The Pelicans started a run of three games in three consecutive nights with a 115 to 105 victory over Dallas. Anthony Davis had 37 points and eight rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 19 points and 14 assists and Cheick Diallo had 19 points and 14 rebounds. New Orleans is back at it tonight as they host Indiana. We’ll see if Jrue Holiday will play tonight, he missed last night’s game with flu-like symptoms.

Heartbreaking loss for LSU Alexandria last night in the NAIA championship game. Graceland sank a three pointer at the buzzer in overtime for an 83-80 win over the Generals. LSU-A trailed by 13 points with 13 minutes left, but Jordin Williams had 31 points to lead the comeback that ended up a little short.

In Saints news, offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod is officially back with the Black and Gold. And the Saints are reportedly one of ten teams interested in former Jacksonville wide receiver Allen Hurns, who was cut by the Jags this week.

At LSU spring football, based on what the players said, the defense won last Saturday’s scrimmage. But Tigers defensive end Rashard Lawrence has liked what he’s seen from the LSU offense under new offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger…

Cut 18 (19) “…every day”

In college baseball last night…5^th ranked Ole Miss downed UNO 9-4. 16^th ranked Southern Miss over Southern 12-1. Louisiana Tech doubled up Northwestern State six to three. Chris Clayton’s three run homer was the difference and South Alabama upended Southeastern Louisiana six to one.

Tonight, it’s LSU hosting Tulane. The Green Wave have won four straight between the old in state rivals.

A difficult stretch begins tonight for the Pelicans. They have to play three games in three nights, starting with tonight’s contest against the Dallas Mavericks. Tomorrow, New Orleans hosts Indiana. It’s a rescheduled game from February, when the floor at the Smoothie King Center was too wet to play on, because of a leaky roof.

LSU couldn’t defend the three-point shot and their season is over as they were defeated 95-71 in the second round of the NIT. Utah hit 14 three-poitners and shot 58-percent from the field for the game. The Tigers season ends with an 18-and-15 record.

LSU-Alexandria plays for its first NAIA championship tonight as they face Graceland. The Generals defeated William Penn 84-75 last night. L-S-U-A can become the first school in Louisiaina to win a national championship in basketball since Grambling State won an NAIA title in 1961.

Saints legend Steve Gleason is said to be in good spirits despite spending his birthday in the hospital. The former football player who has battled A-L-S since 2011, was hospitalized Friday, because of a low-grade fever and back pain. That’s according to his father-in-law, who spoke with NOLA.com. Gleason turned 41-years-old on Monday and is expected to be released from the hospital later this week.

Tomorrow begins a two-day visitation for Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson. Visitation tomorrow is from 10 AM to 7 PM at Notre Dame Seminary on Carrollton Avenue.

New Saints linebacker Demario Davis is thrilled with the opportunity to play for a winning organization….
cut 18 (15) “…I can”
The 29-year-old had 135 tackles and five sacks with the Jets last season.

Utah buried 14 three-pointers in a 95-71 victory over the LSU Tigers. The loss eliminates LSU from the second round of the NIT. Tremont Waters had 19 points for the Bayou Bengals, Skylar Mays added 16 points and Aaron Epps had 12 points in his final game in an LSU uniform.

LSU-Alexandria has advanced to the N-A-I-A championship game with an 84-75 victory over William Penn. Brandon Moss led the way with 21 points and 9 rebounds. LSU-A will play Graceland in the title game tonight in Kansas City.

Former UL Lafayette basketball player J-J Thomas has passed way. He played for the Ragin Cajuns from 2010 to 2012. A cause of death has not been made public.

The Pelicans begin a stretch of three games in three days. They host Dallas tonight, tomorrow its Indiana to play a game that was postponed because of a wet court in February.

Saints legend Steve Gleason is said to be in good spirits despite spending his birthday in the hospital. The former football player has battled A-L-S since 2011 and he was hospitalized on Friday because of a low-grade fever and back pain. That’s according to his father-in-law, who spoke with NOLA.com. Gleason turned 41-years-old on Monday is expected to be released from the hospital later this week.

New Saints linebacker Demario Davis played for the New York Jets last season and the former Arkansas State standout was very productive with 135 tackles and five sacks. According to Next Gen Stats, Davis had the fastest sack in the regular season during Week 7, when it took him 2.09 seconds to sack the quarterback….
cut 17 (18) “….the quarterback”
Davis says he’s looking forward to winning a Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Will Wade’s first season as head coach of the LSU Tigers is in the books as the Bayou Bengals were eliminated in NIT by Utah 95-71. It was never close as the Utes shot 71-percent in the first quarter to take a 30-11 lead. Utah ended up shooting 58-percent for the game and hit 14 three-pointers. Despite foul trouble, Tremont Waters had 19 for LSU, who finish with an 18-15 record.

In the N-A-I-A semifinals….Graceland from Iowa beat L-S-U Shreveport 87-80. While L-S-U Alexandria defeated William Penn 84-75 as Brandon Moss had 21 points. LSU-A advances to play Graceland in the N-A-I-A title tonight.

