LSU’s bad start to the 2018 season got worse today. Coach Paul Mainieri announced shortstop Josh Smith will miss at least a month because of a stress reaction in his vertebrae. Mainieri said Hal Hughes will play shortstop during Smith’s absence.

In Starkville, former LSU hitting coach and Tulane star Andy Cannizaro stepped down as head coach of Mississippi State. It’s unclear what led to the move, but Cannizzaro released a statement that said he had a wonderful opportunity at Mississippi State, but unfortunately he made some poor decisions. Cannizzaro added that he hopes the fans and people affected will one day forgive him.

On the baseball diamond tonight, Louisiana Tech has its home opener as they face McNeese State, who is winless on the season. Northwestern State is at ULM. Both teams are 2-1. Southeastern Louisiana takes on Alcorn State in Hammon, while UNO hosts Jackson State.

LSU hosts Vanderbilt tonight looking to improve its league record to 7-9. The Tigers have an RPI of 75 and we’ll need a few more wins to get on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. But Tigers Coach Will Wade says his team is focused on building momentum rather than looking ahead to Selection Sunday….
cut 18 (17) “….this week”
Tip-off is at 8 PM.

Huge news out of Starkville. Mississippi State Baseball Coach Andy Cannizaro has resigned and former Kentucky Head Coach Gary Henderson will serve as interim coach. In a statement, Cannizaro says he had a wonderful opportunity at Mississippi State, but made some poor decisions. He asks that the fans forgive him. In 2017, Cannizaro led State to a 40-27 record and an appearance in the Super Regionals. Cannizaro is a former assistant coach at LSU and had a standout playing career at Tulane.

LSU remains ranked after losing two of three to Notre Dame, but they dropped in all four major polls. They fell seven spots in D-1 baseball to number 23. The Tigers host UNO tomorrow night.

Last night, Nicholls won its first game by beating Stony Brook 14-7. Tonight, Louisiana Tech hosts winless McNeese State. Northwestern State is at ULM.Both teams are 2-1.

LSU basketball hosts Vanderbilt tonight at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Coach Will Wade’s team is going after its fifth straight win at home…
cut 17 (19) “…playing well”
Tip off is at 8 PM.

ULM junior forward Travis Munnings has been named Sun Belt Player of the week. Munnings has helped the Warhwaks win four straight games.

Nicholls Roddy Peters is the Southland men’s basketball player of the week. Peters has put the Colonels in position to wins their first Southland championship since 1988.

The LSU football team is short at cornerbacks next season, but they are trying to use current players on the roster to build depth at that position. Cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond said on ESPN 104-5 in Baton Rouge last night that Mannie Neterhly will move from wide receiver to cornerback.

After losing the opening series to Notre Dame, LSU fell in all four major polls. They are ranked anywhere from 15th by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper to 23rd by D-1-baseball-dot-com. The Fighting Irish outplayed LSU during the weekend handing the Tigers their first opening weekend series loss since 1999 against Texas. Coach Paul Mainieri says this is just the start of a long season….
cut 20 (13) “….this weekend”
LSU will host UNO Wednesday and then the Longhorns come to the Box for a weekend three game series.

Texas took two of three from UL Lafayette in Austin. The Ragin Cajuns salvaged the final game of the series with a two to one win over Texas. ULM won its series over Eastern Illinois, while Louisiana Tech split a four-game series versus Pepperdine.

LSU’s 64-63 win over Missouri was the Tigers sixth victory over a team ranked in the Top 25 in the R-P-I. That’s most in the country. Tigers Coach Will Wade was asked about the team’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament….
cut 30 (11) “…Vandy tomorrow”
A win versus Vanderbilt tomorrow night will give LSU 16 wins this season that would guarantee them at least a winning season and a chance to make the NIT.

Grambling State owns the nation’s longest winning streak in the country. It’s up to 11 games after beating Jackson State 71-64 on Saturday. Grambling hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday.

ULM’s Travis Munnings has been named Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. He averaged 21 points a game in victories over U-T-A and Texas State. The Warhawks have won four in a row and they visit South Alabama on Thursday.

Rough start to the baseball season, as the LSU Tigers lost two of three from Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish clinched the series victory with an 11-3 drubbing of LSU yesterday. The Bayou Bengals had a dramatic come from behind victory on Friday, but it was all down hill from there. Coach Paul Mainieri says it’s hard to find any positives….
Cut 18 (08) “just everything”
It’s the first time LSU lost a season opening weekend series since 1999 versus Texas.

The Ragin Cajuns salvaged one victory in its three game set versus Texas. UL Lafayette edged the Longhorns 2-1 yesterday as freshman Brock Batty pitched six strong innings of relief to get the win. Junior Gavin Bourgeois had a couple of hits and drove in the game winning run.

In other action…Louisiana Tech split a four-game series with Pepperdine and ULM took two of three from Eastern Illinois.

