Tonight could be the final game for Johnny Jones as head coach of the LSU Tigers. Tiger-rag-dot-com reports Athletic Director Joe Alleva is expected to hand Jones his pink slip shortly after the Tigers are eliminated from the SEC Tournament. Jones commented on the fact that this past season, LSU went 2-16 in the SEC….:
Cut 17 (09) “do that”
LSU faces Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament tonight.

According to sources, the Saints have signed wide receiver Brandon Coleman to a one-year extension, and offered wide receiver Willie Snead a qualifying offer. Also reported is that the New England Patriots offered the No. 32 overall pick in round 1 for Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks last weekend. New Orleans declined but the Pats are reportedly still in the mix trying to come up with a deal to land Cooks.

The writing was on the wall with this one, but unfortunately the LSU baseball game against San Diego was rained out last night and won’t be made up. This means freshman Zack Hess will start for the Tigers tonight at McNeese State. UL-Lafayette and Southeastern also weren’t able to play their home games Tuesday.

Louisiana Tech was on the road and they rallied to beat Mississippi State 3-2. The Bulldogs scored two in the 8th to tie it and got the game winner in the 9th. They are now 12-1 on the season.

ULM fell 12-3 at Arkansas. It’s one of the Warhawks two-game midweek series against the Razorbacks.

The Sun Belt Men’s basketball tournament begins today in New Orleans. 12th seeded ULM faces Arkansas State this afternoon and then at 5:00 UL Lafayette will take on Little Rock. The Cajuns already beat the Trojans twice this season and Coach Bob Marlin believes his team is one of the best in the Sun Belt…:
Cut 20 (13) “Little Rock”

LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron said today Danny Etling will not be given the starting quarterback position, he’ll have to earn it. Orgeron says there will be an open compeition for starting Q-B during spring practice as Justin McMillan, Lindsey Scott and Lowell Narcisse will also battle for the job. But Orgeron also said that Etling has had an excellent offseason.

Spring football begins Saturday for the Tigers who are installing a new offense under first-year offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Orgeron says Canada will be able to adapt to whoever is under center taking snaps….
cut 11 (11) “…known for”

The Ragin Cajuns begin spring football today as well. Jordan Davis will have the opportunity to lock down the role as starting Q-B with a good spring.

The weather doesn’t look great for baseball tonight at Alex Box Stadium. That’s where LSU is scheduled to host San Diego for the first ever meeting on the baseball diamond between the two schools. The Tigers are looking to bounce back from a walk-off loss to Texas Tech.

Rain has already washed out the scheduled game between UL Lafayette and Tulane. Also Southeastern Louisiana and West Virginia are a no go. Those two teams will try again tomorrow.

Tonight, 11-and-1 Louisiana Tech begins a four-game road trip at Mississippi State. Bulldogs Head Coach Lane Burroughs says it’s another opportunity for his team to make a statement…
cut 18 (13) “…of it”
Tech is ranked 24th in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

And there’s a report that LSU will fire Tigers men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones shortly after they complete play in the SEC Tournament. LSU went 2-and-16 in the league and they face Mississippi State tomorrow night.

Weather permitting, the 7th ranked LSU Tigers will host San Diego at Alex Box Stadium. Freshman Zack Hess is the scheduled starter on the mound. Last week, he gave up two runs in 4.2 innings. Coach Paul Mainieri hopes to see a better game from Hess tonight…
cut 20 (07) “…bit longer”
Conference play starts next week for the Tigers and Mainieri continues to tinker with who will fill the role as designated hitter. Jordan Romero started all three games at DH in Houston and swung the bat well. But Mainieri says for the time being, he’ll continue to mix and match that spot in the line-up.

In other action, the 15th ranked Ragin Cajuns are at Tulane. UL Lafayette is coming off a weekend in which they took two of three from Southern Miss, while Tulane took two of three from West Virginia.

Southeastern Louisiana hosts West Virginia tonight. ULM begins a two-game series at Arkansas.

