The Saints season is over and a Hall of Fame career could be over too. In the third matchup of the season, Tampa Bay got the better of New Orleans beating the Black and Gold 30-20 in what could be quarterback Drew Brees’ final game. It was a difficult year for Brees and another tough home playoff loss, but he’s happy for the journey
Cut 13 (12) “….given to me”
Brees threw three interceptions as the Saints as a team had four turnovers, which led to 21 Tampa Bay points.
Brees says he’s not ready to announce a decision on his future and Coach Sean Payton says it’s too early to get into what Brees has meant to the organization.
cut 16 (11) “…right now”

________________________________________________________

The Pelicans snapped their five-game losing streak last night as New Orleans dribbled past the Sacramento Kings 128 to 123. Zion Williamson had 31 points as he was 13 of 15 from the field. Brandon Ingram added 22 points for the Pels who are 5-and-7 on the season and visit Utah on Tuesday night.

The LSU men’s basketball team has a big game tomorrow night as the Tigers will host Alabama. The Crimson Tide is 6-0 in the SEC, while the Tigers are 5-and-1 after rallying to beat South Carolina 85-80. The Gamecocks missed 12 of their last 13 field goal attempts. Freshman Cam Thomas led the way with 25 points.

Louisiana Tech hit a season-high 14 three-pointers as the Bulldogs completed a two-game sweep of UTSA 82-66 on Saturday. Senior Amorie Archibald hit five triples and finished with a season-high 22 points. Tech is now 4-and-2 in Conference USA.

We are one day away from the anticipated NFL playoff matchup between the Saints and Buccaneers. Tampa Bay finished the regular season number one in rush defense. New Orleans offensive tackle Terron Armstead on what the Buccaneers do well…
cut 13 (12) “…run game”
Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson has been ruled out of Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. Running back Latavius Murray and the versatile Taysom Hill are questionable. But it looks like Trey Hendrickson is back as he was a full participant in practice yesterday after missing last week’s game with a neck injury.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay Coach Bruce Arians says former LSU standout and New Orleans native Leonard Fournette will start at running back for the Buccaneers. Tampa’s main back Ronald Jones is a game-time decision with a quad injury.

The Pelicans lost their fifth straight last night as they fell to LeBron James and the Lakers 112-95. James had 21 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, while former Pelican Anthony Davis had 17 points. Zion Williamson had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead New Orleans, who has 20 turnovers.

The LSU men’s basketball team goes for its fourth straight win when they host South Carolina tonight, who is only playing in its sixth game of the season. The Gamecocks have had to pause activities three times because of COVID-19 and their head coach Frank Martin will not be at tonight’s game after testing positive for COVID for a second time.

Last night, La Tech went on a 21-4 run in the second half to beat UTSA 77-66. Andrew Gordon came off the bench and scored a career-high 14 points and had 12 rebounds. ULM lost to Arkansas State 74-72 as a possible goaltending call did not go the Warhawks way in the final seconds. And the Ragin Cajuns lost to U-T Arlington 91-86.

The Saints and Buccaneers will meet for a third time on Sunday in the NFC Divisional Round playoff game. In the two regular-season meetings, the Saints allowed just 13 points a game and in the week nine matchup held Tampa Bay’s offense to 194 yards. But Saints defensive end Cam Jordan still has a lot of respect for Tom Brady and Tampa Bay’s offense…
cut 20 (21) “…playoff-caliber team”
Brady has thrown 12 interceptions on the season and the Saints defense has picked off five of his passes.

It remains to be seen if the versatile Taysom Hill will play for the Saints. He has not practiced the last two days because of a knee injury.

Zion Williamson will return to the court this tonight as the Pelicans visit the Lakers. Williamson missed Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers because of an inconclusive COVID test. But Lonzo Ball will miss his second straight game with a knee injury. Eric Bledsoe is questionable with right eye irritation.

The LSU men’s basketball team will look to improve to 5-1 in the SEC when they host South Carolina on Saturday. Gamecocks coach Frank Martin will not be at the game. Martin told the Athletic he has tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time. He said he also tested positive in May and while he’s feeling good, he says COVID kicked his tail this time around.

In college hoops action tonight, the Ragin Cajuns are on the road for the first time in 44 days as they will visit U-T Arlington. ULM is at Arkansas State, while Louisiana Tech hosts U-T San Antonio.

And former LSU Tiger DJ LeMahieu has reportedly agreed to a six-year, 90 million dollar contract to stay with the Yankees.

