A couple of missing pieces are expected to return tonight for the Pelicans who host the Memphis Grizzlies. Guards Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole are expected to make their season debuts for the 4-and-13 Pelicans. Evans was New Orleans second leading scorer last year, while Cole was a good scorer off the bench last season. He’s been out with a sprained ankle. Tip-off is at seven o’ clock.

In college basketball…Louisiana Tech is at Memphis. The Bulldogs are 5-0, while Memphis 3-and-2. Tech has already won twice on the road this season, while Memphis features four returning starters and seven freshmen on their roster. The matchup can be seen on the CBS Sports Network.

Elsewhere…Nicholls hosts Louisiana College, Northwestern State is at Arkansas and Southeastern hosts Loyola of New Orleans.

The LSU men’s basketball team drop its third straight game last night, 70-58 to Charleston. The Tigers will host North Florida tomorrow, which is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country at 46-percent.

McNeese State continues to prepare for Saturday’s F-C-S playoff game against Sam Houston State. The Bearkats used two quarterbacks to beat Southern Utah last week, Jeremiah Briscoe and Jared Johnson. Cowboys Coach Matt Viator says Briscoe is a good passer, while Johnson is good running the football…
cut 19 (20) “….for sure”
McNeese is seeking its first playoff win since 2002.

The LSU football coaches are busy recruiting this week. Derek Ponamsky of Bayou Bengals Insider dot com says the Tigers could still have a top five recruiting class, despite all the turmoil the last couple of weeks invovling Les Miles’ job security. He says there’s some excellent recruiters on the coaching staff
cut 30 (07) “….they’ve already”

Once LSU begins practice for its bowl game, work will continue on the Tigers passing game. LSU is ranked dead last in the SEC in pass offense, as they finished with less than two-thousand yards through the air. Sophomore Malachi Dupre led the team in receiving during the regular season as he caught 39 passes for 602 yards and 6 touchdowns. Dupre says LSU’s passing game is still a work in progress…
cut 17 (17) “…execute the plays”

Grambling Quarterback Johnathan Williams has been named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Offensive Player of the Week. Williams threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns, he also ran for a score in Grambling’s win over Southern in the Bayou Classic. Grambling plays for the SWAC Crown on Saturday in Houston against Alcorn State.

The LSU men’s basketball team is failing to execute. The Tigers dropped their third straight last night as they lost at Charleston 70 to 58. LSU shot a season low 31-percent from the field. Freshman Antonio Blakeney was 0-for-9.

Also last night, ULM beat Chattanooga 64-54. Senior Majok Deng had 22 points as he was 8-of-12 from the field and six-of-six from the free throw line.

Tonight Louisiana Tech takes its undefeated record to Memphis where they’ll face the Tigers. Northwestern State is at Arkansas, Nicholls hosts Louisiana College and Loyola is at Southeastern.

The Pelicans are back home tonight to take on the Memphis Grizzlies. Guards Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole are expected to play for the first time this year tonight. Evans has been sidelined since undergroing knee surgery in October, while Cole has been battling a high ankle sprain. Tip-off from the Smoothie King Center is at 7 Pm.

McNeese State is getting ready to host Southland Conference rival Sam Houston State in the second round of the FCS playoffs. The Cowboys are a four-seed in the tournament and received a bye into the second round, while the Bearkats beat Southern Utah in a shootout 42-39. McNeese Coach Matt Viator hopes the week off will not hurt their play for Saturday’s game…

cut 18 (14) “little rusty”

The game will kick off at 6PM and you can watch on ESPN3.

The McNeese basketball team lost a heartbreaker last night to Central Michigan 74-73. The Cowboys fought back from an eight point deficit to tie the game with 10 seconds remaining, but a free throw with 3 seconds left gave the win to the Chippewas.

Majok Deng’s 22 points helped lift ULM over Chattanooga 64-54.

The LSU men’s basketball team dropped their third in a row last night, losing to the College of Charleston 70-58. The Cougars jumped out to a 22 point halftime lead and held on in the second half. Ben Simmons led the Tigers with 15 points and 18 rebounds followed by Tim Quarterman’s 14 points. LSU falls to 3-3 on the season. The Tigers will look to snap their losing streak Wednesday night when they host North Florida.

LSU sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris did not finish the season strong as he struggled in November and didn’t perform well in the win over Texas A&M. Harris completed just seven passes for 83 yards and he was intercepted once in the win over the Aggies. Coach Les Miles says Harris looked much better earlier in the season…

cut 16 (15) “do there”

LSU finished the regular season with an 8-3 record and will learn their postseason bowl destination this Sunday.

Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham believes LSU President and Chancellor F King Alexander is a big factor in Les Miles keeping his job as head coach of the Tigers. If Miles was fired before January 1st, LSU would owe him 15-million dollars. Worsham says the buyout of Miles’ contract was too tough of a pill to swallow for Alexander, even though private donors would have paid the buyout…
cut 7 (07) “football team”
Alexander is pushing the state legislature for more state funding to help the academic side of the university. Some are now calling for athletic director Joe Alleva to be fired for mishandling this situation. Worsham doesn’t see that happening…
cut 8 (07) “…through 2020”
LSU coaches were busy today on the recruiting trail. Defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence of Neville said on twitter that Frank Wilson, Bradley Dale Peveto and Ed Orgeron visited him today.

Louisiana Tech finished the regular season with an 8-4 record after losing to Southern Miss in the regular season finale on Saturday. It’s been projected Tech will get an invite to the New Orleans Bowl. Bulldogs Coach Skip Holtz says the team will wait to hear its fate…
cut 17 (19) “…field again”
December sixth is when the team is expected to find out its bowl assignment.

In college basketball action tonight…LSU is at Charleston as the Tigers look to snap a two-game losing streak. So far through five games, freshman Ben Simmons is averaging 16 points, 14 rebounds and six assists a game.

Also tonight…ULM hosts Chattanooga. The Warhawks are 2-and-2 and looking to bounce back from a ten point defeat to Houston.

So how did Les Miles keep his job as head coach of the LSU Tigers. It appeared Miles was coaching his final game in Tiger Stadium on Saturday, but after the victory, athletic director Joe Alleva announced Miles would return for another season. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says it appears LSU’s president saved Miles’ job…
cut 6 (12) “…as the coach”
There are still questions whether offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will return. His contract is set to expire after the bowl game. Miles was noncommittal about Cameron’s future, but he expects the offense next year to feature running back Leonard Fournette….
cut 22 (12) “…bit much”
LSU linebacker Deion Jones was named SEC defensive Player of the Week. Jones had eleven tackles and a half sack.

A bad performance for the Saints yesterday as they were kept out of the end zone in a 24-6 loss to the Houston Texans. New Orleans had just 268 yards of total offense and the Black and Gold’s record fell to 4-and-7. Quarterback Drew Brees remains optimistic the Saints can make a run at the playoffs, but they ahve undefeated Carolina coming to town…
cut 19 (14) “…for us”

McNeese State is getting ready to host Southland Conference rival Sam Houston State in the second round of the FCS Playoffs. The game will take place Saturday night in Cowboy Stadium. It was just three weeks ago, when McNeese beat the Bearkats.

The Ragin Cajuns wrap up the regular season this Saturday against Troy. Coach Mark Hudspeth announced today that third string QB Jordan Davis will start after completing all seven of his passes and rushing for a 20-yard touchdown run in mop-up duty against Appalachian State.

The Saints dropped their third straight game on Sunday as the Houston Texans topped New Orleans 24-6. Offensively, the Saints could only muster two field goals, so for the first time in 155 games the Saints failed to score a TD. Coach Sean Payton on the disappointing loss..
cut 18 (14) “…of it”
New Orleans was held to 268 total yards, just 50 yards on the ground. The loss drops the Saints record to 4-7

Elsewhere in the NFL…former Saints tight end Jimmy Graham’s season is over after suffering an injury to the patellar tendon in his right knee in Seattle’s win over Pittsburgh. Graham injured himself after landing awkwlardly on his leg while trying to catch a pass.

Les Miles is still the coach of the LSU football team despite a couple of weeks of speculation that he will be fired at the end of the regular season. But Athletics Director Joe Alleva announced after Saturday’s win over Texas A&M that Miles will remain the Tigers coach. Miles was asked if there were any hard feelings over the speculation that he could lose his job….
cut 10 (09) “…that way”

Louisiana Tech’s regular season ended in a frustrating manner as the Bulldogs turned it over seven times in a 58-24 loss to Southern Miss. The defeat keeps the Bulldogs from playing in the Conference USA Championship game. Head Coach Skip Holtz says it was a disappointing way to end the year…
cut 16 (12) “…for it”
Tech finishes the regular season with an 8-4 record .

An end of an era appears to be taking place at LSU as Les Miles could be coaching his last game in purple and gold. Jeff Palermo has the story…
voicer 2 (30) “…reporting”

Saturday night’s game also marks the return of John Chavis, LSU’s former defensive coordinator. He now holds the same position for the Aggies. LSU linebacker Deion Jones says he has no ill will toward his old coach…
cut 16 (09) “…with that”

Big game at Joe Aillet Stadium tomorrow morning as Louisiana Tech hosts Southern Miss. The winner advances to play in the Conference USA Championship game. Bulldogs head coach Skip Holtz hopes for a sold out crowd, especially for the seniors, who are on the verge of leading Tech to a second straight bowl game…
cut 23 (15) “…come together”
Southern Miss brings a five-game winning streak to Ruston as they’ve averaged 46 points a game during that run. Kick-off is at 11 AM.

