The Saints and Panthers are reportedly the two teams most interested in trading for Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson. The three-time pro bowl selection did not play last season, because of 22 civil lawsuits and ten criminal complaints were filed against him alleging inappropriate contact with massage therapists. The criminal charges have been dropped, clearing the way for Watson to play in 2022. Rod Walker with the Advocate Newspaper says if the Saints want to make a deal with the Texans it will cost them draft capital…
cut 17 (16) “…..like Deshaun”
The Saints are also reportedly interested in signing former LSU Tiger and Lutcher standout Jarvis Landry. The 29-year-old receiver was released by the Browns.

For the second time in four seasons, the LSU men’s basketball team heads into the NCAA Tournament with an interim coach. They made it to the Sweet 16 in 2019 without Will Wade who was suspended after his voice popped up on an FBI wiretap allegedly discussing financial payments to a recruit. Wade has now been fired for alleged recruiting violations, but interim coach Kevin Nickelberry is confident he and the staff can bring the team together under these circumstances as well….
cut 20 (18) “….they want to be”
The Tigers face Iowa State on Friday.

Northwestern State head coach Mike McConathy has announced his retirement after 23 seasons as the head coach of the Demons. McConathy won 330 games at Northwestern and posted another 352 victories at Bossier Parish Community College. McConathy also took Northwestern to the NCAA Tournament three times.

Assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry will lead LSU into battle when they start NCAA tournament play Friday against Iowa State…The Tigers are 20-12 this season and making their third consecutive tournament appearance. Nickelberry says the players were heartbroken when they learned of Will Wade’s firing Saturday, but they’ll be ready to play come game time.  He stressed that this is a unique situation, and a special opportunity for the Tigers.

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LSU baseball is back in the top five after collecting four wins over nonconference foes, according to Collegiate Baseball. The Tigers face Tulane tomorrow night before starting SEC play this weekend.

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The Saints are one of the teams in pursuit of Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.  According to reports the Saints and Panthers have made offers to Houston for Watson, who plans to meet with both teams over the next two days. The 28-year-old has four seasons remaining on his contract with an average payout of $34 million in salary and bonuses.

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After a 25-5 season, the LSU Lady Tigers are the three seed in the Spokane Region of the Women’s Basketball Tournament and will play Jackson State on Saturday in the PMAC. Kim Mulkey has led LSU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018 and this is the first time since 2014 that the Lady Tigers will host first and second-round games.

Cut 18 (23) “…for the players.”

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After a 40-day retirement, Tom Brady has decided to return to the NFL for one more run. The 44-year old will be playing his 23^rd season, three short of the record held by George Blanda. Besides the teams in the NFC South, at least one other person is extremely disappointed by Brady’s return. What was supposed to be his final career touchdown ball sold for $518 thousand just hours before Brady announced his return.

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The NCAA tabbed LSU as a six-seed for the Men’s Tournament, but Will Wade will not be joining the Tigers in Milwaukee, where they will play 11^th-seeded Iowa State out of the Big 12 on Friday night. Assistant Kevin Nickleberry takes the reigns after Wade was terminated by LSU for alleged major recruiting violations within the program over a number of years. Nickelberry says the players were heartbroken when they learned of Wade’s firing, but they’ll be ready to play in the NCAA Tournament…

Cut 8 (11) “…with character.”

LSU has now advanced to three straight NCAA Tournaments, but the search for a new head coach will be impacted, just how much will depend on how harsh the NCAA is with its punishment.

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Good news on the diamond for LSU as they completed a three-game home sweep of the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. The Tigers outscored the Wildcats 28-8 over the weekend, including a 15-0 shutout on Sunday. Four players had three RBI and Ma’Khail Hilliard struck out six over six scoreless innings as LSU improved to 13-3.

— Break

Kim Mulkey and the LSU women’s basketball team are staying home for the start of the NCAA tournament. The P-MAC will host first and second-round contests for the first time in 8 years, with the third-seeded Tigers taking on Jackson State this Saturday. When Mulkey was the head coach at Baylor last season, her Lady Bears beat Jackson State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, so she’s familiar with them…

Cut 17 (19) “…with the score.”

