LSU released its spring football practice schedule today. The Tigers will hold 15 spring workouts starting on March seventh. The spring game is April 16th at 3 PM in Tiger Stadium.

Evangel wide receiver Johnathan Jones has decommitted from Louisiana Tech citing “recent political events”. Jones announced his decommitment on twitter. The political events Jones was referring to are the comments that have been made by Governor John Bel Edwards and others concerning deep cuts to higher education and the possiblity college campuses could close under worst case scenarios.

Grambling State has suspended its search for a new athletic director as a result of potential cuts to higher education. In a letter from Grambling president Willie Larkin, he says they’ll hold off on naming a new AD until they have more certainity about its budget. Grambling has not had a permanent AD since July 2014. Obadiah Simmons is serving as interim AD.

ULM’s Majok Deng has been named as the Louisiana Sports Writer’s Assocation men’s basketball player of the week. The senior from Australia scored 23 points and 27 points in two games last week, both of them victories. Deng is leading the Sun Belt in scoring, averaging less than 20 points per contest.

In college hoops last night….Southeastern Louisiana defeated McNeese State 79-76 in overtime. The Lions have won four of their last five and it’s the first time they’ve won on the road this year.

Elsewhere….Texas Southern topped Grambling 79-72, Southern whipped up on Mississippi Valley State 97-64, Central Arkansas outscored Northwestern State 107-94 and the Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi clobbered UNO 65-57.

The LSU men’s basketball team is home tomorrow night against Alabama. The Tigers are tied with Kentucky for first place in the Southeastern Conference with a nine and three record and there are six league games left.

In college hoops, the performance by LSU of late is causing outsiders to take notice. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, one of the most respected bracketologists, moved the Tigers up to a NO. 7 seed in his NCAA tournament bracket posted Monday. CBSSports.com’s Jerry Palm has LSU as one of the last four teams in the field to earn a No. 11 seed, following the performance of the Tigers in the win over Texas A&M over the weekend. LSU hosts Alabama tomorrow night.

In baseball…LSU right-hander Jesse Stallins has been named to the Stopper of the Year watch list as the Colfax native had 12 saves last season. McNeese State’s Collin Kober is also on that list. Kober was second in the Southland last season with nine saves.

Curtis Johnson, who was fired as Tulane coach in November after four seasons with the Green Wave, has been hired as the new wide receivers coach for the chicago Bears. Johnson coached wide receivers for the Saints for 6 years.

Men’s basketball Scores elsewhere around the state Monday — UNO fell to Texas A&M Corpus Christi 65-57.

Southeasterm was able to hold on in overtime to get the 79-76 win over McNeese State. Zay Jackson had 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Lions.

Grambling State loses to Texas Southern in Houston 79-72 Monday night.

Southern put up its highest point total of the season in the 97-64 victory over Mississippi Valley State in Baton Rouge.

Nola.com is reporting that a judge in New Orleans set a May 16th trial date for former Saints player Darren Sharper who is facing drug and rape conspiracy charges. Sharper pleaded guilty in a “global deal” last year, but earlier this month court documents made it look like negotiations had gone back to the drawing board.

LSU’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament appear to be improving, after beating Texas A-and-M over the weekend. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has LSU as a seven-seed in his latest projected bracket. CBS’ Jerry Palm has LSU as a 11-seed. Tigers Coach Johnny Jones says he doesn’t want his team focusing on the tournament projections, instead the team should remain concentrated on getting as many wins as possible…
cut 19 (14) “….for us”
LSU hosts Alabama on Wednesday night.

Louisiana Tech’s Erik McCree has been named Conference USA Player of the week after scoring 33 points in the Bulldogs come from behind win over UAB on Saturday.

ULM’s Majok Deng earned Sun Belt Men’s player of the week status by scoring 27 points and grabbing six rebounds in the Warhawks overtime victory over Arkansas State.

Northwestern State’s Zeek Woodley has been named Southland Conference Player of the Week. Woodley had 24 points in a win over McNeese State.

Tonight…McNeese State hosts Southeastern Louisiana. Grambling visits Texas Southern, Southern hosts Mississippi Valley State, Northwestern State travels to Central Arkansas, while UNO hosts Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi.

In baseball…LSU right-hander Jesse Stallins has been named to the Stopper of the Year watch list as the Colfax native had 12 saves last season. McNeese State’s Collin Kober is also on that list. Kober was second in the Southland last season with nine saves.

Evangel Christian wide receiver Johnathan Jones has de-committed from Louisiana Tech. In a post on social media, Jones said recent political events led to his decision. Jones is referring to last week’s comment by Governor John Bel Edwards, who said severe budget cuts could result in college campuses closing this spring, meaning no football in the fall.

LSU has hired former Auburn quarterback Dameyune Craig as its new wide receivers coach. Craig comes to Baton Rouge after serving on the Auburn staff as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for three seasons, helping Auburn win an SEC title in 2013. He was also an assistant coach at Florida State and named ACC Recruiter of the Year in 2012. Over the weekend, LSU named former Louisiana Tech assistant and Edna Karr Head Coach Jabbar Juluke as the Tigers new running backs coach.

