The Saints have inked free agent linebacker James Laurinatis to a three-year contract. Laurinatis spent his first seven seasons in St. Louis, where he never missed a start. But he’s coming off a season where he didn’t perform well and it’s unclear if he’ll play in the middle or as an outside linebacker.

New Orleans is not done rebuilding its defense. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says the Saints plan to meet with free-agent defensive tackle Nick Fairley. The former first-round pick could help a Saints run defense that was ranked next to last in 2015. The Eagles and Jets are also reportedly interested in the former Auburn star.

Former LSU and Saints star and current Black and Gold radio analyst Hokie Gajan has suffered a setback in his battle against cancer. Gajan had to undergo an emergency surgery after a tumor in his thigh caused his femur bone to fracture. A go fund me page has been established to help with Gajan’s mounting medical bills.

Details of LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s new contract have been released. Cameron’s three-year deal is worth 3.75 million dollars for the next three years, which is a slight decline in what he made in his last contract. Tigers defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, Ed Orgeron, gets a boost in pay and he’ll make 600-thousand dollars a year.

Schools in the LHSAA are not satisfied with the current state of affairs in Louisiana, so Paul Rainwater and others are proposing a new option, the Louisiana High School Sports Cooperative. Rainwater says it will take 60 schools’ commitments to form a new organization, and they have extended the offer to schools throughout the state. Rainwater says, at the end of the day, it’s all for the kids…:
cut 30 (04) “all about”
Schools would pay a one-time membership fee of 15-thousand dollars to join the LHSSC and the new high school sports organization could begin play in 2016-17.

The Saints have been busy the last 24 hours trying to improve their defense and special teams units. The Black and Gold have signed 29-year-old linebacker James Laurinatis, who has has been a productive and durable player for the St. Louis Rams since he was drafted seven years ago. New Orleans has reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with safety Jamarca Sanford. Sanford played in all 16 games for New Orleans last season. New Orleans has also agreed to a three-year deal with free agent linebacker Nate Stupar, who was a special teams standout for the Falcons.

Details of LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s new contract have been released. Cameron’s three-year deal is worth 3.75 million dollars for the next three years, which is a slight decline in what he made in his last contract. Tigers defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, Ed Orgeron, gets a boost in pay and he’ll make 600-thousand dollars a year.

The Southern Jaguars have been boosted from the NCAA Tournament after losting to Holy Cross 59-55. The Jaguars were just 3-of-20 from three-point land.

The Ragin Cajuns won their first round CIT matchup as the Cajuns defeated Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi 96-72.

The Pelicans snapped a four-game losing streak with a 123-108 win over Sacramento. Ryan Anderson had 29 points, while Anthony Davis had 27 points.

There are many high schools displeased with the direction the LHSAA is heading, because of the public-private split in the postseason. Former Bobby Jindal staffer, Paul Rainwater, has sent out a letter to schools seeking their interest in starting another organization and holding their championship events at LSU….
cut 11 (07) “…out costs’
Rainwater says they need at least 60 schools to commit.

Southern will face Holy Cross tonight in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders tallest player in their starting five is six-foot-seven center Malachi Alexander. Jaguars Coach Roman Banks believes they can dominate the paint tonight…
cut 17 (13) “…good at”
The game will be shown on the True TV channel at 5:40.

The Ragin Cajuns host the Islanders of Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi in the first round of the CIT. A-and-M Corpus Christi is coming off a loss to Stephen F Austin in the Southland Conference Championship. The Cajuns are led by Sun Belt player of the Shawn Long.

The Saints ahve signed linebacker Nate Stupar to a three-year contract. He’s been a special teams standout for the Atlanta Falcons.

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley delivered some harsh criticism against LSU’s Ben Simmons. Barkley said on the Dan Patrick Show that the freshman just went through the motions this past season. Simmons is expected to announce he’s entering the NBA Draft. Tigers Coach Johnny Jones is very complimentary of his superstar player….
cut 20 (20) “…program”
Simmons was named the national freshman of the year by the United States Basketball Writers Association.

The 7th ranked LSU Tigers will host UNO tonight in baseball. The Privateers are led by former LSU star Blake Dean, who is in his first season head coach. Dean has the Privateers off to a great start, they are 13-3.

Southern University takes on Holy Cross tonight in the NCAA Tournament. Both teams are 16-seeds as they meet in the First Four Round. Jaguars coach Roman Banks says they would like to push the tempo tonight…:
Cut 16 (12) “get em rotating“
Tipoff is scheduled for about 5:40.

LSU men’s basketball Johnny Jones stands by his decision to reject an opportunity to play in the NIT. Jones says a season-ending injury to Keith Hornsby and an illness to shooting guard Antonio Blakeney would have made it a tough to put a competitive team on the court…:
Cut 18 (16) “popular decision”

In the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com tournament last night, ULM dropped a heart breaker to Furman 58-57 at the buzzer. ULM shot 11-22 from the field and 5-10 from three-point range in the first half, but were held to a 10-31 clip from the field and 0-8 from beyond-the-arc in the second.