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Without Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, the Pelicans snapped their four-game losing streak with a 130-105 grounding of the Houston Rockets. Jonas Valanciunas led the way with 32 points and 10 rebounds in just 27 minutes. Rookie Jose Alvarado collected the first double-double of his career with 16 points and 10 assists. The Pels close out their four-game homestand against the Phoenix Suns tomorrow night.

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LSU is a six-seed in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, but head coach Will Wade will not bring them to the Big Dance. Wade was fired on Saturday for allegedly committing major recruiting violations that finally became public after a lengthy NCAA investigation. Assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry is serving as interim head coach…
Cut 7 (12) “…be here.”
The Tigers will face Iowa State on Friday night in Milwaukee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Saints are reportedly interested in trading for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson now that he’s been cleared of criminal charges following allegations of sexual misconduct stemming from massage therapy sessions. Watson still faces 22 civil lawsuits. The NFL Network reports the Saints and Panthers have made strong trade offers to Houston.

After a 25-5 season, the LSU Lady Tigers are the three seed in the Spokane Region of the Women’s Basketball Tournament and will host Jackson State on Saturday in Baton Rouge. Kim Mulkey and the team watched the unveiling of the bracket in the PMAC with hundreds of fans…
Cut 16 (18) “…the game.”

The Nicholls State University men’s basketball team is in the N-I-T for the first time in program history and the Colonels will visit top-seeded SMU on Wednesday.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 32 points last night as the Pelicans snapped their four-game losing streak last night with a 130 to 105 win over last-place Houston at the Smoothie King Center. New Orleans has a one-game lead over Portland for the final spot in the play-in tournament.

For the third time this season, the LSU men’s basketball team lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks as the Hogs eliminated the Tigers from the SEC Tournament with a 79-67 win in Tampa. The Razorbacks went on a 19-0 during the middle of this game to put the Tigers away, who will now wait to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. They will be either a five or six seed.

The Louisiana Tech men’s and women’s basketball teams are in the Conference USA Tournament finals today playing for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The men’s squad scored just 42 points but still beat North Texas 42-36 yesterday. They will play a tired UAB team tonight in the championship game. The Blazers beat Middle Tennessee in three overtimes yesterday. The title game is tonight at 7:30.

The Lady Techsters will face Charlotte at 4:30 today in their first Conference USA finals appearance. The Lady Techsters rallied from 13 points down to defeat Middle Tennessee 80-72. La Tech has won a season-high six straight games.

The Nicholls Colonels won the Southland Conference regular-season title, but they were bounced last night in the semi-finals of the league’s conference tournament. Nicholls was just six of 20 from three-point territory and shot 36-percent from the field in a 71-64 loss to Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi.

The Islanders will face Southeastern Louisiana in tonight’s conference tournament championship game. The Lions dribbled past U-N-O 74 to 65 as Joe Kasperzyk came off the bench to score 19 points.

Grambling’s season ended yesterday with a 73-54 loss to Texas Southern.

The Pelicans lost their fourth straight last night as they were stung by the Charlotte Hornets 142 to 120. Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum did not play, but Zion Williamson watched from the team’s bench.

Baseball. LSU beat Bethune Cookman eight to seven, Louisiana Tech trounced Houston Baptist 22 to 2. ULM outlasted Nicholls 10 to 8 in ten innings and Houston and the Cajuns were suspended at five a piece in the eighth inning yesterday.

For a third time this season, the LSU Tigers lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Hogs scored 50 points in the second half and the Bayou bengals couldn’t keep up and lost 79-67. Darius Days had a double-double 14 points and 10 rebounds. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Tigers as a five seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Louisiana Tech is one win away from an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament as the Bulldogs won an ugly game over North Texas. The final score was 42-36. Tech shot just 29-percent from the field, but the Mean Green shot 24-percent. Two players finished in double figures for the Dunkin Dogs, Keaston Willis and Cobe Williams each had 12 points. The Conference USA Championship game is tomorrow night at 7:30.

In the Southland Tournament, top seeded Nicholls faces Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi, while UNO faces Southeastern Louisinana. The championship game is tomorrow.

In the SWAC Tournament, Grambling lost to Texas Southern today 73-54.