Louisiana Tech senior third baseman Chase Lunceford is the Conference USA hitter of the week. Lunceford hit .421 during five games last week and drove in at least one RBI in each game. Bulldogs Coach Lane Burroughs says the Mississippi native is more than just a great hitter…
cut 17 (18) “…to hit”
Tech is at Mississippi State tonight. Last year State ended the Bulldogs season with a four to nothing win in the Starkville Regional.

The SWAC Basketball Tournament starts tonight, Southern hosts Jackson State, while Grambling visits Prairie View in quarterfinal action.

In the NBA last night, the Pelicans shot a season-low 36–percent from the field and lost to Utah 88-83 last night. Anthony Davis had 20 points, 12 boards. The Pels are back home to host Toronto on Wednesday.

Many immigrants are still concerned about the revised version of President Donald Trump’s travel ban. Ibrahim Matri is an LSU student from Libya. He says his family was planning to visit soon, but those plans have changed because of the ban. He says he’s worried other countries will follow suit.

Cut 8 (08) “domino effect”

Matri says with this new ban, he will have to stay put and see how things progress.

The Baton Rouge contractor booked on a slew of fraud charges has been arrested again. Ascension Sheriff Jeff Wiley says 39-year-old Matthew Morris violated the terms of his bond by convincing a bank to give him a line of credit based on money he falsely claimed he was owed by flood victims. He urges anyone who believes they were a victim of Morris’ scheme to come forward.

Cut 15 (10) “responsible”

There’s a shortage of firefighters with the Department of Agriculture due to budget cuts. That’s according to Ag Commissioner Mike Strain, who says he has only 53 teams responsible for 14 million acres of forests. He says they may not have enough firefighters of things go badly.

Cut 12 (12) “of the state”

Strain says the last cut to his department was more than $1.2 million.

417-thousand Louisianans need to be screened for colorectal cancer by 2018 to reach a goal of 80-percent set by the American Cancer Society. Tulane clinical medicine professor Dr. Jordan Karlitz says this cancer can be treated successfully if detected early.

Cut 6 (08) “point here”

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

Weather permitting, the 7th ranked LSU Tigers are set to host San Diego at Alex Box Stadium. It would be the first ever meeting between the two teams. But there’s a very good chance for rain tonight. Tigers Coach Paul Mainieri…:
Cut 19 (12) “anyway”
Freshman Zack Hess is tonight’s scheduled starter.

Louisiana Tech is ranked 24th in the USA Today Coaches poll. It’s the first Top 25 ranking for the Bulldogs baseball program in three decades as the team is off the school’s best start at 11-1. First-year head coach Lane Burroughs…:
Cut 16 (11) “offensive club”
Tonight, Louisiana Tech begins a four-game road trip at Mississippi State.

Accolades in baseball this week include LSU senior left-hander Jared Poche’ who was named on Monday a Co-Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week by the league office. Louisiana Tech senior third baseman Chase Lunceford is the Conference USA hitter of the week.

In the NBA, the Pelicans never had the lead last night on their way to an 88-83 loss to the Utah Jazz. New Orleans shot a season low 35.7 percent. Anthony Davis had 20 points and 12 rebounds, while DeMarcus Cousins added 15.

Former LSU receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Dameyune Craig is headed to Florida State as the Seminoles quality control assistant, according to Noles247.com. Craig was fired from LSU the day after National Signing Day.

NFL free agency begins this morning, allowing teams to begin negotiating two days before they can sign free agents when the new league year opens at 3pm on Thursday.

In college hoops honors, UL-Lafayette’s Jay Wright has been named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year. Ragin Cajun Frank Bartley was named the Newcomer of the year.

Louisiana Tech’s Erik McCree and Jacobi Boykins have received all-Conference USA honors.

