The LSU football team is now more than halfway done with Spring Football and Quarterback Danny Etling says he’s feeling a lot more comfortable in the Tigers new offense. He believes he’s already seen an improvement in his game with Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada teaching him how to become a better passer…:
Cut 17 (18) “grow with it”
The spring game kicks off at 7pm on April 22.

Will Wade is close to making his first hire as LSU basketball coach, with former North Texas head coach Tony Benford expected to join his staff, according to Tiger Rag Magazine. In his career, Benford’s recruited and coached 11 NBA draft picks.

Tulane made it a tough baseball game for LSU last night as the Green Wave rallied from a 3 point deficit to defeat the Tigers 7-6 on a windy night in Baton Rouge. LSU Junior catcher Michael Papierski ripped a grand slam into left field to lift the No. 6 Tigers to a 5-2 lead in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough. The Green Wave’s Jake Willsey homered twice, and Lex Kaplan added a two-run home run.

UL-Lafayette launched two home runs and held a hot-hitting McNeese baseball team to just two hits on the night to take down the Cowboys, 3-1, and snap a 16-game home winning streak yesterday evening in Lake Charles.

The ULM baseball team could not keep up with host Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night as the teams combined for 20 total hits, but the Warhawks fell 12-3 to the Bulldogs in the first of two midweek meetings between the two schools this season.

In the NBA, the Pelicans return to the Smoothie King Center for a 7pm tipoff against Dallas. The Mavericks are in a similar position as the Pels going into tonight’s contest — trailing the last playoff spot by 4.5 games in the Western Conference.

The NFL approves a new rule that prohibits players from leaping over the line of scrimmage to block field goals and extra points. If you remember last season, the Saints lost a tough game against Denver when they had an extra point blocked when the Broncos Justin Simmons hurdled over the center and got his hands on the kick and it was return for two points.

At the NFL owners meetings, when asked about acquiring Patriots restricted free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler, Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said they are kicking the tires and that’s the way to describe it. Loomis also believes the Saints can remain a high powered offense, even though they traded away Brandin Cooks. He points to the Jimmy Graham trade a couple of years ago.

The Pelicans ended a three-game road trip last night with a 108-100 loss to Utah. New Orleans is back in action on Wednesday as they host Dallas. Just eight games left in the regular season and the Pels are 4.5 games back of Portland for the final playoff spot in the West.

At Alex Box Stadium tonight, LSU hosts Tulane. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri expects a spirited contest…
cut 18 (15) “…of the game”
Tulane won both match-ups between these teams last year.

Also tonight, McNeese, who is undefeated at home this season, hosts the Ragin Cajuns and ULM travels over into Lincoln Parish to visit Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs are struggling, while the Warhawks have won three of their last four.

Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham reports new LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade is close to hiring former North Texas head coach Tony Benford as a new assistant coach. Benford was recently fired by North Texas. He’s been an assistant at Marquette, Nebraska, Arizona State and New Mexico. In his career, he’s recruited and coached 11 NBA draft picks.

LSU closer Hunter Newman is showing signs of returning to health. Coach Paul Mainieri says it’s possible Newman will be able to pitch in this weekend’s series against Texas A-and-M. Mainieri says despite Newman’s back injury, he’s seeing improvement out of his bullpen…
cut 17 (20) “….our bullpen”
The Tigers host Tulane tonight.

In other action tonight…the Cajuns are at McNeese State. The Cowboys are 14-0 at home this year. Northwestern State faces Lamar in Natchitoches. ULM and Louisiana Tech meet in Ruston and Nicholls hosts Alcorn State.

Former LSU baseball star Kevin Gausman will start on opening day for the Baltimore Orioles.

Anthony Davis was sensational last night, but it wasn’t enough to help New Orleans beat Utah. The Jazz knocked off New Orleans 108-100 as Rudy Gobert had 20 points and 19 rebounds. A-D had 36 points and 17 rebounds. Jrue Holiday added 19 points. DeMarcus Cousins did not play for a second straight game because of a sprained ankle.