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees turns 42-years-old today and on Sunday he’ll look to beat Tampa Bay, who is led by 43-year-old Tom Brady. Brees says he exchanged text messages with the Buccaneers quarterback earlier this week as the two joked about their historic matchup
Cut 18 (16) “…appreciate.”
Quarterback Taysom Hill missed his second straight practice on Thursday with a knee injury. Running back Latavius Murray and defensive back Patrick Robinson were also out a second straight day.

Zion Williamson has been cleared to play tonight as the Pelicans visit the Lakers. Williamson missed Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers because of an inconclusive COVID test. Lonzo Ball will miss his second straight game with a knee injury.

The Ragin Cajuns will play their first road game in 44 days tonight as U-L Lafayette begins a two-game series against U-T Arlington. Both teams are two and two in Sun Belt play. U-L Lafayette Coach Bob Marlin has a scouting report on the Mavericks…
cut 17 (17) “…per game”
Tip-off is at 6 PM.

ULM is at Arkansas State, while Louisiana Tech hosts U-T San Antonio.

LSU hosts South Carolina tomorrow night. Gamecocks coach Frank Martin will not make the trip because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Four Southland Conference schools are leaving for the Western Athletic Conference. They are Sam Houston, Stephen F Austin, Abilene Christian, and Lamar. There are reports Central Arkansas is headed to the Atlantic Sun Conference.

The Saints continue preparations today for Sunday’s playoff game against Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have won five in a row and they’ve scored 30 or more points in their last four contests. Linebacker Demario Davis says Tampa Bay’s offense does a lot of things well…
cut 30 (30) “…much talent”
The Saints could get wide receiver, Tre’Quan Smith, back for Sunday’s game as he’s been designated to return from injured reserve. New Orleans has 21 days to officially activate him.

New LSU offensive coordinator Jake Peetz has made his first public comments since he was hired to lead the Tigers offense. Peetz is only 37-years-old but says he learned a lot from former LSU assistant and current Carolina offensive coordinator Joe Brady during his time as the Panthers quarterback coach. Peetz says he plans to run an attacking offense and possibly doing it in different ways
Cut 17 (24) “…and attack.”

Four Southland Conference schools announced they are leaving for the Western Athletic Conference, they are Sam Houston, Stephen F Austin, Abilene Christian and Lamar. Southland says they wish those schools luck and they are researching what schools they can add to their league.

LSU’s new offensive coordinator Jake Peetz spoke to the press for the first time since being hired to lead the Tigers’ offense.  Peetz will have the opportunity to work with three quarterbacks who won football games for the Tigers last season, TJ Finley, Myles Brennan, and Max Johnson…

Cut 18 (32) “extremely talented”

The LSU men’s basketball team dominated the Arkansas Razorbacks on the hardwood in route to a 92-76 victory.  Trendon Watford had a game-high 23 points and every LSU starter scored in double figures.

The matchup between Drew Brees and Tom Brady is getting all the hype heading into Sunday’s playoff game between the Saints and Buccaneers but Coach Sean Payton believes the line of scrimmage will play a big role because getting pressure on the quarterback is important.

Cut 20 (24) “this game”

The New Orleans Pelicans lost a close one to the Los Angeles Clippers 111-106.  The Pels were without their starting backcourt as Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe were both absent due to injury.  In their absence, guard Nikeil Alexander-Walker poured in 37 points and shot 5-8 from three-point range.  New Orleans fell to 4-6 on the season.  Their next game will be tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The matchup between Drew Brees and Tom Brady is getting all of the headlines heading into Sunday’s playoff game between the Saints and the Buccaneers. But Coach Sean Payton says the trenches will also play a big role in who wins
Cut 19 (25) “…be the case.”
Not practicing yesterday for the Saints yesterday were Taysom Hill, Latavius Murray and Patrick Robinson as the trio is recovering from injuries sustained in the wild card win over the Bears. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson who didn’t play last Sunday, was limited in practice yesterday with neck injury.

The LSU men’s basketball team looked really good last night as the Tigers defeated Arkansas 92-76 for a third straight SEC win. The Bayou Bengals went on a 31-4 run in the first half. Coach Will Wade calls it a good win…
cut 28 (12) “…our guys”
All five of LSU’s starters scored in double figures led by Trendon Watford who had 23 points and 10 boards.

Ty Gordon had a double-double as Nicholls won its third straight as they defeated Northwestern State 76-66. McNeese remains winless in the Southland as the Cowboys fell to U-I-W 83-61 and Southeastern Louisiana won its first Southland game beating Corpus Christi 76-63.

