The LSU men’s basketball team goes up against the SEC’s best defense tonight as they visit Alabama. The Crimson Tide are allowing just 64 points a game in conference games and last time out they held nationally ranked Tennessee to 50 points in a blow out victory over the Vols. Tigers Coach Will Wade says the game plan is to attack Alabama and shoot well from the outside…
cut 19 (19) “…make 35”
Tip off is at 8:00.

The Pelicans made 14 three-pointers in their 118 to 103 win over Detroit last night. New Orleans hosts the Lakers tomorrow night.

A CBS Sports report found that college football saw its largest per-game attendance drop in 34 years during the 2017 as attendance was down 14-hundred people per game, which is a three-percent delcine from 2016. According to the Baton Rouge Advocate, LSU’s season tickets sales have dropped from 74-thousand in 2015, to just under 72-thousand. The average attendance in Tiger Stadium in 2017 was 98-thousand, down from 101-thousand in 2016.

Tulane released its football schedule for 2018. The Green Wave open the season by hosting Wake Forest and Nicholls and they’ll visit Ohio State on September 22nd.

Former Louisiana Tech player and now LSU assistant Mickie DeMoss found last night she’ll be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame this summer. The Tallulah native was the first ever point guard for the Lady Techsters. She went on serve as an associate head coach under the legendary Pat Summit and is now assistant coach for the Lady Tigers.

Anthony Davis had another strong performance last night as he scored 38 points in the Pelicans 118-103 win over Detroit in Little Caesars Arena. Davis also had 10 rebounds. Jrue Holiday had 21 points and 12 assists and Nikola Mirotic put up the same stats. Davis and the Pelicans also knocked down 14 three-pointers…
cut 30 (12) “…..easy looks”
New Orleans is now 30-26 on the season, tied with Denver for seventh place in the Western Conference.

Grambling State won its 10th straight and moved into first place in the SWAC with a 78-55 win over Texas Southern. Ivy Smith Junior had 22 points and seven rebounds to lead the way for Grambling who is now 10-3 in the SWAC. Southern improved to 8-and-5 with a hard fought 55-51 win over Mississippi Valley State.

The LSU Tigers have another tough test on the road tonight in the SEC as they visit Alabama. The Crimson Tide are coming off a 28-point win over at the time 15th ranked Tennessee. Tigers Coach Will Wade says Bama is playing great….
Cut 17 (19) “statistically”
LSU is coming off an 82-66 victory over Ole Miss. Rebels Head Coach Andy Kennedy says he is stepping down at the end of the season.

According to ESPN analysis, the Saints will have the second toughest schedule in the NFL. New Orleans has road games versus Dallas and Minnesota and they’ll host the Rams, Steelers and Super Bowl champion Eagles, plus the usual home and away against NFC South foes.

The Pelicans look to finish off their three game road trip with a win tonight in Detroit. New Orleans is coming off a double overtime win over Brooklyn. Newly acquired Nikola Mirotic had 21 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots in the exhausting victory on Saturday. Pels Head Coach Alvin Gentry says Mirotic is trying to get caught up to speed as fast as possible…
cut 28 (19) “…beneficial to him”
Tip-off tonight is at 6 PM.

At 8:00 in Houston, Grambling State goes after its 10th straight win as they visit Texas Southern. Grambling has tied Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the standings for first place. Also in the SWAC, Southern hosts Mississippi Valley State.

The LSU Tigers left Alabama today where they’ll face the Crimson Tide tomorrow night in Tuscaloosa. The Bayou Bengals are 5-7 in the SEC after beating Ole Miss on Saturday in convincing fashion. LSU Coach Will Wade…
cut 29 (10) “…every day”
Alabama blew out Tennessee on Saturday and they already beat LSU in the PMAC earlier this season. Tip off is at 8 PM.

It’s been a tough season for ULM, but last week was certainly a good week as the Warhawks went through the Peach State and beat Georgia Southern and upset Georgia State. Today ULM Senior Sam McDaniel was named Sun Belt Player of the Week. He had 23 points and allowed 11 boards a game.

The Ragin Cajuns have a two-game lead for first place in the Sun Belt. UL Lafayette hosts Texas State on Thursday, while Warhawks will battle Texas-Arlington.

Nicholls State is in first place in the Southland by a half a game and they host Sam Houston State on Wednesday. Southeastern and UNO are a half game back of the Colonels and they play each other in Hammond on Wednesday.

The LSU Tigers improved to 5-7 in the SEC on Saturday with an easy 82-66 win over Ole Miss. Duop Reath had a huge game, 26 points, five rebounds and a blocked shot. Skylar Mays added 17 points, 15 in the second half. The game was tied at halftime, but the Tigers outscored the Rebels 45-29 in the second half. LSU is at Alabama tomorrow night. The Crimson Tide upset 15th ranked Tennessee on Saturday.

UL-Lafayette bounced back from a loss last Thursday by beating Georgia Southern 102-91 on Saturday. Johnathan Stove scored a career-high 28 points, while Bryce Washington had a double-double 18 points and 13 rebounds. The Cajuns are now 11-1 in the Sun Belt, still in first place.