The LSU baseball team is back in Baton Rouge after winning won one game, but losing two at the College Classic in Houston. On Friday, LSU lost to top ranked TCU and beat Baylor on Saturday and then completed the weekend with a five to four loss to Texas Tech. Coach Paul Mainieri says he’s not discouraged over the results…
cut 17 (20) “….today”
LSU’s record is 9-3 and they have fallen out of the top five in the latest college baseball polls, but three of the polls have them ranked 6th.

Baseball America has the Ragin Cajuns ranked 15th after taking two of three from Southern Miss this past weekend. 11-and-1 Louisiana Tech is still not ranked.

At the NFL combine, former LSU safety Jamal Adams ran a 4.56 in the 40. Adams who is expected to be a top five pick, told the media covering the combine that he should be the number one pick in the NFL draft.

The Pelicans finally won a game with DeMarcus Cousins on the floor. Cousins had 26 points and 15 rebounds to help New Orleans beat the lowly Los Angeles Lakers 105-97. The Pels are at Utah tonight.

In other NBA news…former Ragin Cajuns star Shawn Long has signed a 10-day contract with the 76ers.

The Boys Basketball state tournament gets underway today in Lake Charles. 48 teams will travel to the Burton Coliseum and 12 championship games will take place on Friday and Saturday. Eric Zartler with the Lake Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau says they are ready for all those extra games….
cut 13 (08) “…ready to roll”

The 2nd ranked LSU baseball team won one and lost two at the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic in Houston. The Tigers finished the weekend with a hard fought 5-4 defeat to 10th ranked Texas Tech. Senior pitcher Hunter Newman suffered the loss when he deflected the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. Coach Paul Mainieri…:
Cut 16 (20) “for us”
On Friday, LSU lost to top ranked TCU and beat Baylor on Saturday.

UL-Lafayette fell in extra innings Sunday to Southern Miss 15-11 and the Ragin Cajuns failed to complete the weekend sweep. Louisiana Tech rallied to sweep Wichita State following a 12-10 win on Sunday. The Bulldogs are now 11-1 on the season. ULM fell to Alabama on the road, 10-3 in the series finale.

More in college baseball, UNO finished sweeping Alcorn State yesterday as the PRivateers pick up a 7-6 victory. Tulane got hammered by West Virginia 18-5 but clinched the series with wins Friday and Saturday. Southeastern got the sweep of Troy after a 5-4 win Sunday.

Beginning today, 48 teams vying for 12 state titles are in southwest Louisiana for the 2017 LHSAA boys’ state basketball tournament. Before the split playoffs between select and non-select schools, 28 teams competed for 7 titles. Eric Zartler with the Lake Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau says they are ready for all those extra games..:
Cut 13 (08) “ready to roll”
Zartler says with 20 extra teams this year, everyone is excited for Marsh Madness.

In the NBA, the Pelicans got the win over the Lakers on Sunday, 105-97. It was the first win in five games for DeMarcus Cousins with the Pels and he had 26 points before fouling out. Anthony Davis added 31 points.

The LSU baseball team’s first game in Houston did not go as planned as the Tigers lost to top ranked TCU 9-6. LSU jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first inning as Jake Slaughter drove in two of those runs with a two run single. But TCU came back with five runs in the 2nd inning. Tigers starting pitcher Alex Lange gave up six runs and failed to get past the 2nd inning. LSU plays again today against Baylor at 4 PM.

Elsehwere…16th ranked Ragin Cajuns defeated Southern Miss 4-to-1 in the first ever game in their new ball park. Gunner Leger pitched six shutout innings to get the win.

Lousiaina Tech handed Witchita State its first loss with a 6-2. Alabama beat ULm 4-3, Kansas clobbered Northwestern state eight to two, Nicholls knocked off Brown 4-1, McNeese easily beat Prairie View 16-7, Southeastern Louisiana edged South Alabama 4-3 and UNO blanked Alcorn State 10-0.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tough loss for the Pelicans last night. They battled one of the best teams in the NBA, but couldn’t get the victory. San Antonio left New Orleans with a 101-98 victory over the Pels in overtime. The Pelicans got big games from their big three, 29 points from Anthony Davis, 26 from Jrue (Drew) Holiday and 19 came from DeMarcus Cousins, but no else really stepped up. And Cousins did not score after the third quarter.

