The Pelicans have looked good since returning from the All-Star Break. They cooled off the Phoenix Suns on Friday and last night they defeated a struggling Lakers team 123 to 95. CJ McCollum had 22 points, while Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas each had 19 points.

The eighth-ranked LSU women’s basketball team held on to beat 16th ranked Tennessee 57-54 yesterday. The Lady Tigers are the two seed in this week’s SEC Tournament.

LSU men’s basketball started the second half on Saturday night on 15-0 run and went on to beat Missouri 75-55 at the PMAC. The Tigers were led by Tari Eason who had 18 points in 19 minutes and they held Mizzou to 35-percent shooting from the floor. Coach Will Wade
Cut 18 (18) “ ..win for us.”

The LSU baseball team won two games yesterday beating Towson 11 to 1 and then shutting out Southern 15 to 0. Jacob Berry drove in five runs over the course of two days.

Tulane swept a doubleheader from Louisiana Tech yesterday handing the Bulldogs their first two losses of the season.

The Ragin Cajuns lost three games in Round Rock, Texas over the weekend, including a six to four defeat to second-ranked Arkansas yesterday.

After two stints as a head football coach, Frank Wilson is back with the LSU football program as associate head coach and running backs coach. Wilson was the head coach at McNeese last season and when the Cowboys played in Tiger Stadium in September, he thought about the possibility of returning to LSU
Cut 16 (20) “…serious consideration”

The New Orleans Pelicans return from the All-Star break on a winning note, after beating the Phoenix Suns, 117-102 on Friday night. CJ McCollum led all scorers with 32 points and is averaging 29 points per game since being traded to the Pels. Brandon Ingram added 28, and Jonas Valanciuanas picked up another double-double with 18 points and 17 rebounds. New Orleans pulled back to within a game of the tenth seed in the Western Conference with the win. The Pelicans wrap up their quick, two-game road trip in Los Angeles on Sunday night against the Lakers.

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LSU got seven strong innings out of Blake Money and Dylan Crews homered, tripled, and drove in four runs, as the Tigers beat Towson 6-0 Friday night at The Box. Money allowed only two hits while striking out seven on his way to his second victory of the season. Crews smacked a two-run home run to left field in the bottom of the first to drive in Trey Morgan, giving LSU an early 2-0 lead. He closed out the scoring with a triple to right in the third that brought in two more. The 4-1 Tigers host Southern at 1:30 pm this afternoon, followed by a Sunday doubleheader.

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John Curtis won its sixth consecutive state championship with a 67-47 victory over McKinley in the Division I state girls title game. Eighth-grader Chikae Desdunes scored 23 points to pace the Patriots, and sophomore Heaven Jordan earned Most Outstanding Player honors, and her third state championship, with 15 points, seven steals, six assists, and five rebounds.

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The U-L Ragin Cajuns baseball squad fell to sixth-ranked Stanford, 5-1 in its first game at the Karbach Round Rock Classic in Texas. In a tough, three-game set, the Cajuns will take on Indiana today before facing number two Arkansas on Sunday.

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On the Softball diamond, U-L bounced back from a tough loss to Alabama to grab a pair of wins Friday night on day one of Youngsville’s Mardi Gras Mambo. The 15^th-ranked Ragin Cajuns topped Eastern Illinois 3-2 in the opener before shutting out St. Thomas 10-0 in game two. Freshman Sam Landry struck out 11 on the way to completing the first no-hitter of her career.

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In other baseball scores from around the state, Louisiana Tech beat Tulane 6-1 in the first game of their three-game series.

And in softball, number 24 LSU grabbed a pair of wins, topping Stephen F. Austin 10-4, and beating Drake 12-4 in five innings.