_____________________________________________

In last night’s NBA All-Star game, the Pelicans Anthony Davis had 12 points to help team Lebron to a 148-145 victory over team Stephen Curry . He started the game wearing DeMarcus Cousins jersey number 0 to honor Cousins, who could not play because of a torn achilles tendon.

Freshmen point guard Tremont Waters had 21 points, including the game winning basket as LSU beat Missouri 64-63 on Saturday. The Tigers have a couple of winnable games this week as they host Vanderbilt tomorrow night and visit Georgia on Saturday. LSU is 6-8 in the SEC.

The Ragin Cajuns have a three game lead for first place in the Sun Belt with four games left in the regular season. UL Lafayette tied a school record on Saturday with its 13th win at home, a 100-79 win over Texas-Arlington.

Grambling State has the longest winning streak in the country, which is eleven straight and they have two game lead for first place. Grambling hosts Arkansas PIne-Bluff on Saturday.

Today is opening day for college baseball. A preseason poll predicts LSU will finish in third place in the SEC West, behind Arkansas and Texas A-and-M. Tigers have a new weekend rotation and must replace their best power hitter Greg Deichmann and starting middle infielders Cole Freeman and Kramer Robertson. Coach Paul Mainieri believes his everyday line-up will be fine….
cut 19 (18) “….can do”
Caleb Gilbert starts on the hill for the Tigers tonight. He’s 7-1, with a 2.16 ERA. In his last 12 appearances last season, he went 5-0 with a 0.84 ERA. First pitch is at 7:00. Game two tomorrow is at 4 PM and the series finale Sunday is 11 AM.

The Ragin Cajuns begin their baseball season by visiting 21st ranked Texas for a three-game series. It’s the start of a tough nonconference schedule for UL-Lafayette. They also play Southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi State, Vandy, Kentucky and LSU, before league play starts March 9th. Coach Tony Robichaux says he looks forward to playing the best teams in college baseball, including the Longhorns….
cut 17 (20) “…practicing here”

Also this weekend, ULM hosts Eastern Illinois, Louisiana Tech visits Pepperdine for a four game set. McNeese State hosts Witchita State, Nicholls State takes on Stony Brook. Game one of that series is on CST tonight.

It’s opening day for college baseball and Paul Mainieri begins his 12th season as the head coach of the LSU Tigers. Tonight the Bayou Bengals host Notre Dame. Mainieri says opening day always brings out some anxiety, because there are a lot of unknowns…
cut 18 (15) “…don’t know”
LSU has a new weekend rotation as Caleb Gilbert is the Friday night starter, followed by Zack Hess and Todd Peterson.

In other action, the Ragin Cajuns are at 21st ranked Texas. UL-Lafayette missed out on the postseason last year as they struggled at the plate, hitting only .266 as a team.

Louisiana Tech begins the season on the west coast, with a four-game series against Pepperdine. ULM Hosts Eastern Illinois.

Also, McNeese State hosts Witchita State and Nicholls State hosts Stony Brook.

The Ragin Cajuns improved 12-1 in the Sun Belt with a 73-63 win over Texas State. Byrce Washington had 19 point sand 10 rebounds, his 11th double-double of the season. Frank Bartley added 18 points and Johathan Stove chipped in with 15 points.

ULM won its 3rd straight Sun Belt game as they topped UT Arlington 84-71. Michael Ertel ahd 20 points, while Sam McDaniel had 19. The Warhawks are 6-7 in the Sun Belt.

Louisiana Tech’s Anthony Duruji had 21 points as the Bulldogs beat UAB 73-60. The Bulldogs started strong as they went on a 24-9 run in the first half and held on for the 13 point victory. Tech is now 7-7 in Conference USA. They have one more home game tomorrow night against Middle Tennessee.

LSU hosts Missouri tomorrow. Mizzou has won five straight. Tip-off is at 1:00

It wasn’t easy but UL Lafayette improved to 12-1 in the Sun Belt with a 73-63 win over Texas State. Four players scored in double figures for the Cajuns led by Bryce Washington, who had 19 points and Frank Bartley added 18 points.

ULM won its third straight as the Warhawks flew past Texas State 84-71. Freshman Michael Ertel had 20 points to lead the way. Sam McDaniel had 19 points and Travis Munnings had 16. Both McDaniel and Munnings each hit four three-pointers.

Louisiana Tech improved to 7-7 in Conference USA by beating UAB 73-60. The Bulldogs held the Blazers to 36-percent shooting and freshman Anthony Duruji led all scorers with 21 points. Tech was 11-of-27 from three point land.

On Sunday, the Pelicans Anthony Davis will make his fifth consecutive All-Star game appearance. And the league announced the postponed Pelicans-Pacers will be made up on March 21.

