The Pelicans needed a win last night to keep their playoff hopes alive and they got it as they defeated Memphis 109-99. Five players scored in double figures led by Brandon Ingram who had 24 points and Zion Williamson scored 23 points in 25 minutes. For the first time in the bubble, Zion played in the final minutes and made some big baskets. Coach Alvin Gentry on giving Williamson more playing time…
cut 20 (19) “….all summer”
Williamson was nine of 21 from the field. The win moves New Orleans 2.5 games back of Memphis for the final playoff spot in the West. The Pels next game is Thursday at 12:30 against Sacramento.

The Sun Belt Conference announced today its football season will begin over the Labor Day Weekend. The league says they will have an eight-game conference schedule and each school can play up to four non-conference games, beginning with week zero. The Sun Belt also plans on holding a championship game on December 5th.

The longest tenured coach of any sport in Southeastern Conference history, LSU’s D-D Breaux announced her retirement today after leading the Tigers gymnastics program for 43 years. Breaux is leaving on top as the Tigers are three-time defending SEC champions and fans have been packing the PMAC to watch their meets. The Donaldsonville native says after building the gymnastics program into a national powerhouse, she can now spend more time with her four grandchildren…
Cut 7 (10) “…right time’” (2x)
Jay Clark, who was the co-head coach, will take over Breaux.

The Pelicans needed a win last night to keep their playoff hopes alive and they got it as they defeated Memphis 109-99. Five players scored in double figures led by Brandon Ingram who had 24 points and Zion Williamson scored 23 points in 25 minutes. For the first time in the bubble, Zion played in the final minutes and made some big baskets. Coach Alvin Gentry on giving Williamson more playing time…
cut 20 (19) “….all summer”
Williamson was nine of 21 from the field. The win moves New Orleans 2.5 games back of Memphis for the final playoff spot in the West. The Pels next game is Thursday at 12:30 against Sacramento.

Three starters from last season’s LSU basketball team have withdrawn their names from the NBA underclassmen draft list. Forwards Trendon Watford and Darius Days and guard Javonte Smart are coming back for another season, giving Coach Will Wade a loaded roster. These three returning starters will join a recruiting class that’s rated as the sixth-best in the nation.

With U-L-M football looking for a couple of opponents to make for the loss of Georgia and Arkansas, could Louisiana Tech be a possibility? Warhawks athletics director Scott McDonald says he’s open to the discussion…
cut 16 (15) “….other conferences”
The Big 12 has approved a scheduling model that would calls for each school to play nine conference games and one non-conference game. No word on what this means for Tech’s game at Baylor on September 26th.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees says he will still stand for the National Anthem prior to football games this season, but he will respect the decision of his teammates who kneel after saying in June he would never approve of anyone who takes a knee during the anthem
Cut 8 (12) “continue to undue”
Brees faced a mountain of criticism for his kneeling during the anthem comments in June. He quickly apologized and the 41-year-old says he now understands the anthem protests were not about disrespecting the flag.

The U-L Lafayette football program is broken hearted over the death of assistant offensive line coach D-J Looney. The former Mississippi State football player died from a heart attack following a team workout on Saturday at Cajun Field. Looney was just 31-years-old.

If the Pelicans want to reach the Western Conference playoffs, they need to beat Memphis tonight. New Orleans is 0-2 since the NBA restarted and they’ve committed a total of 38 turnovers in the two games. Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson blames over passing…
cut 30 (18) “…our losses”
Tip off is at 5:30.

The NCAA Board of Governors is expected to discuss tomorrow whether they should cancel fall championships because of COVID-19. The Nicholls Colonels have been in the FCS playoffs the last three years and Athletic Director Johnathan Terrell says the plan is to still have a fall season
cut 18 (15) “….for us”

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is set to begin his 15th season with the Black and Gold. In preparation for what will be a unique season, the 41-year-old has worked on not licking his fingers as he normally does throughout a game…
cut 7 (12) “…of the habit”
The Saints begin conditioning work today. So far zero players have tested positive for COVID-19.