At the girls state basketball tournament last night….Lafayette Christian, Gueydan (Gay-don) and Northlake Christian each won their first titles in girls hoops. Six more championship games take place today in Hammond.

In college hoops…LSU is at Mississipp State, the Cajuns host UT Arlington, UNO is at Nicholls, Northwestern State hosts Central Arkansas and Southern Miss takes on Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs beat the Golden Eagles by 24 earlier this season.

Former LSU running back Leonard Fournette recorded a vertical leap of 28.5 inches at the NFL combine today, which some say is a red flag after a season with injuries. He impressed in the 40 yard dash though which he ran in 4.51 seconds. Fourtnette measured 6-feet tall and 240 pounds at the combine.

Tonight when the Pelicans take the court against the Spurs, New Orleans point guard Jrue Holiday says he will donate $1,000 for every point and every assist he records to assist those who were impacted by the tornadoes that hit southeast Louisiana last month. Holiday is currently averaging 16 points per game and 7.3 assists per game.

According to the Big Lead, Baton Rouge native Kaylee Hartung, is leaving her job at ESPN & the SEC Network for a national correspondent position at CNN. She will reportedly be a news reporter and contribute features at her new job.

LSU will play some of the best of the Big 12 this weekend when they compete in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park. Tonight, LSU faces top ranked TCU, tomorrow undefeated Baylor and Sunday 21st ranked Texas Tech. Shortstop Kramer Robertson played in this event in 2015 and the Tigers won all three games, beating Houston, Baylor and Nebraska. Big crowds are expected this weekend and Robertson says at least they know what it’s like to play in front of several thousand fans…:
Cut 18 (16) “like that”
All three games will be played at the home of the Houston Astros.

In the girls state basketball championships taking place in Hammond today, New Living Word, Summerfield and Florien have all won titles. The boys basketball tournament action, dubbed Marsh Madness, kicks of Monday in Lake Charles.

No. 2 LSU faces No. 1 TCU tonight in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Tomorrow the Tigers play Baylor, and Sunday Texas Tech. Coach Paul Mainieri says he wants his team to embrace this challenge…:
Cut 17 (20) “to LSU”
All games will be televised on FOX Sports Southwest.

Also today, UL-Lafayette hosts it’s first home game of the season in the newly renovated venue now known as M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park. The Cajuns play host to Southern Mississippi for a three-game series, but the stadium isn’t entirely finished. School officials say a new stadium club, new suites and a new upper concourse “will not be accessible” until the stadium is completed.

It appears as though the Saints may be exploring trade offers for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. It’s reported that the Titans and Philadelphia are in the mix. Cooks has been vocal about his frustration with his role with the Saints; which also includes Michael Thomas and Willie Snead. Coach Sean Payton didn’t deny talks Thursday saying that whenever a team calls they listen to what they have to say.

College hoops, UNO fell to conference foe Southeastern last night 63-58, but since Northwestern State beat Stephen F Austin, 72-67, the Privateers are in sole possession of first place in the league standings. The Lions clinched their fifth straight trip to the Southland Conference Tournament with the win. The Demons stay alive and could get a berth if they win tomorrow against Central Arkansas.
New Orleans will have a chance to win the Southland title outright when the Privateers travel to face Nicholls State on Saturday. Last night the Colonels fell to Lamar, 87-75. A win over UNO would put the Colonels into the tournament.

In the Sun Belt, UL-Lafayette picked up a 94-84 overtime victory over Texas State — a fifth straight win for the Ragin Cajuns. ULM fell to the top ranked team in the league, UT Arlington, 72-57.

In the NBA, the Pelicans host the top team in the Southwestern Division, San Antonio. New Orleans only victory since the All-Star break was without their new player, DeMarcus Cousins. Tipoff tonight is 8:30.