LSU sophomore forward Jarell Martin meets with the media this afternoon where it’s expected based on reports that he’ll enter the NBA Draft. Martin led the Tigers in scoring this past season.

Martin’s teammate, Jordan Mickey, says he has yet to make a decision on whether he’ll leave LSU early. Tiger Rag editor Cody Worsham believes the six-foot-eight forward from Dallas could use another year of college basketball….
cut 19 (13) “….game more”
And there are reports that LSU assistant coach Eric Musselman could be named the new head coach at Nevada.

In college hoops tonight…U-L-M hosts Vermont in the semifinals of the CBI tournament, while Louisiana Tech faces Temple in the quarterfinals of the NIT. The winner will head to Madison Square Garden in New York for the NIT semifinals.

Saints Coach Sean Payton spoke with reporters this morning in at the NFL owners meeting and repeated a statement that general manager Mickey Loomis made earlier in the week and that’s there’s no truth to the rumors the team is looking to trade quarterback Drew Brees. Payton also said they will not trade up to draft Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Payton also said today that the team is speaking with defensive end Cameron Jordan about a contract extension. In four seasons with the Black and Gold, Jordan has 29 sacks and five forced fumbles.

In the NBA…the Pelicans host the Rockets tonight. Houston center Dwight Howard returns to the court after missing 23 games because of a knee injury. New Orleans has won the two previous meetings against the Rockets this season.

In college baseball last night…Mark Laird hit an inside the park home run to highlight LSU’s 13-7 win over Tulane. Louisiana Tech trounced Grambling eight to one. Daniel Midyett hit a three-run blast in Southeastern’s seven to six victory over ULM. U-L Lafayette edged McNeese State six to five in 12 innings.

U-L-M men’s basketball will host Vermont tonight at seven P-M in the semifinals of the C-B-I tournament. The Warhawks started the tournament by beating Eastern Michigan and then rallying on the road to defeat Mercer by 2. ULM Athletics Director Brian Wickstrom this postseason run has brought excitement to the campus…

cut 16 (13) “for our program”

Tonight’s winner will face the winner of the Seattle-Loyola of Chicago matchup in the CBI best of three championship series.

In college baseball, the top ranked LSU Tigers lit it up with 19 hits last night on their way to a 13-7 win over Tulane in Turchin Stadium. Hunter Newman picks up the win for the Tigers, while Patrick Duester gets tagged with the loss. LSU moves to 22-3 on the season and will host Kentucky in a three-game series beginning Friday night. The Green Wave will host UConn this weekend.

In other college baseball action, Louisiana Tech cruised past Grambling 8-1.

Southeastern Louisiana squeaked by ULM 7-6.

UL-Lafayette edged McNeese State 6-5 in eleven innings.

And Northwestern State blanked Mississippi Valley State 13-0.

ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman reports that LSU sophomore forward Jordan Mickey is leaning towards entering the NBA draft. Mickey was a first-team ALL SEC selection this past season as he led the league in rebounding and he’s also the top shot blocker in the country. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says it’s not a surprise to hear this news…

cut 18 (13) ” weren’t great’

In a released statement, Mickey says he has not made a decision on entering the draft, but does plan to explore his options.

The LSU baseball team wraps up a five-game road trip tonight at Tulane. It looks like LSU has found a new lead-off hitter. Senior Chris Sciambra was inserted into the line-up on Friday and drove in four runs in game two against Arkansas and then had four hits in the series finale. Coach Paul Mainieri is proud the Baton Rouge native is able to contribute…
cut 18 (19) “…our team” (2x)
First pitch is at 6:30.

In other action…Louisiana Tech hosts Lincoln Parish rival Grambling State at 6 PM. The Ragin Cajuns face McNeese State in Lake Charles, U-L-M is at Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State hosts Mississippi Valley State.

A proposal to expand instant replay so that personal fouls could be reviewed never came up for a vote at today’s NFL owners meeting. In fact, most proposals to make changes to the instant replay system were rejected. The owners approved several player safety enhancements, including one that would allow for the stopping of a play if a medical adviser believes a player is unstable and should be taken off the field.

ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman reports that LSU sophomore forward Jordan Mickey is leaning towards entering the NBA draft. Mickey was a first-team ALL SEC selection this past season as he led the league in rebounding and he’s also the top shot blocker in the country.