UL Lafayette basketball is mourning the death of J-J Thomas who played for the Ragin Cajuns from 2010 to 2012. Thomas averaged about ten points a game in Lafayette after a standout prep career at Scotlandville.

_____________________________________________________________________

New Saints linebacker Demario Davis is thrilled with the opportunity to play for a winning organization. The Mississippi native says playing close to home was also a huge factor in his decision to ink a free agent deal with the Black and Gold. He told reporters on a conference call that he plans to be an aggressive player….

Cut 16 (12) “…as possible”

The 29-year-old played for the New York Jets last season and the former Arkansas State standout was very productive with 135 tackles and five sacks.

A public visitation begins tomorrow for the late Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson, who died last week at the age of 90. Friday is the funeral and Sunday the NFL owners’ meetings will take place in Orlando. The Advocate reports Gayle Benson will be in attendance, as she begins her new role running both the Saints and Pelicans.

The Pels begin a stretch of three games in three days tonight as they host Dallas.

The LSU men’s basketball team faces Utah tonight in the second round of the N-I-T. The Utes are led by senior point guard Justin Bibbins, who is averaging almost 15 points a game and he’s shooting 45-percent from three-point territory. They also have two six-foot-ten senior forwards, who are averaging in double figures. Head Coach Will Wade on Utah’s offense…
cut 18 (15) “…around the rim”
Tip-off is at 8:00.

Heath Schroyer was introduced today as the new men’s basketball coach at McNeese. Schroyer believes there’s untapped potential in Lake Charles and his idea for the program is to find players who are loyal, play with passion and are unselfish and have a champions’ worth ethic. The 40-year-old has been a head coach at Portland State, Wyoming, and UT Martin.

After winning two of three from Missouri this past weekend, LSU is ranked 15th in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Poll. The Tigers defeated Missouri seven to five yesterday. LSU had 13 hits, but they had a couple of runners thrown out on the base paths and made two errors in the field. Coach Paul Mainieri says it’s nice to take the series, but they have to play better to win on the road at Vanderbilt next weekend…
cut 20 (20) “…did wrong”
LSU hosts Tulane on Wednesday night.

Southeastern Louisiana is on a five-game winning streak and they are now ranked 28th by Collegiate Baseball. The Lions swept a conference series at Lamar and they are one game back of Sam Houston in the Southland standings.

Louisiana Tech’s Dalton Skelton ahs been named the co-hitter of the week, He’s on a 13-game hiiting streak.

LSU freshman right-hander Ma’Khail Hilliard gave up his first two runs of the season in the first inning, but that was it, as Hilliard pitched six solid innings to help the Fighting Tigers beat Missouri 7-5 in the rubber match of a three-game series. Coach Paul Mainieri is impressed with how Hilliard was able to bounce back….
Cut 19 (19) “on the mound”
LSU hosts Tulane on Wednesday.

Louisiana Tech is at Northwestern State tomorrow. The Bulldogs have won eight of their last nine and swept Rice over the weekend. Tech’s team ERA of 1.98 is the second best in the country.

McNeese and Southeastern Louisiana swept their series this past weekend. They are 5-1 in the Southland, while Sam Houston State is 6-0.

Anthony Davis had 34 points and 11 rebounds as the Pelicans defeated the Boston Celtics 108-89 last night. New Orleans also got a big contribution from Cheick Diallo, who came off the bench to score a season-high 17 points and six rebounds.

The LSU Tigers are at Utah in a second round NIT matchup tonight. Coach Will Wade’s team has lost seven straight road games…
cut 17 (16) “….a little bit”
Tip-off is at 8 :00.

In the NCAA Tournament, New Orleans area native Billy Kennedy has led Texas A-and-M to the Sweet 16 as the Aggies knocked off the defending national champs, North Carolina, 86-65. And Nevada stormed back from a 22-point deficit to shock Cincinnati 75-73. The Wolfpack’s Head coach is Eric Musselman, a former LSU assistant and his associate head coach is Johnny Jones.

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis told W-W-L Radio the ownership transition from Tom Benson to Gayle Benson will be a smooth one and the organiziation will remain stable. Loomis says Mrs. Benson has been involved pretty much from the day she and Mr. Benson got marrried.

Gayle Benson has released a statement saying she’s heartbroken over the passing of her husband. She says the Saints and Pelicans organiziations will move forward successfully together.

Details of Mr. Benson’s will have become public. It makes it clear that his wife shall run the professional sports franchsies. And that his daugther and her grandchildren do not get a single penny from him. It’s still unclear if a legal challenge is coming. His estranged former heirs argued Mr. Benson was not mentally fit to make these type of decisions late in his life.

The Pelicans play their first home game tonight since the passing away of Mr. Benson. They take on the Houston Rockets in the first game of a stretch of five games in six days.

The LSU baseball team won its SEC opener last night as the Tigers defeated Missouri four to two. Zack Hess got the win to run his record to 3-2. He struck out eight and allowed just two runs on three hits. But he walked five, including three in a row in the seventh. Austin Bain earned the save and Beau Jordan homered, while Zach Watson drove in two runs.