LSU football season ticket holders will receive an online form from the university this week asking them if they want to attend games in Tiger Stadium this season. LSU ticket manager Brian Broussard says if fans choose to opt-out, they have three options as to what can happen with the money they already paid…
cut 30 (12) “….a full refund”

Nicholls will not have the opportunity to play LSU in Tiger Stadium in October, because the SEC’s new conference only schedule. Colonels athletic director Jonathan Terrell says he’s disappointed for their student-athletes…
cut 17 (16) “…national champions”

Meanwhile, ULM will need to find two new opponents to replace Arkansas and Georgia since the SEC will play a conference only schedule this year. Warhawks athletics director Scott McDonald says they still plan to play 12 games…
cut 15 (10) “…those slots”

After getting blown out by the Clippers on Saturday, the Pelicans will try again tonight to get a win and it’s a must-win contest against the Grizzlies, the team they are chasing for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. In two games since the NBA re-started, Zion Williamson has played 34 minutes and admits it’s hard to get in a groove when only playing 17 minutes a game…
cut 19 (15) “…it’s for me”
The Pelicans say they don’t want to play Williamson a ton of minutes after missing 13 days of practice time because he had to attend to a family matter outside of the bubble.

The Saints have released nine players as they need to get their roster size down to 80 by August 16th. Wide receiver Tommylee Lewis was one of the cuts. The team also released former LSU Tiger and offensive guard Adrian Magee.

U-L Lafayette is mourning the death of offensive line assistant coach D-J Looney who died Saturday morning following a heart attack during a team workout at Cajun Field. He was just 31-years-old. Head Coach Billy Napier says they lost a tremendous coach, leader, and person, who sincerely cared for others.

The SEC’s decision to play only conference games this season leaves ULM with two holes on their football schedule and the school will miss out on a reported three-point-two million dollars. That’s how much the school would have received for playing Arkansas and Georgia. ULM athletic director Scott McDonald still wants to talk with those schools
Cut 14 (11) “…their obligations.”
McDonald does not believe ULM will lose out on that money.

Former Warhawk and Philadelphia Eagles Coach Doug Pederson has tested positive for COVID-19.

LSU head football coach Ed Orgeron is excited about the SEC moving from a normal 12-game regular-season schedule to a ten-game format with conference-only opponents. Orgeron says he’s still waiting on an exact schedule…
Cut 9 (11) “…gonna be ready.”
The season will kick off September 26th instead of September 5th and Orgeron anticipates the two additional conference opponents will come from the SEC East. Media reports say the Tigers will play Kentucky and Tennessee, along with South Carolina, Florida, and their SEC West rivals.

LSU will no longer play Nicholls as the Colonels were looking forward to their first visit to Tiger Stadium. ULM will lose two nonconference and big paychecks since they will not play Georgia or Arkansas.

The Pelicans had a 16 point lead last night but couldn’t hold on and lost to the Utah Jazz 106 to 104. Brandon Ingram’s three-pointer to win the game in the final seconds rimmed out. Coach Alvin Gentry on B-I’s missed shot just before the buzzer…
cut 19 (19) “…move on”
The Pels will play the Clippers tomorrow. Zion Williamson only played 15 minutes last night and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffen says that’s because he just missed 13 days to attend to a family emergency…
cut 30 (13) “…find that”

The SEC has joined the other major conferences in agreeing to only play conference football games this season, with the ten-game season set to kick off September 26th. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins says the decision makes sense from a scheduling and healthcare perspective.
Cut 16 (15) “health-wise”
The SEC Championship Game will be held on December 19th in Atlanta. The revised 10-game schedule has yet to be announced and it’s unknown how many fans will be allowed inside Tiger Stadium. LSU has sent a letter to its season ticket holders asking them if they want to retain their 2020 tickets.

ULM is reportedly missing out on three-point-two million dollars because its games against Arkansas and Georgia will not be played.