ULM had a successful road trip to the Peach State as they beat Georgia State 90-82 in overtime. Sam McDaniel had 23 points and 12 reobunds. The Warhawks are 5-7 in the Sun Belt.

Louisiana Tech fell to 6-7 in Conference USA by losing to Old Dominion 82-69. The Bulldogs host UAB on Thursday.

Nicholls heads into the week still in first place in the Southland Conference as the Colonels won their third straight on Saturday as they defeated Houston Baptist 94-67. Tevon Saddler had 22 points, while Roddy Peters had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Nicholls has a huge game on Wednesday as the host Sam Houston State. The Bearcats are a half game back of Nicholls for first place.

Southeastern and UNO are also tied with Sam Houston for second place. The Lions beat McNeese 74-67 on Saturday and they host UNO on Wednesday night.

Grambling State has moved into a tie for first place in the SWAC as they’ve won nine straight. They beat Prairie View 90-85 on Saturday. Tonight they are at Texas Southerm

The Pelicans conclude a three-game road trip tonight as they visit Blake Griffin and the Detroit Pistons

The Saints have announced they are raising ticket prices for next season. The NFL franchise has told their fans that 75-percent of the seats will see an increase of 10-percent or less and some seats could see even higher increases. The team says the extra revenue will be used to improve the fan experience inside the Mercedes Benz Superdome. The Saints also say it will put their ticket prices around the league average.

The Pelicans begin a three-game road trip in Philadelhipa tonight as they take on the 76ers. New Orleans is just 1-4 since All-Star DeMarcus Cousins went down with a season ending knee injury. But the Pels should feel fresh after Wednesday night’s game was postponed because of a leaky Smoothie King Center roof. Tip off is at 6 PM in the Wells Fargo Center.

LSU baseball has been picked to finish fourth in the SEC West in a preseason poll of the coaches. Arkansas is the favorite to win the West, followed by Texas A-and-M and Ole Miss.

The LSU men’s basketball team is back home Saturday afternoon to host the Ole Miss Rebels. Both teams are 4-7 in league play, but the Rebels have lost four in a row. Tigers Coach Will Wade says Ole Miss has good size and they are physical. He says the key is keeping them off the free throw line.

After losing their first Sun Belt game of the year, UL Lafayette is at Georgia Southern on Saturday for a 4 PM tip. ULM visits Georgia State, who just beat the Cajuns. The Warhawks are coming off an overtime win over Georgia Southern.

Louisiana Tech has a tough matchup inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Saturday night as they host Old Dominion. The Monarchs are 9-2 in Conference Play, while the Bulldogs are 6-and-6.

In the Southland, first place Nicholls State hosts Houston Baptist. Southeastern Louisiana, who is a half-game back of the Colonels is at McNeese State.

Grambling who has won eight in a row visits Prairie View A-and-M. Southern hosts SWAC leader Arkansas Pine Bluff.

Governor John Bel Edwards has set today as the deadline to call a February special session to address the fiscal cliff. Matt Doyle has more…
voicer 2 (30) “…I’m Matt Doyle”

Three members of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation voted this morning for a spending bill to reopen government after a brief shutdown. US Representatives Ralph Abraham, Clay Higgins and Steve Scalise voted for it, while no votes came from Garret Graves, Mike Johnson, Cedric Richmond and both of Louisiana’s U-S Senators.

Even though it looks nice today, a wet rainy weekend is still threatening to dampen Mardi Gras parades around the state on Saturday. Rain is expected, especially in south Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says it won’t be a heavy continuous downpour
Cut 6 (08) “of that.”
Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, who leads tourism efforts in the state, knows the rain will not dampen the spirit…
cut 4 (12) “…of the state”
An 83-year-old woman from Gonzales has claimed a 525-thousand Lousiaina Lotto prize. Her quick-pick ticket bough at Little Capital of Louisiana in Breaux Bridge matched all six numbers on the January 20th drawing. Josephine Prendergast told Lottery officials she’ll spend her winnings on really good P-J’s coffee.

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron has completed filling out his 10-person coaching staff with the hiring of former Rutgers co-defensive coordinator Bill Busch. Busch also coach underneath Dave Aranda, when he was the D-C at Wisconsin.

There’s a report LSU has hired Doug Nussmeier as an offensive analyst. He’s a former offensive coordinator at Florida, Alabama and Michigan. His offenses at Florida and Michigan did not perform well.

Louisiana Tech signed eight high school prospects and two transfers on national signing day. That’s a total class of 24, 13 of them on the offensive side of the ball. Five on the offensive line and five more in the backfield.

Ragin Cajuns Billy Napier’s first recruiting class consists of 16 players. Ten of the signeees are from the Louisiana-Mississippi-Texas area. The group includes former Ole Miss defensive lineman Garrald McDowell and running back Chris Smith who scored 23 touchdowns last season as a prep player in Mississippi.

It was a very active NBA trade deadline, where the Cavaliers did a complete overhaul of their roster as they nearly built a new team around LeBron James. The Pelicans made one trade as they sent veteran forward Dante Cunningham to Brooklyn for third year guard Rashad Vaughn. Vaughn is a former 2015 first round pick and has averaged just 3 points in 134 NBA games.

