The Saints 31-24 Christmas Eve victory over Tampa Bay, was the 100th win during Coach Sean Payton’s time with New Orleans — and the 94th in the regular season breaking a tie with Jim Mora for most in franchise history. Saints Quarterback Drew Brees says he’s luck to have been a part of every single one of Payton’s victories..:
CUT 1 (17) “it works”
Even though they beat the Bucs, New Orleans is now officially eliminated from playoff contention. The Saints face the Falcons Sunday in Atlanta.

In the NBA, the Pelicans will take on the Mavericks tonight in the Smoothie King Center at 7pm. New Orleans isn’t out of the playoff picture even though they are 11-21 and three games behind the Sacramento Kings who occupy the 8th seed.

The LSU Tigers return from Christmas Break today to continue preparations for Saturday’s game against Louisville in the Citrus Bowl. It’s the first ever meeting between the two teams and the Tigers are a slight favorite to win. LSU Coach Ed Orgeron says they expect a tough game in Orlando…:
cut 14 (11) “ready to go”
Kickoff is at 10am Saturday in Orlando.

This afternoon in Shreveport, it will be Vanderbilt versus North Carolina State in the Camping World Independence Bowl. Both teams are 6-and-6 on the year, and it’s the first bowl game for Vandy since 2013. Bowl Spokesperson Stefan Nolet says Commodore fans are excited to be here…:
cut 13 (12) “we’re excited”
Kickoff is at 4:00 PM on ESPN2.

All Saints fans want for Christmas is a playoff spot. That’ll be the hope today in New Orleans’ final home game as they face Tampa Bay in the Mercedes Benz Superdome. Buccaneers Quarterback Jameis Winston says this game against the Saints is one Tampa has to win to win as the postseason run is in full swing.
CUT 1 (20) “bigger week right here”
The game kicks off at 3:25 on Fox.

Louisiana Tech fans are happy campers today as the Bulldogs pulled out an incredible win against Navy in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. Trent Taylor scooped up 12 catches for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns while garnering the game’s MVP award in the 48-45 victory.

One week from today LSU will be kicking off against Louisville in the Citrus Bowl. But for this weekend Tigers Coach Ed Orgeron says he’ll enjoy the time off with his family for Christmas…:
CUT 2 (09) “back with the team too”
The Citrus Bowl kicks off in Orlando at 10am December 31st.

Two of LSU’s wide receivers Malachi Dupre and D.J. Chark have a decision to make. Turn pro or come back for their senior seasons. Orgeron says new offensive coordinator Matt Canada has met with draft-eligible juniors…
cut 20 (08) “…several juniors”
Dupre could be a second or third-round draft pick.

In college hoops Tulane had a frustrating overtime loss to Texas State 69-66. The Wave falls to 3-9 on the season.

NBA, the Pelicans handled the Heat last night 91-87 in the Smoothie King Center.

The Saints final home game of the year is tomorrow as they host the Tampa Bay Bucs, who are fighting for a playoff spot. New Orleans playoff chances are very slim and they could be eliminated from the postseason before tomorrow’s 3:25 kickoff. Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux will not play because of a shoulder injury. Craig Robertson, Max Unger, Dannell Ellerbe and John Kuhn are all questionable.

Two right tackles for Tampa Bay will miss the game, Demar Dotson and Goser Cherilus. Defensive end William Gholston will also not play for the Bucs.

Two of LSU’s wide receivers Malachi Dupre and D.J. Chark have a decision to make. Turn pro or come back for their senior seasons. Tigers Coach Ed Orgeron says new offensive coordinator Matt Canada has met with draft-eligible juniors…
cut 20 (08) “…several juniors”
Dupre could be a second or third-round draft pick.

LSU Coach Johnny Jones didn’t have much of a Christmas spirit after last night’s 110-76 loss to Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons hit 16 three-pointers and shot 74-percent from the field in the second half. LSU shot 40-percent from the field for the game and they were just 29-percent from three-point land. The Tigers will return to action on Thursday when they host Vanderbilt in the SEC opener.

In other college basketball action last night…Louisiana Tech easily defeated LSU-Shreveport 95-53, VCU knocked off ULM 78-65 and North Carolina State upended McNeese State 89-57. Earlier today, it was Texas State beating Tulane 69-66 in overtime.

In the NBA tonight…the Pelicans continue their five-game homestand by hosting Miami. Each team has the same amount of victories…ten. Tip-off is at 7 PM from the Smoothie King Center.

Louisiana Tech and No. 5 Navy are set to take the field to face off this afternoon in the 2016 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. The contest is slated to kick off at 3:30 on the campus of TCU in Forth Worth, Texas. The game marks the third consecutive bowl appearance for the Bulldogs, which is a first for the program since moving to the Division I ranks in 1975. Navy enters the game with a No. 25 ranking in the country and one of the best rushing attacks in the country. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN.