The NBA returned last night with a couple of nail bitters inside the league’s bubble. New Orleans fell short to Utah 106 to 104 as Brandon Ingram missed a game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds. Ingram led the Pels with 23 points…
cut 20 (15) “…next game”
The next game is Saturday against the Clippers, who lost by two points last night to the Lakers. We’ll see if Zion Williamson sees more time on the floor. He was limited to 15 minutes but still scored 13 points last night.

The Saints have signed a couple of players, veteran wide receiver Bennie Fowler and linebacker Nigel Bradham. Fowler caught 23 passes in eight games with the Giants last season, while Bradham started 12 games for the Eagles last season at middle linebacker.

The SEC has approved a ten-game conference only football schedule this season. The first game will be played September 26th, instead of Labor Day weekend. Tiger Rag Editor Ron Higgins…
cut 17 (12) “…Ole Miss”
The league has yet to release each team’s new schedule. LSU will no longer play Texas or Nicholls this year, while ULM is set to miss out on three-point-two million dollars, because they will not get money for playing at Arkansas and Georgia.

Saints players are still going through COVID-19 testing. Defensive end Cam Jordan says he never thought about opting out…
cut 29 (20) “…I do”

The NBA is back but for the Pelicans the restart did not go as planned. New Orleans failed to hold on to a 16-point lead and fell to the Utah Jazz 106 to 104 last night. Coach Alvin Gentry points to his team’s 20 turnovers for why the Pels came up short…
cut 19 (20) “…like that”
Brandon Ingram had 23 points but missed a three-pointer in the final seconds that would have won the game. Zion Williamson started, but played just 15 minutes and scored 13 points. New Orleans next game is tomorrow against the Clipppers, who also lost a two-point game last night as they fell to the Lakers.

SEC presidents have approved a plan that would reduce the football schedule from 12 regular-season games to a ten-game season against conference opponents. The ten-game schedule would begin on September 26th and the SEC title game will be held on December 19th. LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron was asked yesterday about a change to the schedule and here’s what he had to say…
cut 16 (11) “….pasture”
So who will LSU play during the 10-game schedule? It’s still unknown, but its expected the Tigers would play its six other West opponents, plus Florida and South Carolina, who the Tigers were already scheduled to play. The other two SEC teams on the schedule could be Kentucky and Tennessee. The non-conference games against Texas and Nicholls have been dropped.

Saints Coach Sean Payton says he would not be surprised if there are NFL games suspended this season because of a coronavirus outbreak. Each team has to follow social distancing guidelines at their facilities and players could also be fined if they do something that puts themselves in jeopardy of getting infected. But Payton says that’s probably not enough to prevent an outbreak
Cut 18 (19) “…this year”

The NBA Bubble has worked and tonight the season finally resumes with the Pelicans facing the Utah Jazz and the Clippers battling the Lakers in Orlando. New Orleans rookie sensation Zion Williamson is a game-time decision after missing several days of practice to attend to a family emergency.

S-E-C athletic directors reportedly have agreed to a 10-game conference only football schedule this season. Sports Illustrated reports the league’s presidents will have the final say and they are expected to discuss the matter today, but might wait until next week to vote.

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron made a virtual appearance before the Baton Rouge Rotary Club and talked about how his team has been preparing for the season, while trying to avoid a coronavirus outbreak…
cut 17 (16) “….the country’

The NBA restarts its season tonight inside the Walt Disney World Bubble near Orlando. The Pelicans will face the Utah Jazz at 5:30 PM and Zion Williamson is a game time decision after returning to practice this week.

Saints players have reported for training camp and they need to test negative for COVID-19 three times in a four day period. Coach Sean Payton says you can call this training camp, but it really isn’t…
cut 20 (30) “….of the season”
Practice with helmets and shorts will start on August 12th and padded practices will start on August 17th. Payton also says that once the regular season starts, he would not be surprised if games would be suspended because a team might be impacted by a coronavirus outbreak.