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.

The New Orleans Pelicans are home tonight to host the Los Angeles Lakers after back-to-back road victories over the Brooklyn Nets and the Detroit Pistons. The Pels are in eighth place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Clippers for the final playoff spot. New Orleans is also a half game back of the Nuggets for sixth placet.

The top teams in the Southland Conference battle each other tonight. First place Nicholls hosts second place Sam Houston State. The Colonels have a half game lead over the Bearkats and they are looking for their first win over Sam Houston since 2013.

UNO and Southeastern Louisiana are tied with the Bearkats for second place and they face off tonight in Hammond. The Lions have won three in a row, while the Privateers have won five of their last six.

Also tonight, Northwestern State hosts Houston Baptist, McNeese visits Central Arkansas and Tulane hosts East Carolina.

LSU fell to 5-8 in the SEC with an 80-65 loss to Alabama last night. The Crimson Tide shot 55-percent and knocked down 10 three-pointers. They also had some highlight reel dunks. At one point, Bama had a 25 point lead. The Tigers host Missouri on Saturday. The Tigers won their fifth straight by beating Texas A-and-M 62-58 last night.

There were reports former Saints quarterback Doug Nussmeier would be named as an offensive analyst on Ed Orgeron’s staff at LSU. But the ex-offensive coordinator at Alabama, Michigan and Florida has found another job. He’ll reportedly serve as tight ends coach for the Dallas Cowboys.

WAFB reports Coach O has purchased a home at the University Club in Baton Rouge. Orgeron’s current home is in the Mandeville-area.

Coach O is interested in signing Houston quarterback Grant Gunnell and the four-star prospect has re-opened his recruitment. Gunnell has decommitted from Texas A-and-M, because of the coaching change and other factors.

The LSU hoops team fell to 5-8 in the SEC last night as the Tigers lost to Alabama 80-65. Daryl Edwards scored a career-high 21 points for the Bayou Bengals, but his teammates struggled against a surging Crimson Tide team that improved to 8-5 in SEC play.

Big night in the Southland Conference, Nicholls leads the league and they host Sam Houston State who is tied for second with Southeastern Louisiana and UNO. The Colonels have won eight of their last nine and they are 10-3 at home. The Bearkats are the best defensive team in the league, allowing 67 points a game.

Meanwhile, S-L-U and the Privateers will face each other in Hammond. These two teams split their season series last year. UNO beat the Lions in Hammond last season 60-52.

Also tonight…Northwestern State hosts Houston Batptist, while Tulane faces East Carolina. The Green Wave are trying to end a three-game losing streak. While the Demons will start former football player Cameron Lazare.

The Pelicans hope they can extend their winning streak to three when they host the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. It’s the final game before the All-Star break. New Orleans sits in 8th place in the Western Conference standings.

LSU’s top quarterback target for the 2019 recruiting class has decommitted from Texas A-and-M. Six-foof-six, Grant Gunnell, who is considered the nation’s number two pro-style passer is someone Ed Orgeron’s staff covets. According to Geaux 24-7 sports, Gunnell will visit the LSU campus this weekend. Cleveland-dot-com reports Gunnell decommitted from Texas A-and-M after receiving an offer Ohio State.

WAFB-TV reports Coach O has bought a home on a lake in Baton Rouge’s University club subdivision. He’s currently living in the Mandeville area.

A CBS Sports report finds per-game attendance at college football games in 2017 dropped an average of 14-hundred fans in 2017, which is the largest drop in 34 years and the 2nd-largest ever. LSU saw its average attendance decline as well from 101-thousand in 2016 to 98-thousand last season.

Tough night in Tuscaloosa LSU as was blown out by a surging Alabama team. The Tigers shot just 39-percent from the field in an 80-65 loss to the Crimson Tide. While Bama shot 55%. Danta Hall had a huge game for the winning team as he had 20 points and eight rebounds. LSU is now 4-7 in the SEC.

There are some big games in the Southland tonight. In Thibodaux, Nicholls hosts Sam Houston State. The Colonels are looking for their first win over the Bearkats since 2013. Nicholls enters the game a half-game ahead of Sam Houston State for first place.

Southeastern Louisiana and UNO are tied with Sam Houston for second and they play each other in Hammond at 7 PM. The Lions are trying to win their 11^th Southland game of the season for only the third time in program history. Travin Thibodaux leads the Privateers, averaging 17 points a game.

The Pelicans play their final game before the All-Star break tonight as they host the Los Angeles Lakers. New Orleans is looking for its third straight win as it seems like they’ve righted the ship after the season ending injury to DeMarcus Cousins.

An LSU quarterback target in the class of 2019 has decommitted from Texas A-and-M. Grant Gunnell is a four-star QB from Houston. According to Cleveland.com, Gunnell re-opened his recruitment hours after receiving an offer from Ohio State.

A CBS sports report finds college football attendance involving FBS schools had its biggest drop in 34 years. On average, 14-hundred fewer fans attended games in 2017 compared to 2016.

Tiger Stadium has seen declines in attendance as well. The average attendance last season was 98-thousand, down from 102-thousand in 2015. The number season of ticket sales has also declined by about 25-hundred since 2015.

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.