Today in the CIT, UL-Lafayette takes on Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

In college baseball, Nicholls State gets the win over Tulane Tuesday 2-1. McNeese State trumped ULM 11-2. Southeastern beat South Alabama 9-2. Grambling fell to Arkansas 14-4.

LSU will start junior right hander Alden Artwright tonight against UNO at the Box.

The No.4 LSU softball team set numerous school records last night after beating Louisiana Tech, 30-8. The Tigers got 30 runs on 27 hits and 48 at-bats which — both new program best marks as the team exploded for 15 in the 6th inning alone.

In the NBA, tonight the Pelicans take on the Kings in California.

Southern University is in Dayton, Ohio, getting ready for its NCAA Tournament game against Holy Cross tomorrow night. Jaguars Coach Roman Banks says they are thrilled to have the opportunity to play in the First Four Round…
cut 30 (16) “…perform well”
Tip-off tomorrow is at 5:40.

ULM plays tonight in the opening round of the CIT as they visit Furman, who is 18-15 on the year and 13-and-1 at home. The Warhawks have played well on the road lately, winning five straight. It’s the first ever meeting between the two teams on the hardwood. Tip-off is at six o’ clock.

UL Lafayette is in the same tournament and they’ll host Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi tomorrow night.

LSU Coach Johnny Jones met with reporters today to explain why the Tigers decided against playing in the NIT. He says the injury to Keith Hornsby and an illness to Antonio Blakeney would have made it tough for them to put a team on the floor that represents the LSU Tigers…
cut 29 (22) “…for our team”
Jones says the team is disappointed they didn’t play well enough to make the NCAA Tournament and he takes full responsibiblity for that.

In the NBA…the Pelicans are off tonight, but they are in Sacramento tomorrow night after losing to Golden State last night.

In college baseball around the state…McNeese State hosts ULM, Southeastern takes on South Alabama in Hammond and Tulane visits Nicholls State.

The Pelicans were no match last night for the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry had 27 points, five rebounds and five assists as the Warriors won their 60th game of the season by beating New Orleans 125 to 107. The Pelicans continue their road trip on Wednesday when they visit Sacramento.

The ULM men’s basketball is in Greenville, South Carolina for its CIT Opening Round matchup with Furman. The Warhawks have won five in a row on the road, while Furman is 13-and-1 at home this season.

Louisiana Tech will participate in the inaugural Vegas 16 Tournament. It will be an eight-team tournament that will begin on March 28th at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The Bulldogs first game is a week from Monday against East Tennessee State at 10:30 PM.

Southern leaves today for its opening round matchup with Holy Cross tomorrow night in Dayton, Ohio. The Crusaders are 14-19, but are in the tournament because they won the Patriot League Tournament.

At LSU’s annual pro day Monday, players put on an impressive showing as linebacker Deion Jones ran a 4.38 40-yard dash and safety Jalen Mills a 4.48. Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis was in attendance there, and said free agency is not over for New Orleans. He wouldn’t comment on a possible contract extension with Drew Brees.

In college hoops news, it’s reported that LSU freshman star Ben Simmons has already decided to sign with an agent for his pro career. Speculation increased that Simmons would leave college to enter the NBA draft after the Tigers’ ended their season on Sunday evening.

Tulane has fired their men’s basketball coach, Ed Conroy. He finished off his 6th season on Saturday in a loss to Memphis in the semifinals of the American Men’s Basketball Championship.

Louisiana Tech isn’t done with basketball as the Bulldogs will take part in the inaugural Vegas 16 which is an 8 team, single elimination three day event. It’s slated for March 28-30 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

The ULM men’s basketball team begins their post-season today as the Warhawks travel to face Furman in the opening round of the CIT.

Also in the CIT, UL-Lafayette will host Southland Conference opponent Texas A&M Corpus Christ tomorrow.

In the NCAA tournament, Southern takes on Holy Cross Wednesday.

Former LSU basketball coach Trent Johnson was fired Monday by TCU after 4 seasons.

In college baseball, McNeese State will host ULM in a pair of mid-week contests today and tomorrow in Lake Charles. They school’s athletic department says it will be collecting canned goods during the games for those affected by floods in Northeast and Southwest Louisiana.

Tulane is at Nicholls, Grambling is at Arkansas, South Alabama is at Southeastern.

Lions left-hander Kyle Cedotal has been named the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week. The senior from Denham Springs carried a perfect game into the 8th inning of SLU’s conference opener against UIW.

In the NBA the Pelicans fall to the Warriors 125-107 Monday night. New Orleans plays at Sacramento on Wednesday.