In high school basketball…Atlanta’s Tony Brown has been named the Class C most outstanding player of the year. Brown averaged 25 points a game to help Atlanta win the Class C title. Summerfield’s Mercedes Coleman was named the Class C outstanding palyer of the year in girls basketball. Coleman averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds to help Summerfield win a state title.

Sixth ranked LSU will host instate rival Tulane tonight at the Box as the Tigers begin a five-game homestand. The Bayou Bengals are coming off a 10-6 victory over Florida. They trailed 5-0 in that contest. Coach Paul Mainieri says a win like that can mean a lot during a long season…:
Cut 16 (11) “for our team”
The Green Wave won two games over the Tigers last season.

McNeese infielder Joe Provenzano has been named the College Sports Madness Southland Conference Baseball Player of the Week. The junior hit .500 in the Cowboys’ last four games this past week, going 8-for-16 at the plate.

McNeese is 9-0 in conference action. They’ll host UL-Lafayette tonight. The Cajuns are coming off of a 2-3 week that saw the squad fall out of the Baseball America top 25 while also dropping in the D1Baseball rankings

ULM makes the trip down I-20 today to square off against Louisiana Tech. The Diamond Dogs have lost seven of its last 10 games, while the Warhawks have fallen 6 of its last 10.

Nicholls State hosts Alcorn State, and Northwestern State hosts Lamar.

In Major League Baseball, the Orioles announced Monday that former LSU standout Kevin Gausman will start against the season opener against Toronto on April 3rd. The right-hander was 9-12 with a 3.61 ERA last season.

The Pelicans fell last night on the road to Utah 108-100. Anthony Davis had 36 points and 17 rebounds for New Orleans, which played again without injured center DeMarcus Cousins. Jrue Holiday scored 19, but the Pelicans lost for only the third time in nine games. New Orleans now trails Denver and Portland by 4.5 games with eight games remaining in the regular season.

And the big story in the NFL right now is that the league’s owners, including the Saints’ Tom Benson, has approved the Raiders move from Oakland to Las Vegas.

The LSU baseball team escaped Gainesville with a victory on Sunday as they railled from a 5-0 deficit to beat Florida 10-6. The Tigers hit three two-run homers in the eighth inning to erase a 6-2 deficit. Beau Jordan hit one of those home runs and finished with 4 RBIs. Cole Freeman smacked a two-run shot over the wall to break a six-six tie. LSU hosts Tulane tomorrow night. The Green Wave is 9-15 on the year.

McNeese is 9-0 in the Southland after sweeping a series from Nicholls. The Cowboys have won 16 straight games at home. The Colonels and Southeastern Louisiana are 5-4 in league play. The Lions have lost five in a row as they were swept by Houston Baptist.

Louisiana Tech is now 1-5 in Conference USA. The Bulldogs dropped two of three to Charlotte. Tech hosts ULM tomorrow. The Warhawks won their series over Little Rock and the Cajuns won their series over Troy and UL Lafayette is 4-2 in league play.

Former Tigers Quarterback Brandon Harris posted on Facebook that he’ll transfer to North Carolina once he graduates from LSU this summer. Harris started 15 games for the Bayou Bengals over three seasons and he’ll be eligible to play for North Carolina this fall.

Former Saints running back Deuce McAllister has been named an athletic consultant for St. Martin’s Episcopal School in New Orleans. McAllister will continue to serve as color analyst on the Saints Radio Network.

And the big story in the NFL today is that the league’s owners, including the Saints Tom Benson, has approved the Raiders move from Oakland to Las Vegas. The Raiders will play in Oakland this season and possibly longer as a 65-thousand seat domed stadium will be built in Sin City.

The Pelicans pummeled the Denver Nuggets 115 to 90 last night. They did it without DeMarcus Cousins who has an ankle injury and he’s listed questionable for tonight’s game against Utah. New Orleans is four-games back of Portland for the final playoff spot in the West.