The Saints are fairly healthy heading into the Christmas Eve match up with Tampa Bay. Cornerback Delvin Breaux is the only player who missed practice on the final day of work prior to the game Saturday. These two teams met two weeks ago and New Orleans Quarterback Drew Brees had a poor performance as he was intercepted three times in a 16-11 defeat. Kick-off Saturday is at 3:25.

College hoops, the LSU men’s basketball team four game winning streak ended ugly last night as the Tigers fell to Wake Forest 110-76 on the road. It was only the third time in coach Johnny Jones tenure that LSU allowed more than 100 points.

The ULM men’s basketball team could not overcome 13 second half turnovers as host VCU overpowered the Warhawks 78-65 in Richmond, Virginia.

In the final non-conference game of the season, five Louisiana Tech players scored in double figures as the Bulldogs rolled the Pilots by a score of 95-53 on Thursday night in Ruston.

McNeese State fell to the Wolfpack last night on the road, 89-57.

The Miami Heat has retired former LSU and NBA star Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 jersey. They raised it to the rafters last night during halftime of Thursday’s game against the Lakers.

In the NBA, tonight the Pelicans host Miami.

LSU Head Football Coach Ed Orgeron said today that if Leonard Fournette was 100-percent healthy, he would play in the bowl game against Louisville. Fournette missed four games this season because of an ankle injury. Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Baylor’s Shock Linwood are other high profile running backs who have decided not to play in their team’s bowl game. Orgeron doesn’t see this becoming a trend in college football…
cut 13 (12) “…different case”
Orgeron insists that the team is fine with Leonard’s decision not to play.

Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux and fullback John Kuhn were not at practice yesterday. Breaux missed last week’s game with a shoulder injury and Kuhn is dealing with an injured groin. And Quarterback Drew Brees says he’s not concerned that he was not named to the Pro Bowl team.

Tonight, the LSU men’s basketball team will face Wake Forest in Winston-Salem at 8 PM in a game that can be seen on E-S-P-N-U. The Tigers lost to the Demon Deacons by six points last year and this year Wake forest is 8-3, while LSU is 8-2. Also tonight, McNeese vists North Carolina state, ULM is at V-C-U and Louisiana Tech hosts L-S-U Shreveport.

Louisiana Tech football has received a verbal commitment from Neville quarterback Jaiden Cole. As the Tigers Q-B, he helped Neville win a state title in 2015 and they were a runner-up this season. Houston, Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Colorado State were among the others who offered Cole.

Oak Grove’s Sam Philley has been named the Class One-A offensive player of the year. The Tigers running back rushed for 13-hundred yards and 23 touchdowns and also caught 38 passes for 701 yards.

In the NBA, the Pelicans fell to 10-21 on the season with a 121-110 loss to Oklahoma City. New Orleans hosts Miami tomorrow.

New Orleans Quarterback Drew Brees didn’t receive an invite when Pro Bowl bids were announced Tuesday night, and some teammates are saying it’s ridiculous. But safety Roman Harper told “NFL Total Access” he doesn’t think it’s bothering the Former Super Bowl MVP…:
CUT 1 (20) “right now”
Brees and defensive end Cam Jordan still might get an invite, depending on injuries and which two teams will play in the Super Bowl.

It’s two days to go before the Saints’ Christmas Eve showdown with division rival Tampa, a game that will serve as the black and gold’s 2016 home finale.

In the NBA, the New Orleans Pelicans put on another strong showing but eventually ended up falling to the Thunder. The Pels lost 121-110 Wednesday night. Anthony Davis had 34 points and 15 rebounds for New Orleans.

Jaiden Cole has committed to Louisiana Tech. He’s been Neville’s starting quarterback the last 2 years helping them win 39 in a row and a state championship last year. Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Colorado State, Tulane, UL Lafayette and ULM had all offered Cole before he chose the Bulldogs.

According to an audit, the ULM football team broke the law and the UL system policy when it played at Hawaii last season. That’s according to a report from the Monroe News Star. University officials says they though the school met state and system guidelines.

In college hoops, tonight LSU will take on Wake Forest on the road. McNeese State is at North Carolina State and ULM visits VCU.

LSU wide receiver Malachi Dupre says he remains undecided on whether he’ll enter the NFL draft after the bowl game. Dupre was expected to have a big junior season, but he started off slow. The former John Curtis star finished the regular season with 34 catches and three touchdown receptions. He says he’s not leaning one way or the other on what he might do…
cut 18 (15) “…going to work”
LSU defensive tackle Davon Godchaux is another Tiger that has yet to decide on whether he’ll stay or go.

As of right now, there is not one Saints player who will play in the NFL pro bowl. Quarterback Drew Brees and defensive end Cam Jordan still might get an invite, depending on injuries and which two teams will play in the Super Bowl.

According to an audit, the ULM football team broke the law and the UL system policy when it played at Hawaii last season. That’s according to a report from the Monroe News Star. University officials says they though the school met state and system guidelines.

The Ragin Cajuns men’s basketball team improved to 10-3 on the season with a 90-64 win over Pepperdine last night. Bryce Washington led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Cajuns shot 56-percent from the floor.