Former Tulane head coach and Saints wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson has also been named the new wide receivers coach of the Chicago Bears.

In the NBA…the West set a record for points scored in an NBA All-Star game as the West defeated the East 196-173. Pelicans forward Anthony Davis had 24 points on 12-of-13 shooting and also grabbed six rebounds. Former Louisiana Tech star Paul Millsap had three points and three rebounds. The Pelicans return to action on Friday as they host the 76ers.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has LSU as a seven seed in his latest NCAA Tournament bracket. CBS has the Tigers as an 11 seed. We are about a month away from NCAA Tournament selection Sunday and Coach Johnny Jones says wins like Saturday over Texas A-and M can help LSU’s at-large bid, but they need to keep piling up victories….
cut 18 (11) “…about that”
LSU hosts Alabama on Wednesday night.

A big second half helped LSU pick up a quality win at home to help boost its NCAA tournament resume. The Tigers outscored Texas A&M by nine points in the second half to beat the Aggies 76-71. Coach Johnny Jones says his team executed well in the final 20 minutes of this game…:
Cut 17 (17) “game today”
The Tigers host Alabama Wednesday night.

New Orleans Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis scored 24 points in Sunday’s All Star game, on 12-of-13 shooting and grabbed six rebounds to help the West beat the East 196-173. It was the highest scoring All Star Game in history. The Pels host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

More college hoops…ULM beat Arkansas State 78-73 in overtime on Saturday in a third straight victory for the Warhawks. Majok Deng scored 27 points with five three pointers, Juston Roberson added 21, including five in overtime. The Warhawks are now 13-12 overall and 9-5 in Sun Belt action.

Prairie View A&M picked up a 60-56 win over Grambling State Saturday night. Leading the Tigers was Michael Betha with 15 points. Mark Gray added 13 points for Grambling, who are on a season-long seven game slide.

Arkansas Little Rock keeps sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt after barely beating UL-Lafayette on Saturday night, 68-64. For the Ragin Cajuns, Johnathan Stove was 10 for 10 at the free throw line and had 18 points.

SLU pulled away to beat Nicholls State 69-61 pm Saturday night. Zay Jackson had 16 points for the Lions and Dimi Cook added 15.

Today Southern hosts Mississippi Valley State, UNO plays Texas A&M Corpus Christi at home, Northwestern State travels to face Central Arkansas. Grambling hits the road to play Texas Southern, and in an in-state match up, Southeastern heads to Lake Charles to take on McNeese.

It’s a big day of college basketball around the state. The LSU Tigers are at home at noon today to take on Texas A-and-M. The Tigers are looking to bounce back from a road loss to South Carolina, while the Aggies are slumping. They’ve lost four straight games in the SEC.

Louisiana Tech hosts UAB in a rematch of last year’s Conference USA semifinal game that was won by the Blazers in overtime. Tech is 13-1 inside the TAC. while UAB is 21-4 on the year, 11-1 in league play. As a team they are shooting 48-percent from the field.

The Ragin Cajuns are looking for their tenth straight win as they host Arkansas-Little Rock this afternoon. A win and UL Lafayette moves into a tie for first place in the league. ULM is in third place in the Sun Belt and they host Arkansas State at Four PM.

Also at four o’ clock…Southeastern Louisiana hosts Nicholls, McNeese is at Northwestern at 3:30, Grambling travels to Prairie View.

LSU Coach Paul Mainieri has named junior Jared Poche as the Tigers opening night starter. LSU begins its season next Friday against Cincinnati. It will be the second straight year, Poche will get the ball on opening night. Last year’s national freshman of the year, Alex Lange, will pitch on Saturday. Akron transfer John Valek the third will start on Sunday.

It’s day two of the LHSAA state wrestling championships in Bossier City. Brother Martin, Teurlings Catholic and De La Salle lead their respective divivisions. In Division Two, Teurlings as a small lead over Rummell, Live Oak is in third and Rayne in fourth place.

In the NBA…Anthony Davis will play in tomorrow night’s All-Star game. Davis and the Pelicans are 20-33 and in 12th place in the Western Conference standings.

The Saints sent out a press release thanking former Saints guard Jahri Evans for his 10 years with the Black and Gold. Coach Sean Payton called him a fantastic player.

In a televised address Governor John Bel Edwards said there is a chance there will be no college football next fall unless legislators fix the state’s budget deficit by raising some taxes. The state’s budget deficit is $940 million for this fiscal year, and $2 billion for the next fiscal year. Political analyst Clancy Dubos says this kind of scare tactic is common among government officials who seek to raise taxes.
CUT 7 (05) “everywhere”

Footbal analyst Mike Detillier says Governor Edwards is sending a bad message with his comments…
cut 30 (25) “…to them again”
After losing on the road Wednesday night to South Carolina, the LSU Tigers look to get back in the win column on Saturday as they host Texas A-and-M. The Aggies are struggling, as they’ve lost four of their last five. The Tigers come into this game in a three-way tie for first place.