It’s opening day for college baseball. The LSU Tigers made it to the College World Series last year, but they head into this season not expected to win the SEC West as they have a new weekend rotation and had to replace several key infielders. The Bayou Bengals face Notre Dame tonight at 7 PM.

UL Lafayette begins the season at 21st ranked Texas. The Cajuns are picked to win the western division of the Sun Belt after winning 19 conference games last season. UL Lafayette Coach Tony Robichaux says the most improved player is catcher Handsome Monica of Mandeville, who hit just .215 last season…

Cut 16 (20) ” last year’s struggles”

First pitch is at 6:30 on the Longhorn Network.

After a three-game road trip, the Ragin Cajuns are back home tonight to host Texas State in a Sun Belt conference matchup. The Cajuns lead the league with an 11-1 record, while the Bobcats are 7-6. Louisiana has won 14 straight in the Cajundome, which is the ninth longest home winning streak in the country. Tip-off is at 7:15.

After a very successful week in the Peach State with victories over Georgia Southern and Georgia State, ULM basketball retuns home tonight to face Texas-Arlington. Warhwaks Coach Keith Richard (Ree-shard) says knocking down the three point shot was the key in those two victories…
Cut 16 (16) “17 3s”
With the two victories last week, ULM is 11-12 overall, 5-7 in the Sun Belt.

Louisiana Tech hosts U-A-B tonight at the Thomas Assembly Center. Tech is coming off an 82-69 loss to Old Dominion. The Bulldogs turned it over 20 times. Dogs head coach Eric Konkol says they got bull rushed from the tipoff…
cut 19 (16) “….with it”
Tech enters the game in 8th place in the Conference U-S-A standings, while UAB is in 7th.

Nicholls remains in first place in the Southland after a thrilling 73-72 win over Sam Houston State last night. Southeastern Louisiana is a half game back of Nicholls as the Lions held off UNO 71-64.

The college baseball season gets underway tomorrow. The 9th ranked Tigers will host Notre Dame. Caleb Gilbert will start on the mound for the Purple and Gold. First pitch is at 7 PM.

Anthony Davis’ 42 points helped the Pelicans drain the Los Angeles Lakers 139 to 117 last night. That’s three straight wins for New Orleans, who heads into the All-Star break with a record 31-26, tied for seventh place in the Western Conference.

Nicholls State remains in first place in the Southland after beating Sam Houston State 73-72. The Colonels are 11-2 in league play. Southeastern Louisiana improved to 10-4 in the league after beating UNO 71-64.

The start of the college baseball season begins tomorrow. Coach Paul Mainieri announces Bryce Jordan will start at catcher, because of a hand injury to Hunter Feducia. And Mainieri says freshman Nick Webre will likely be the every day starter at first base.

Louisiana Tech announced today Matt Miller will start Friday’s season opener against Pepperdine.

The Ragin Cajuns, who are in first place in the Sun Belt, are back home tonight to host Texas State. ULM won twice last week to improve their record to 11-12 overall, 5-7 in the Sun Belt. Warhawks Coach Keith Richard says senior guard Sam McDaniel has become a big threat from beyond the three-point line…
cut 17 (19) “…at it”

And tonight in Ruston at 8 PM, Louisiana Tech hosts UAB. Bulldogs Coach Eric Konkol says his team needs to take care of the basketball…
cut 20 (15) “….the basketball”
CBS Sports Network will televise the contest.

The Pelicans head into the All-Star break on a three-game winning streak as New Orleans defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 139-117. The Pels got off to a great start scoring 46 points in the opening quarter and finished strong by outscoring the Lakers 36-26 in the four quarter. Another big game from Anthony Davis, as he had 42 points and 15 rebounds. Even though he left the game briefly with a groin injury.

Nicholls remains in first place in the Southland after a thrilling 73-72 win over Sam Houston State. Tevon Saddler and Roddy Peters each had 15 points. The Bearkats missed a layup at the buzzer uston.

Southeastern Louisiana remains a half game back of Nicholls in the Southland standings as the Lions held off UNO 71-64. S-LU led 40-17 at halftime, Jordan Capps had 18 points.

Elsewhere…McNeese won, but Northwestern State and Tulane both lost.

The first place Ragin Cajuns return to the court tonight as they host Texas State for a 7:15 tip off. UL-Lafayette is 11-1 in the Sun Belt, while the Bobcats have lost four of their last five. The Cajuns won easily in San Marcos last month by the final score of 80-55.

ULM has won four of its last five and they host Texas-Arlington tonight. The Warhawks are in ninth place in the Sun Belt, but Coach Keith Richard says if they keep winning, they’ll quickly move up the standings…

Cut 18 (21) “….about that”

Tip off is at 7 PM.

Also tonight, Louisiana Tech will host UAB at 8 PM in a game televised by the CBS Sports Network. The Bulldogs are tied for eighth in CUSA with a record of 6-7.