Also last night, North Texas upended Southeastern Louisiana 71-65, despite 27 points from Davon Hayes. Louisiana Tech lost a rare game at the Thomas Assembly Center as Florida Gulf coast beat the Bulldogs 79-78. Erik McCree had 25 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort.

Tonight, the Pelicans host Oklahoma City. New Orleans is coming off a 108-93 win over Philadelphia. O-K-C is slumping a bit as they’ve lost three of their last four.

LSU wide receiver Malachi Dupre says he’s focused on the Citrus Bowl and has not made a decision on whether he’ll forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. Draft-analyst-dot-com reported last week that Dupre planned to enter the draft, but the former John Curtis star disputes that report…
cut 17 (09) “….decision yet”
In other LSU football news, it turns out LSU linebacker Kendell Beckwith tore his ACL when he left the Florida game with a knee injury.

Louisiana Tech is two days away from playing Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. Both of these teams go into this bowl game on two game losing streaks. Both teams also have the ability to score a lot of points. But Navy will not have its leading rusher. Quarterback Will Worth is injured, so Zach Abey, who started the season as the third-string QB will start.

For the second straight season, no one from the Saints is on the initial Pro Bowl roster. Quarterback Drew Brees leads the NFL in passing yards and could make the team, if either Matt Ryan, Aaron Rogers or Dak Prescott decide not to play. Defensive end Cam Jordan is another injury replacement possibility. Jordan has 6.5 sacks this season.

It was another All-Star performance for Anthony Davis last night. He had 31 points and 16 rebounds as the Pelicans defeated the 76ers 108-93. Tonight, New Orleans hosts Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In college hoops last night, the Cajuns pounded Pepperdine 90-64, North Texas topped Southeastern 71-65, Florida Gulf Coast clipped Louisiana Tech 79-78 and ULM clobberred Coppin State 65-53.

College baseball…LSU is ranked second in the Collegiate Baseball Preseason poll, the Cajuns are ranked 14th, Tulane 34th and Southeastern 36th.

The Saints are preparing to face the Buccaneers this Saturday for a Christmas Eve matchup. It’s been a rough season for New Orleans, but Safety Vonn Bell says they know they can do better and plan to give it their all this weekend against Tampa…:
CUT 1 (21) “get this win”
Kickoff Saturday is at 3:25.

For the second year in a row, the 6-8 Saints are shutout of the Pro Bowl. They were one of six teams with zero Pro Bowl selections.

In the NBA last night, Anthony Davis had 31 points and 16 rebounds as New Orleans got the win over Philadelphia 108-93. The Pels are now 10-20 on the season. They face the Thunder tonight at 7pm in the Smoothie King Center.

LSU wide receiver Malachi Dupre says he has not made a decision on whether to enter the NFL draft and forgo his senior season. Dupre says his focus is on the December 31st bowl game matchup against Louisville.:
Cut 16 (15) “have left”
It was reported last week Dupre would make himself eligible for the draft following the bowl game, but the New Orleans native says he’s not sure where that came from. Back-up quarterback Brandon Harris has already told a fan on twitter that he will not transfer.

The LSU baseball team is ranked No. 2 in the 2017 Collegiate Baseball preseason poll released Tuesday. It’s the sixth straight season the Tigers will begin the year among the Top 10 teams in the nation.

College hoops, ULM beat Coppin State 65-53. Louisiana Tech was edged by Florida Gulf Coast 79-78. Southeastern fell to North Texas 71-65. UL-Lafayette pounded Pepperdine 90-64.

The Saints have placed linebacker Stephone Anthony on injured reserve. The 2015 first-round pick has been slowed by a knee injury and a move to strongside linebacker has not worked out well for him or the Saints. Anthony finishes the season with just 16 tackles.

During his teleconference with reporters, Coach Sean Payton was asked again about that CBS Sports report that said the team would be interested in trading Payton, who signed a new contract earlier this year. Payton declined to comment. NFL analyst Mike Detillier believes this report is an agent generated story…
cut 18 (12) “…four times now”
The 6-and-8 Saints will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday in the final home game of the year.

Back-up quarterback Brandon Harris told a fan on twitter that he will not transfer and he’ll be with the Tigers in 2017. Harris has been on the bench since September, when Danny Etling took over as the Tigers starting quarterback.

A couple of other LSU notes, wide receiver Malachi Dupre says he’s not made a decision on whether he’ll turn pro following the Citrus Bowl. It’s been learned linebacker Kendell Beckwith suffered a torn ACL when he left the Florida game with an injury. Beckwith will not participate in the Senior Bowl.

In college baseball…Collegiate Baseball ranks LSU number two in the country. Three other Louisiana schools are ranked in the Top 40, the Cajuns are ranked 14th, Tulane is 34th and Southeastern Louisiana is ranked 36th.

In college basketball…ULM beat coppin State 65-53 today as Marvin Jean-Pierre led the way with 23 points. Tonight the Cajuns host Pepperdine, Southeastern is at North Texas and Louisiana Tech hosts Florida Gulf Coast.