A big come from behind win for the LSU Tigers yesterday. Trailing 6-2 in the eighth inning, the Bayou Bengals belted three two-run homers to take an 8-6 lead. Beau Jordan’s two-run blast tied the game at six. Here’s how it sounded on the LSU Sports Radio Network as Chris Blair has the call…
cut 30 (14) “…Gainesville”
A couple of batters later, Cole Freeman clubbed his first home run of the year to give LSU the lead and the Tigers went on to win 10-6.

McNeese is now 9-0 in the Southland after sweeping Nicholls. The Cowboys clipped the Colonels 11 to 8 yesterday to stay perfect at home. Nate Fishbeck got the scoring going as he drove in three runs with a double and and finished with 4 RBIs on the day.

Former LSU quarterback Brandon Harris says he plans on transferring to North Carolina. Harris made a trip to the Tar Heel state over the weekend and the Bossier City native said in a facebook post that he looks forward to playing for Coach Larry Fedora at UNC. He will be be able to play for the Tar Heels next season, once he graduates over the summer.

And unless something strange occurs, NFL owners are expected to approve the Raiders desire to move to Las Vegas. It will take 24 yes votes from the 32 owners.

The Pelicans easily defeated Denver last night 115 to 90 to help keep their slim playoff chances alive. DeMarcus Cousins did not play because of a right ankle sprain, but they didn’t need the big guy. Anthony Davis led the way with 31 points and 15 rebounds. It’s the 14th time he’s scored more than 30 points and had more than 15 boards in a game this season. So New Orleans, is now four games back in the loss for the final playoff spot in the West. The Pels are at Utah tonight. Cousins is listed as questionable.

Florida was on the verge of sweeping LSU on Sunday afternoon in Gainesville, then the Bayou Bengals erupted for six runs in the 8th inning for a 10-6 win over the Gators. Cole Freeman clobbered a two-run homer to give LSU an 8-6 lead in the 8th inning. Chris Blair had the call on the LSU Sports Radio Network….:
CUT 25 (20) “of the year”
LSU is 18-7 overall, 4-2 in the SEC. They host Tulane on Tuesday night and then Texas A&M comes to the Box for a three-game series starting Thursday night.

No. 15 UL-Lafayette defeated Troy 7-2 on Sunday in Alabama to claim the Ragin Cajuns’ 5th straight series win this season. Also in the Sun Belt, ULM got a 7-1 victory yesterday over Little Rock as the Warhawks took two of three in the series.

Elsewhere in college baseball, Houston Baptist completed the sweep of a Southland Conference series against Southeastern with a 6-3 win Sunday at Husky Field. McNeese stays perfect at home following an 11-8 victory over Nicholls to complete the conference sweep of the Colonels. The Pokes have a 9-0 league record. Tulane was defeated 12-10 by Stetson Sunday in New Orleans.

In the NBA the Pelicans soared past the Denver Nuggets 115-90 in a must-win game for New Orleans. Anthony Davis had 31 points and 15 rebounds which helped make up for the absence of DeMarcus Cousins who didn’t play because he was hurt. The Pels are now 11th in the West with nine games remaining.

A report by Delta Waterfowl finds the number of duck hunters declining nationwide. Luke Laborde with the LSU School of Natural Resources says we’re seeing a similar trend in Louisiana. He says they have research to indicate youth are less interested in Sportsmans Paradise.
Cut 14 (11) “an iPad”
Laborde says LSU and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries are doing what they can to get more people interested in duck hunting.

The LSU Baseball team has arrived at the field in Gainesville as the Tigers are set to face Florida in a three game series. The pitching match-up for tonight is Alex Lange versus Florida right-hander Alex Faedo. Both are considered top prospects in this year’s Major League Baseball draft. LSU right fielder Greg Deichmann says runs will probably be at a premium tonight…:
Cut 18 (09) “be a blowout”
The last time LSU went to Gainesville, Florida swpet the Tigers in a three-game series in 2014.

The New Orleans Pelicans are all set for their game tonight against the Rockets in Houston. DeMarcus Cousins is coming off a monster 41 point, 17 rebound game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, and the Pels have now won three straight and five of their last 6. The Rockets have won three straight at the Toyota Center.

Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton and Youngstown State’s Derek Rivers are scheduled to visit New Orleans for pre-draft visits. Charlton revealed the visit to reporters at Michigan’s Pro Day today. Rivers’ agency appeared to confirm his visit by retweeting a report by NFL Draft Diamonds. Both players are pass rushers who could compete for the defensive end spot opposite Pro Bowl end Cameron Jordan,

LSU defensive lineman Isaiah Washington will miss the rest of spring practice after being ruled ineligible, a source told The Advocate on Thursday. Washington, a redshirt sophomore from New Orleans, fell below the minimum number of courses needed to remain eligible for this semester.

No. 15 UL-Lafayette will look to win its fifth straight weekend series of the season as the squad continues conference play with a three-game series at Troy.

Louisiana Tech is set to return to conference action with a three away game series against Charlotte kicking off this afternoon.

ULM will continue its four-game homestand this weekend welcoming Little Rock in the Warhawks’ first Sun Belt Conference series of the season.

The Black and Gold fan base has strong feelings about the report that Saints coach Sean Payton met with former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel, who is also a Heisman Trophy winner. Ian Rapaport with the NFL Network said Payton and Manziel had breakfast together during Super Bowl week. Manziel is infamous for having major off-field issues and he did not play in the NFL last season.

New Orleans has re-signed veteran defensive end Darryl Tapp to a one year contract. In his first season with the Saints last year, Tapp played in all 16 games an accumulated 33 tackles and a half sack in rotational back-up duty on the defensive line.

The Pelicans return to action tonight to take on likely MVP candidate James Harden and the Houston Rockets in the Toyota Center. New Orleans is chasing the No. 8 spot in Western Conference standings. They have 11 games left this season, 7 of those on the road.

LSU defensive lineman Isaiah Washington will miss the rest of spring practice after being ruled academically ineligible, according to reports.

The 4th ranked LSU Baseball team begins a three-game series against Florida tonight in Gainesville. The Tigers swept Georgia last weekend to begin SEC play, while the 11th ranked Gators were swept by Auburn. Junior right-hander Alex Lange starts on the mound tonight for LSU and knows Florida will be ready to play tonight…:
Cut 16 (14) “they got”
The last time LSU went to Gainesville, Florida swept the Tigers in a three-game series in 2014.

No. 15 UL-Lafayette will look to win its fifth straight weekend series of the season as the squad continues conference play with a three-game series at Troy.

Louisiana Tech is set to return to conference action with a three away game series against Charlotte kicking off this afternoon.

ULM will continue its four-game homestand this weekend welcoming Little Rock in the Warhawks’ first Sun Belt Conference series of the season.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Saints Coach Sean Payton has met with former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel as Johnny Football looks to get back in the league after his poor choices away from the football field led to his release by the Cleveland Browns. ESPN’s Mike Triplett says there are no indications the Saints are planning to sign him.

The Saints have re-signed Darryl Tapp. The 32-year-old defensive end had 17 tackles last season.

Former LSU Tiger Ricky Jean Francois has signed a one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers. This will be Francois’ fourth team. He had a career-high 32 tackles with Washington last season.

Former Louisiana Tech standout Quinton Patton has signed with the Jets. He caught 40 passes during four seasons in San Francisco.

LSU third baseman Josh Smith went four for four with four runs driven in as the Tigers trounced Southeastern Louisiana eight to two last night. The Bayou Bengals left today for a three-game series against Florida. Game one in Gainesillve is tomorrow night at 6 PM.

Will Wade is settling in as the new men’s basketball coach for the LSU Tigers. One of the first things on his to-do list is to speak with Antonio Blakeney. The Tigers leading scorer could leave college early and enter the NBA draft. Wade says he looks forward to having that discussion with Blakeney…
cut 28 (23) “…for him”

Grambling is looking for a new men’s basketball coach. Shawn Walker has been fired after a 25-63 record in three seasons.

The Pelicans begin a three game road trip in Houston tomorrow. New Orleans is four-games back of Denver for the final playoff spot in the West.