Also, former Ragin Cajun Elfrid Payton was traded by Orlando to Phoenix for a second round pick.

Big game for the Ragin Cajuns men’s basketball team tonight as they visit Georgia State. UL Lafayette has won 10 straight, the Panthers have won nine in a row. Six-foot-three sophomore guard D’Marcus Simonds leads the Panthers, averaging 21 points a game. But Coach Bob Marlin says their hottest player at the moment is shooting guard Devin Mitchell….
Cut 17 (09) “by 30″

LSU’s 15^th ranked recruiting class features 23 players, 13 from the state of Louisiana. The Tigers could have signed as many as 25, but they missed out on signing the nation’s top-rated cornerback, Patrick Surtain Junior, they were also in on a cornerback from Missouri and a Q-B from Alabama. But all three players went elsewhere. Head Coach Ed Orgeron is not overly concerned they didn’t sign the maximum number of players allowed…

Cut 14 (09) “…the plan” (2x)

Orgeron says they could use the two scholarship spots on transfers or hold them for the 2019 recruiting class.

Frustrating night at the Smoothie King Center, the Pelicans-Pacers game was postponed last night, because a leak in the roof, led to a wet court. A make up date has not been announced.

_____________________________________________

The Tigers failed to score in the final 3:50 and lost to Florida 73-64 last night. The Gators forced 16 turnovers and outscored LSU 21-10 in points off turnovers.

Nicholls remains in first place in the Southland as the Colonels downed Abilene Christian 69-65. Roddy Peters had 18 points.

Southeastern Louisiana defeated Incarnate Wold 86-68, Lamar outlasted Northwestern State 79-75.

The Ragin Cajuns have won 10 straight, but tonight they visit a Georgia State squad on a nine game winning streak. UL Lafayette Coach Bob Marlin says his team is looking forward to the challenge….

Cut 16 (16) “…with his team”

Tip off is at 6:15. ULM is at Georgia Southern, while La Tech hosts Charlotte.

Some good and bad for LSU on national signing day. They saw prized recruit and five-star cornerback Patrick Surtain Junior announce he’s signing with Alabama. They also missed out on four-star cornerback Mario Goodrich, who signed with Clemson. But the Tigers added two more players to their 2018 class with signed national letters of intent from Scotlandville Safety Kelvin Joseph and Rummel wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Tiger Rag Associate Editor James Moran says the 2018 class features just one five-star prospect…
cut 13 (10) “…the top”
24-7 sports ranks LSU’s recruiting class as the 15th best in the nation. The worst ranking for LSU since 2005, which was Les Miles first class.

24-7 sports ranks Louisiana Tech’s recruiting class as the third best in Conference USA. Dual threat quarterback Aaron Allen is one of 16 three-star prospects.

In the Sun Belt, ULM has the 8th best class. The Warhawks have five three-star recruits, including a couple of quarterbacks, Brennen Wooten and Colby Suits. Both of them are from Texas. The Ragin Cajuns are ranked as the 10th best class. Leesville quarterback Chris Vargas signed with UL Lafayette today.

The SEC Network carries tonight’s matchup between the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators. The Bayou Bengals should be a confident group after shooting well in a 94-86 win over Arkansas, while the Gators are looking to rebound from an 18 point loss to Alabama last Saturday. Tip-off is at 5:30.

The top team in the Southland, Nicholls State, is at Abilene Christian.

NBA tonight, the Pelicans will look to snap a three-game home losing streak when they host Indiana.

Today marks National Signing Day, but it’s not like how it used to be. LSU signed 21 players during the first ever December signing period and they will likely sign four more players today to complete the 2018 recruiting class. Geaux 24-7 recruiting analyst Shea Dixon says Scotlandville safety Kelvin Joseph is expected to sign with the Tigers and Dixon also anticipates Rummel wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will do the same…
Cut 16 (15) “pick LSU”
LSU is also hoping to sign the number one cornerback in the country, Patrick Surtain Junior. Alabama is also in on the five-star prospect. The Tigers are also after Mario Goodrich a cornerback from Missouri.

Former Saints safety Malcom Jenkins who just won his second Super Bowl ring says he will not visit the White House with his Eagle teammates. Jenkins says he wants to see changes in the criminal justice system and he’s pushing for a better relationship between communities and law enforcement.

Saints tight end Josh Hill had surgery on a finger that was locked at a 90-degree angle. He’s expected to be ready when offseason workouts begin.

LSU starting catcher Hunter Feduccia suffered a hairline fracture in his non-throwing hand when it was hit with a bat. But Paul Mainieri told Tiger Rag he’s hopeful Feduccia will be okay for next Friday’s season opener against Notre Dame.

In college basketball tonight….LSU is at Florida. The Tigers are coming off a win over Arkansas, while the Gators suffered an 18-point defeat to Alabama on Saturday.

In the Southland…the first place Nicholls State Colonels are at Abilene Christian. Nicholls is trying to win its fourth straight road game and they’ve won eight of their last 10 overall.

The Pelicans host the Indiana Pacers.