The LSU men’s basketball team has raised the white flag. After an embarassing 33-point loss to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament, the Tigers have decided not to play in any postseason tournament after failing to make the NCAA Tourney. Coach Johnny Jones says the Tigers will utilize this time to get better and start preparations for next season. That next season will most likely not include Ben Simmons, who reportedly plans to sign with the same agent that represents LeBron James.

Southern is the only team from Louisiana, who will play in the NCAA Tournament. The SWAC Conference Tournament Champions will play Holy Cross on Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio in the First Four round.

ULM will travel to Furman for an opening round matchup in the College-Insider-dot-com Tournament. The game is Tuesday at six PM.

UL Lafayette is also in the C-I-T and the Cajuns will host Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Wednesday.

The LSU baseball Tigers upped their record to 12-3 on the season with a 10-6 win over Ball State. Michael Papierski drove in three runs and Jake Fraley had three hits. John Valek was the winning pitcher on Sunday as he improved to 4-0 on the year. The left-hander allowed one run in five innings and scattered eight hits. Coach Paul Mainieri liked what he saw from Valek….
cut 17 (19) “….good innings”
LSU will host UNO on Wednesday night as the Privateers split a doubleheader with Sam Houston State yesterday.

It was 10 years ago today, the Saints signed quarterback Drew Brees. It goes down as one of the best free agent signings in NFL history. In other league news…former Saints defensive lineman Akiem Hicks has signed with the Chicago Bears.

The LSU men’s basketball team will sit out the entire postseason after failing to make the NCAA tournament, coach Johnny Jones said Sunday. After an embarrassing 71-38 loss to Texas A&M in the SEC tournament semifianls Saturday, Jones said in a statement he takes full responsibility for the team and will do the things necessary to make sure they are able to reach their main goals in the future. Freshman star Ben Simmons is expected to leave for the NBA draft and will likely be chosen first over second overall. In the game against the Aggies, LSU shot a dismal 20 percent; Simmons scored 10 points and collected 12 rebounds in 31 minutes.

Meanwhile Southern University qualified for the Big Dance for the first time in four years after winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament. They’ll face Holy Cross on Wednesday. Making its second consecutive postseason appearance, the ULM men’s basketball team accepted a bid to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament and will travel to Furman on Tuesday for its opening round matchup. The Ragin’ Cajuns on Sunday also accepted an invitation to play in the CollegeInsider.com tournament for the second straight season.

The LSU baseball Tigers took two of three from Ball State over the weekend as the Bayou Bengals outlasted Cardinals 10-6 in Sunday’s series finale. The Tigers first four hitters in the line-up led the way as they combined for eight hits, led by Jake Fraley who had three hits. Coach Paul Mainieri…:
Cut 16 (15) “setting the tone“
LSU begins conference play next weekend as they welcome Alabama to the Box.

Southeastern swept a Southland Conference doubleheader from Incarnate Word at Alumni Field. Tulane picked up its second sweep shutting out Furman 8-0 Sunday. UNO had never won a series against a Southland Conference opponent since joining in 2014 until beating Sam Houston this weekend. UL Lafayette finished off Troy to take the Sun Belt series.

In the NBA, the Pelicans take on the Golden State Warriors tonight.

If the LsU men’s basketball team can win today, they’ll advance to the SEC Tournament title game. The Bayou Bengals will face Texas A-and-M at noon. LSU advanced to the semifinals with an 84-75 win over Tennessee. Antonio Blakeney had 22 points and hit all nine of his free throws.

ULM and UL Lafayette will play today in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament. Shawn Long scored a career-high 34 points yesterday as the Cajuns easily defeated South Alabama 90-68. They’ll play top seed Little Rock today.

The Warhawks will play Texas-Arlington. Coach Keith Richard’s team has won nine in a row and he likes how his squad has been able to put up points this year….
cut 17 (11) “…sporadic offensively”
Tip-off is at 3:30.

———————————

Southern has reached the championship game of the SWAC Tournament. The Jaguars beat Texas Southern 81-73. Southern will face Jackson State today.

Tulane is still alive in the American Athletic Conference after beating second-seed Houston 72-69.

In the NBA…the Pelicans got 34 points from Jrue Holiday, but lost to Memphis 121-114 in overtime.

In baseball…Ball State hit four home runs off of Jared Poche and beat the Tigers seven to one. 24th ranked UL Lafayette doubled up Troy 4-2. Gunner Leger struck out eight to get the win.

Houston Baptist edged McNeese State 3-2 and Ole Miss routed Grambling State 15-2.

At the Boys Top 28 Tournament. Natchitoches Center beat Scotlandville 54-52 in the Class 5A state championship game. Four more champions will be crowned tonight. The 4-A game pits Bossier against Washington-Marion. That game tips off at 8 PM