The Saints have reportedly restructured the contract of running back Alvin Kamara, saving the team eight million dollars in salary cap space. The team converted ten million dollars of Kamar’s salary into a signing bonuys.

And former Saints linebacker Craig Robertson has announced his retirement. Robertson played for New Orleans from 2016 to 2020. He did not play last season.

The LSU baseball team took game one of its three game series with Bethune Cookman eight to seven today. The Tigers trailed 6-2 in the fifth inning, but rallied back. Jacob Berry hit a two run homer run, Dylan Crews hit a solo shot and Brayden Jobert had the game winning hit in the seventh inning. Dylan Fontenot earned the win with 2.1 innings of shutout baseball.

The Pelicans face the Charlotte Hornets tonight, but CJ McCollum will not play as he’s in COVID protcol. Brandon Ingram is also out with a hamstring injury.

The LSU men’s basketball team will face Arkansas for a third time this season at 1:30 today in a quarterfinal matchup of the SEC Tournament. The Tigers took down Missouri yesterday 76-68 as Tari Eason had 19 points. It was LSU’s first game since we learned the program has received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA. Coach Will Wade says it has not been a distraction to his team…
cut 18 (14) “…with the investigation”
But Wade says he looks forward to commenting on the NCAA allegations in the future.

Louisiana Tech overcome a season-high 20 turnovers to beat Western Kentucky 59-57 last night to advance to the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament. Kenneth Lofton Junior registered his 17th double-double, 15 points and 12 rebounds.

In the Southland, UNO eliminated McNeese 82-78 and in the SWAC Grambling edged Southern 60-58.

Because of the threat of rain tonight, the sixth-ranked LSU baseball team will begin its three-game series against Bethune Cookman at noon today. The Wildcats are 5-and-7 this season after not playing last year because of COVID. They were in a Regional in 2017. Tigers Coach Jay Johnson says Bethune Cookman has only hit three home runs, but they can score in other ways…
cut 20 (12) “….good opponent”
Blake Money will start on the mound today. Johnson has yet to name a starter for tomorrow and Sunday.

In other action today, the Cajuns host Houston for a 4 PM first pitch. U-L-M is at Nicholls, and Louisiana Tech hosts Houston Baptist.

Three state championship trophies will be handed out in Lake Charles at the boys high school basketball tournament. The Class B title game is tonight as Simsboro takes on Zwolle.

It is tournament time for basketball…in the LHSAA Boys Nonselect tournament, the field has narrowed as we approach the championships on Friday and Saturday at McNeese’s Burton Coliseum.

In Class 4A, Carver crushed Huntington, 84-35 to advance to the title game for the second consecutive season. Jaylon Hicks had a game-high 20 points to lead the Rams who will face McMain, the defending state champs in the final. The Mustangs defeated second-seeded Edna Karr, 52-41, paced by Alex Hammond’s 15 points.

Zachary will be making its second-straight appearance in the 5A title game after knocking off Ouachita, 75-60. Jordan DeCuir led the Broncos with 24 points. They will face the surprising Northshore Panthers, who will be making their first bid for a state crown after beating Walker 68-54 in the semis. James Bridges posted a double-double with 25 points and 10 boards for Northshore in the win.

Today’s semifinals will set up the championships for divisions 2A and 3A. Madison Prep advanced to the 3A championship game with a win over Donaldsonville. They will face Wossman on Saturday after the Wildcats got past Bossier. In the 2A semis, Amite takes on Lakeview and Rayville plays Port Allen.

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Moving from Marsh Madness to March Madness…Grambling is just 12-20 this season, but three of those wins have come over Southern, including today’s 60-58 upset of the Jags in the SWAC basketball tournament. Tra’Michael Moton nearly had a triple-double for the Tigers with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists. Grambling advances to face Texas Southern in the semifinals on Friday.

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LSU moves on to the SEC tournament quarterfinals after topping Missouri 76-68. Tari Eason led the Tigers with 19 points with Darius Days adding 16 more. They will face Arkansas Friday afternoon at 2 pm. McNeese faces UNO in the Southland tournament this evening, with top-seeded Nicholls and number two Southeastern off until tomorrow’s semifinals.