Louisiana Tech trounced Rice 8-2 and the two teams will play a doubleheader today. Georgia Southern doubled up the Ragin Cajuns six to three. Grambling outslugged Southern 10-6. Nicholls won in extra innings 5-4 over Houston Baptist, Southeastern Louisiana defeated Lamar 6-4, McNeese beat Stephen F- Austin seven to five. Tulane and UNO both lost.

Former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu has signed a one-year contract with the Houston Texans. The Saints have agreed to a five-year contract extension with punter Thomas Morstead. And the Black and Gold have reportedly reupped with pass rusher Alex Okafor for two more years.

Visitation and funeral details for Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson have been announced. A public visitation will take place Wednesday and Thursday at Notre Dame Seminary on Carrollton Avenue. A private funeral will be held Friday at St. Louis Cathedral.

Saints all-time leading rusher, Duece McAllister, remembers Benson as a guy that would talk to anyone at anytime…
cut 7 (09) as a person”
Mr. B’s widow, Gayle Benson, is the new owner of the Saints and Pelicans. She released a statement saying she’s heartbroken but thankful for the fans devotion to their teams and city. She also said she’s surrounded by wonderful leadership and they’ll move forward successfully together.

The Saints have signed pass rusher Alex Okafor to a two-year, 10-million dollar contract. He recorded 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, before injuring his achilles in week 11 and missing the rest of the season.

SEC play begins tonight weather permitting for the 16th ranked LSU Tigers who host Missouri. Zack Hess will start on the mound for the Bayou Bengals, while Missouri will counter with six-foot-seven right-hander Bryce Montes De Oca. Coach Paul Mainieri says he’s one of the best pitchers in college baseball…
cut 17 (12) “….together”
First pitch is at 6:30.

Also today, ULM is at South Alabama. Grambling hosts Southern, Louisiana Tech faces Rice at 6 PM. And the Ragin Cajuns travel to Georgia Southern.

In the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Arkansas becomes the first SEC team to be eliminated. The seventh seeded Razorbacks lost to Butler 77-62. Seventh-seeded Texas a-and-M advanced with an 73-69 win over Providence. Former North Caddo star Robert Williams had 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Aggies.

Louisiana is mourning the death of Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson, who passed away at the age of 90. Benson was admitted into a hospital three weeks ago, because of the flu. He bought the Saints in 1985 and former quarterback Bobby Hebert says if it wasn’t for Mr. B, he would have never played professionally in his home state…
cut 5 (13) “…New Orleans Saints”
The Saints and Pelicans say there will be a streamless transition in ownership from Mr. Benson to his widow, Gayle Benson.

The Saints have re-signed pass rusher Alex Okafor to a two-year deal worth 10-million dollars according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Okafor was having a good season with the Black and Gold when he injured his Achilles in Week 11. Okafor also reportedly visited with the Bucs.

The LSU baseball team begins SEC play tonight as they host the Missouri Tigers. The Bayou Bengals enter league play with a 12-6 record. Coach Paul Mainieri says he feels good about his pitching after a rough start…
cut 18 (20) “…really respectable”
The SEC is expanding replay for conference games. Coaches will now have the opportunity to challenge force or tag outs, hit by pitch, placement of runners on a boundary call and runner interference on double plays.

Louisiana Tech opens Conference USA play by hosting Rice. Game one is tonight at 6 PM and the two teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow starting at one o’ clock because the threat of inclement weather on Sunday.

The Pelicans tried to rally back from 15 points down but New Orleans lost to San Antonio 98-93.

breaking news Saints-Pelicans Owner Tom Benson has died at age of 90 after a bout with the flu.
Spicy comments were made during the postgame press conferences following LSU’s 84-76 win over UL Lafayette in the first round of the NIT. Tigers Coach Will Wade took exception to what Cajuns Coach Bob Marlin said before the game…
Cut 3 (10) “my mind”
Marlin says he stands by the comments he made on Monday when he said the Cajuns should have hosted the game, because they had the better season and more wins…
Cut 4 (10) “27.”
The Cajuns season is over, while the Tigers will play Utah on Monday night in the second round of the NIT.

In other college hoop news, Richie Riley has left Nicholls for South Alabama. And McNeese named BYU Associate Coach Heath Schroyer as its new head coach.

The man convicted in the road rage shooting death of former NFL player Joe McKnight was sentenced to 30 years in prison today. 56-year-old Ronald Gasser was facing 40 years for his manslaughter conviction. McKnight’s mother spoke to reporters following the sentencing…
Cut 9 (11) “no how”
Gasser’s attorneys are seeking a new trial.

In NFL free agency, the Saints are reportedly interested in former Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Suh will reportedly visit New Orleans tomorrow. The Black and Gold were also reportedly interested in former Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson, but he signed with the Raiders.

The Pelicans are at San Antonio tonight. With 15 games to go, the Pels are fifth place in the Western Conference. New Orleans is 2-0 against the Spurs this season.

ULM basketball faces Austin Peay in a CIT game.