The Pelicans were short-handed last night and lost to the Clippers 111 to 106. New Orleans was missing starters Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe.

When the Saints and Buccaneers play on Sunday, New Orleans will look to complete a three-game sweep of Tampa Bay this season. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians has faced the same team three times in one season on multiple occasions and says that each game is different.
Cut 18 (14) “…know each other.”

New ULM football coach Terry Bowden has hired former West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona head coach Rich Rodrigeuz as his offensive coordinator. Monroe News Star sports reporter Adam Hunsucker says Rich’s son, former Arizona Quarterback Rhett Rodriguez, is also coming to Monroe..
cut 5 (07) “….be with Terry”

The LSU men’s basketball team will host Arkansas tonight in the Maravich Center. The Tigers enter the game with an 8-2 record, 3-1 in conference play, while the Razorbacks are 10-2, 2-2 in the SEC. The Hogs lead the league in scoring and Coach Will Wade says they like to push the ball up the court.
Cut 17 (20) “three-point line”
Tip-off is at 6 PM.

In other action tonight….Nicholls looks for its third straight win as they visit Northwestern State. McNeese is still looking for its first league win and the Cowboys are at Incarnate Word. Southeastern Louisiana is also off to an 0-2 start in league play and the Lions host Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi.

The Pelicans visit the Los Angeles Clippers to begin a six-game road trip. Lonzo Ball will not play because of a knee injury.

Former West Virginia, Michigan, and Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez has been hired as ULM’s associate head coach and offensive coordinator. Rodriguez most recently served as Ole Miss’ offensive coordinator in 2019. Also, Rich’s son, Rhett Rodriguez, a former quarterback at Arizona, has enrolled in graduate school at ULM and has two years of eligibility remaining.

Mississippi State defensive coordinator Zach Arnett reportedly interviewed at LSU yesterday. But multiple reports say Arnett is not expected to become LSU’s next defensive coordinator.

After missing the last two games because of a positive COVID-19 test, former LSU standout and Tampa Bay linebacker Devin White returns to the field for Sunday’s playoff game against the Saints. Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians is glad White is back…
cut 20 (09) “….in the league”

LSU men’s basketball begins a three-game homestand tonight as they host Arkansas at the Maravich Center at 6 PM. The Tigers beat the Razorbacks in the PMAC by two points last season and also lost to the Hogs in Fayetteville, giving up 99 points. Tigers coach Will Wade says he didn’t prepare his team well enough to face Arkansas last season so he studied up on their head coach Eric Musselman
Cut 16 (22) “…our team.”

Last night, Grambling defeated Alcorn State 79-74 as Cam Christon had 24 points.

The Pelicans visit the Los Angeles Clippers to begin a six-game road trip. Lonzo Ball will not play because of a knee injury and Eric Bledsoe is questionable with right eye irritation.

When the Saints battle the Buccaneers on Sunday it will be the oldest quarterback matchup in NFL history. Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady is 43 years old and New Orleans Quarterback Drew Brees will turn 42 on Friday. Brady is looking to play in his tenth Super Bowl. Coach Sean Payton says they know Brady will be well prepared to face the Saints defense…
cut 17 (25) “…this year”

Alabama Coach Nick Saban won his seventh national championship last night as the Crimson Tide rolled past Ohio State 52-24. Saban’s six titles at Bama and his one at LSU give him seven, one more than the legendary Paul Bear Bryant for most national titles by a major college coach.

LSU reportedly interviewed Mississippi State defensive coordinator Zach Arnett for it’s vacant defensive coordinator position. Arnett was a linebacker at New Mexico and in his first season in Starkville, the Bulldogs finished with the fifth-best defense in the SEC.

ULM’s new defensive coordinator 27-year-old Zac Alley as he becomes the youngest defensive coordinator in the F-B-S. Alley spent last season as the co-special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Boise State. Alley also served as a graduate assistant for four seasons at Clemson under head coach Dabo Swinney.

The final AP poll of the 2020 college football season has the Ragin Cajuns are ranked 15th. ESPN’s Way to Early Top 25 ranking for 2021 has the Ragin Cajuns at number 19 after going 10-and-1 and retuning as many as nine starters on offense and eight on defense. LSU is ranked 20th. The Tigers will return most of their starting o-line as starting right tackle Austin Deculus has announced he will return for his second senior season.