The high school football playoffs continue tonight. On the select side, its semifinal action. In Division One….Evangel hosts Catholic, who is looking for its first trip to the Mercedes Benz Superdome since 1990. You can watch this game on Fox Sports New Orleans plus at 7 PM. The other semi-final matchup in Division One is John Curtis versus Rummel.

Anthony Davis’ double-double lifted the Pelicans to a 120-114 win over the Phoenix Suns last night. Davis scored 26 points and pulled down 17 rebounds in the win. Eric Gordon added 23 as a total of five Pelican players scored in double figures. The Pels have now won three in a row. The Pelicans west coast road trip continues Friday in Los Angeles where they’ll take on the Clippers.

The Saints have returned to practice as they get ready for the stretch run of their season, which gets underway Sunday against Houston. Linebackers Hau’oli Kikaha and Ramon Humber have returned to practice on a limited basis. Running back Mark Ingram was also limited with a shoulder injury, while linebackers David Hawthorne and Dannell Ellerbe and cornerbacks Keenan Lewis and Damian Swann all missed practiced.

And former LSU Tiger Matt Flynn, who is now a backup quarterback with the Saints, told reporters that it would be a mistake if LSU let Les Miles go.

In college basketball action last night, Craig McFerrin’s layup with 10 seconds remaining lifted McNeese State to their first win of the season, 80-79 win over Dillard. Freshman guard Jarren Greenwood led the Cowboys with 16 points. Blue Devils’ forward Demetric Austin led all scorers with 23. McNeese hits the road to face Texas State Saturday.

Northwestern State also picked up their first win of the season, holding off Louisiana College 86-80. Freshman Ishmael Lane led the way for the Demons pouring in 25 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. NSU will take on Auburn Friday night.

Christavious Gill and Nate Frye each scored 13 as UNO defeated Bradley 64-51. The win moves the Privateers to 2-2 on the season.

In Albuquerque, Nicholls State came up short against New Mexico, 75-63. Ja’Dante’ Frye led the Colonels with 22 points.

UL-Lafayette rolled over Loyola-New Orleans 106-62. Shawn Long led the way with 25 as five Ragin Cajuns scored in double figures.

Grambling State fell to Texas-Arlington 73-40.

LSU Coach Les Miles says he spoke with athletic director Joe Alleva earlier this week, but didn’t say what they spoke about. There are rumors Miles will be fired as early as next week. The coach says the biggest thing on his mind is Saturday’s game against Texas A-and-M…
cut 14 (10) “….always done it”
LSU wide receiver Malchi Dupre says Miles has not gone into much detail about his future when he’s talked to the team…
cut 20 (17) “….can correct”
LSU will play the rest of the season without wide receiver Travin Dural as he’s out for the year with a torn hamstring. Miles says it will take three months for him to recover.

The Saints have returned to practice as they get ready for the stretch run of their season, which gets underway Sunday against Houston. Linebackers Hau’oli Kikaha and Ramon Humber have returned to practice on a limited basis. Running back Mark Ingram was also limited with a shoulder injury, while lienbackers David Hawthorne and Dannell Ellerbe and cornerbacks Keenan Lewis and Damian Swann all missed practiced.

And former LSU Tiger Matt Flynn, who is now a backup quarterback with the Saints, told reporters that it would be a mistake if LSU let Les Miles go.

The LSU men’s basketball team is back from a disappointing trip to Brooklyn, where they lost two games, one to Marquette and last night in overtime to North Carolina State. The Tigers are at Charleston on Monday.

Louisiana Tech is off to its best start since 1998 after beating Ohio State 82-74 on Tuesday. Alex Hamilton led the way with 24 points. Tech is back in action Friday against North Carolina Central.

Tonight in the NBA…the Pelicans begin a three-game road trip in Phoenix.

LSU Coach Les Miles said on today’s SEC teleconference that he will not look to defend or a make a case for himself as speculation continues to grow that he will be fired sometime after the Tigers play their final regular season game on Saturday against A-and-M. LSU wide receiver Malachi Dupre says the rumors swirling about Miles’ future with the program has not been a distraction. But he says better play on the field would help in the argument to keep Miles employed at LSU…
cut 19 (20) “…of that”
Miles has confirmed that junior wide receiver Travin Dural is done for the season after tearing his hamstring while trying to catch a touchdown pass against Ole Miss. Recovery time is three months. Dural is eligible to enter the NFL draft.

Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss face off on Saturday in Ruston and the winner will advance to the Conference USA Championship game. Southern Miss leads Conference USA in total defense and they are second in scoring defense, allowing 22 points a contest. Bulldogs Quarterback Jeff Driskel doesn’t see any weaknesses with the Golden Eagles defense…
cut 17 (15) “…down to”