A battle for first place in the Sun Belt will take place on Saturday as the Ragin Cajuns host Arkansas Little Rock. UL Lafayette has won nine straight and trail the Trojans by one game. Tip-off in the Cajundome is at 4:15.

ULM beat Arkansas Little Rock on Thursday night and now they’ll get a chance at Arkansas State. The Warhawks are currently in third place in the league standings.

Louisiana Tech is in a tie for fourth place in Conference USA after a nice 73-63 win over Middle Tennessee on Thursday night. The Bulldogs host UAB tomorrow afternoon. The Blazers lead CUSA with an 11-1 record.

Elsewhere tomorrow…Tulane hosts Memphis. Mcneese State is at Northwestern State in a game that will be shown on ESPN 3.Nicholls state visits southeastern Louisiana. Grambling is at Prairie View and Southern hosts Arkansas Pine Bluff.

Governor John Bel Edwards got the attention of Louisiana college football fans with his special address that was heard on tv and radio stations last night. Edwards says the state’s budget problems could lead to the closure of college campuses, putting college athletic programs in jeopardy…
cut 30 (17) “…next fall”
Lawmakers will meet Sunday for a special session to address the state’s budget problems.

The LSU men’s basketball team is in action tomorrow night as they host Texas A-and-M. The Tigers enter the game in a three-way tie for first place in the SEC. The Aggies beat LSU earlier this season, but A-and-M has lost four of its last five. Tip-off is at noon.

The Pelicans head into the NBA All-Star game in 12th place in the Western Conference Standings after losing to Oklahoma City last night. New Orleans is 6.5 games back of Utah, who currently owns the final playoff spot in the West. New Orleans Anthony Davis will compete in Sunday’s All-Star game in Toronto.

The Ragin Cajuns won their ninth straight last night, beating Arkansas State and they can move into a tie for first place in the league standings, if they knock off Arkansas Little Rock tomorrow. ULM beat the Trojans last night, 86-82. Majok Deng and Justin Roberson each had 23 points for the Warhawks who are now 8-5 in the league.

The New Orleans Pelicans couldn’t get ahead of Oklahoma City Thursday as the Thunder come away with a 121-95 victory. Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday scored 23 points each. There was a moment of silence before tip-off for the family of former Pelicans coach and current Oklahoma City assistant coach Monty Williams. His wife Ingrid died this week after being involved in a crash which also claimed the life of the other driver and injured three of the Williams’ children.

Could college sports be in jeopardy because of the state’s budget crisis? In an unprecedented address to the public, Governor John Bel Edwards said Thursday evening that higher education in the state could be compromised which includes the possibility of college athletics in Louisiana being canceled. Edwards highlighted the LSU football team as one of the potential losses from the massive cuts to higher education funding. State Treasurer John Kennedy rebutted saying Edwards was using scare tactics to get people on board with raising taxes.

In college hoops Louisiana-Lafayette beat Arkansas State 83-73 last night for the Ragin Cajuns 9th straight win. Shawn Long scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. The Cajuns had a 41-30 rebounding advantage.

Louisiana Tech beat Middle Tennessee last night 73-63. Erik McCree scored 18 points with 12 rebounds. The Bulldogs have won five of six.

McNeese State stopped a three game losing skid after beating New Orleans 87-76 last night. James Harvey was 5 of 8 from beyond the arc to tie his career high of 23 points.

ULM knocked off the Arkansas Little Rock last night 86-82 in Sun Belt Play. Arkansas State comes to Monroe on Saturday with tip-off set at 4 p.m.

The Pelicans will play their final game before the All Star break tonight when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. It should be an emotional game as both franchises are grieving for Monty Williams, who lost his wife from injuries sustained in a car accident. The Pelicans beat Utah last night, but several players and head coach Alvin Gentry were emotional with reporters afterwards as they talked about the sadness they felt for Williams and his family. Monty was the head coach for the Pelicans from 2010 to 2015. Williams is currently an assistant with the Thunder.

In Ruston…Louisiana Tech looks to get back on the winning track tonight as they host Middle Tennessee in a game that will be shown on the American Sports Network. The Bulldogs are 6-4 in Conference USA, tied for fourth place in the league, while the Blue Raiders are in second place.

Also tonight….McNeese State hosts UNO. The Cowboys are looking to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Ragin Cajuns put their eight game winning streak on the line tonight when they host Arkansas State at the Cajundome. At one point this season, UL Lafayette was 5-8, now they are 13-8. Coach Bob Marlin on the difference between then and now…
cut 18 (13) “…more confidence”
The Cajuns are 9-3 in league play, two games behind Sun Belt leader Arkansas-Little Rock.

The Trojans are at ULM tonight. The Warhawks are undefeated at home this season and fans are encouraged to wear white as they’ll be having a “White Out” inside the Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

LSU got 20 points from Ben Simmons last night but it wasn’t enough as they lost to South Carolina 94-83. The Tigers gave up 55 points in the 2nd half.