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The second-longest work stoppage in baseball’s history has finally come to an end. Major League Baseball and the Players Association have reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement after the owners locked out the players for 99-days. According to reports, spring training camps will open on Sunday, with teams able to sign free agents and make trades once again. Aside from the financial pieces of the negotiations, there are some on-field changes coming as well, including the adoption of the DH by the National League, a 12-team postseason, and advertising on jerseys and batting helmets.

Will Wade leads the fifth-seeded LSU Tigers into the SEC men’s tournament in Tampa looking to find some momentum after going 9-9 in conference play. The Tigers won two of three to close the regular season and have some of the top individual talents in the league. Wade thinks his team is playing more like the team that started the season 15-1, rather than the one that scuffled through the SEC.

Cut 16 (13) “…we’re in Tampa.”

LSU will play Missouri at 1:30 today.

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Led by the bats of Gavin Dugas and Jacob Berry, the Tigers topped McNeese 6-3 at The Box last night. Dugas and Berry went a combined five-for-eight at the plate with two home runs and five R-B-I. Will Helmers pitched three scoreless innings to pick up his second win of the season for sixth-ranked LSU, which improved to 10-3. McNeese falls to 8-5.

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Louisiana Tech dominated Southeastern 13-1 in a mid-week matchup. Taylor Young went four-for-five with two R-B-I and Wade Elliott drove in three more for the Bulldogs.

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The New Orleans Pelicans have gone from one extreme to the other. After handing out beat downs during a four-game win streak, the Pels have lost three straight, including last night’s disappointing 102-106 defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic. CJ McCollum scored 32 and Jonas Valanciunas added 30 more but they weren’t enough to overcome an early, 13-point deficit. Adding to the sting of the loss, forward Brandon Ingram will be out 7-10 days with a sore hamstring, meaning he will miss at least the next three games.

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In college hoops, Grambling and Southern will add another chapter to their rivalry when they meet in the SWAC tournament this afternoon at 2 pm. The Tigers took both games from the Jags during the regular season.

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Over in the Southland, McNeese advanced by beating Northwestern State Wednesday night. Their reward is a matchup with third-seeded UNO this evening. Top-seeded Nicholls and number two Southeastern are off until tomorrow’s semifinals.

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And Major League Baseball has announced the cancellation of 93 more games as the owner’s lockout drags on. So far 184 games have been chopped off the schedule, or just under eight percent. The earliest the season could begin is April 14^th. Both sides continue to negotiate.

The LSU men’s basketball team will face Missouri this afternoon in the SEC Tournament. Coach Will Wade’s team is looking to build momentum heading into next week’s NCAA Tournament and he believes the SEC has them battled-tested…
cut 17 (16) “…at the top”
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has LSU as a five seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Louisiana Tech advanced in the Conference USA Tournament last night with a 77-67 victory over Marshall. Tech shot 62-percent from the field in the second half and Kenneth Lofton had a team-high 21 points and nine boards. The Bulldogs will face Western Kentucky tonight.

McNeese beat Northwestern State 80-67 in the Southland Tournament and the Cowboys will play UNO tonight at 6:30.

The LSU baseball team improved to 10-and-3 last night with a six to three win over McNeese. Gavin Dugas and Jacob Berry homered. Right-hander Will Hellmers got the win as he fired three shutout innings.

Louisiana Tech trounced Southeastern Louisiana 13 to 1. Wade Elliot drove in three runs and on the mound Jackson Lancaster tossed three shutout innings and struck out five.

ULM ended a nine-game losing streak with a six to two win over Northwestern State. Sophomore Landon Cato crushed a three-run homer.

Elsewhere, Nicholls shut out St. Thomas 10 to nothing, Grambling swept a doubleheader from Wiley and Houston topped Southern seven to four.

In the NBA, Brandon Ingram didn’t play again last night and the Pelicans lost again as Orlando dribbled past New Orleans 108 to 102. The Pels are 2 and 14 when Ingram doesn’t play and he’s out at least a week with a hamstring injury.

Today…Southern faces Grambling at 2 PM in the SWAC Tournament.