Fresh off a win over Texas A-and-M, Louisiana Tech looks to keep advancing in the N-I-T as they visit Temple tomorrow night. U-L-M has a C-B-I semifinal game tomorrow as the Warhawks will host Vermont and in the C-I-T, the Ragin Cajuns will take on Evansville and the game will be played in historic Blackham Coliseum Thursday night.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team heads down I-10 tonight to play Tulane at 6:30. It should be an emotional game for LSU hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Andy Cannizaro, who is a former all-american shorstop at Tulane. He helped the Green Wave reach the College World Series in 2001. Coach Paul Mainieri is interested to see how Tulane fans will react to Cannizaro…
cut 17 (14) “…baseball history”
First pitch is at 6:30. Other in-state matchups tonight include…Grambling at Louisiana Tech. McNeese hosts U-L Lafayette and ULM visits Southeastern Louisiana.

W-W-L’s Kristin Garic reports that outside linebacker and defensive end Anthony Spencer is visiting with Saints officials. He was drafted by Dallas in the first round in 2007 and helped the Cowboys gets in the playoffs last year.

U-L-M is getting ready to host a postseason basketball game tomorrow night as the Warhawks will face Vermont in the semi-finals of the CBI tournament. The Warhawks rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat Mercer 71 to 69 last night. Tylor Ongwae tied a career-high with 27 points.

The Ragin Cajuns will also host a postseason game this week as U-L Lafayette will take on Evansville this Thursday. The game will be played at Blackham Coliseum. It’s the first time since 2006 that a men’s basketball game has been played at that venue.

And Louisiana Tech will play Temple tomorrow night in the quarterfinals of the N-I-T. Alex Hamilton had 25 points as the Bulldogs beat Texas A-and-M 84 to 72. Hamilton hit three, 3-pointers. As a team, Tech had 11 from beyond the arc.

In high school basketball news…Anacoco’s Will Reese has been anmed as the Class B Most Outstanding Player of the year as he led Anacoco to its first ever boys state championship. The Class B girls player of the is Madyson Brasseaux of Lacassine. She’s a McNeese State commitment.

In second round NIT action, Louisiana Tech sailed past Texas A&M 84-72. Alex Hamilton lead the way for the Bulldogs with 25 points followed by Kenneth Smith with 16. Tech sank 11 three pointers in eliminating the Aggies from postseason play. The Dunkin’ Dawgs advance to the quarterfinals where they travel to Philadelphia to take on Temple Wednesday night. Tipoff is at 8PM and you can watch on ESPN2.

In the College Basketball Invitational, the ULM Warhawks trailed by 20 points early in the second half, but fought their way bak to a 71-69 victory over Mercer. Tylor Ongwae lead all scorers with 27 and Majok Deng added a double-double: 14 points and 14 rebounds. The Warhawks advance to the CBI semi-finals where they will host Vermont tomorrow night at 7PM.

UL-Lafayette will host Evansville Thursday night in quarter-final action in the CollegeInsider-dot-com Tournament. The Purple Aces come into the match-up with a 21-12 record while the Cajuns stand at 22-13. This is the first CIT game UL-Lafayette has hosted this tournament.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team will resume its rivalry with Tulane tonight at Turchin Stadium in New Orleans. The Fighting Tigers are 21-and-3 overall, while the Green Wave are 17-and-7. LSU Coach Paul Mainieri says he’s been impressed how Tulane is playing this year, under first year head coach David Pierce…

cut 16 (13) “good about themselves”

It should be an emotional game for LSU hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Andy Cannizaro, who is a former all-american shortstop at Tulane and helped the Green Wave reach the College World Series in 2001.

The Tigers are ranked number one in five of the six major college baseball polls. Collegiate Baseball is the only hold out. They have Texas A-and-M ranked ahead of the Tigers.

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis spoke at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona and said reports that New Orleans has quarterback Drew Brees on the trade block are completely untrue. Loomis says he’s not sure how those rumors got started.

Former Saints Star Darren Sharper has reached a plea deal with authorities in Louisiana and three other states in which he’s accussed of drugging and raping women. There’s a report he’ll receive a 20-year prison sentence in Louisiana, but only serve nine years. Legal analyst Doug Sunseri says Sharper has agreed to what is known as a global plea deal, which means he essentially agreed to one punishment for all of the charges…
cut 13 (07) “….four jurisdictions”
Sharper’s legal troubles are not over, he still faces federal drug charges in New Orleans and a hearing on those charges is scheduled for April 6th.

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis spoke at today’s NFL owners meetings in Arizona and said reports that New Orleans has quarterback Drew Brees on the trade block are completely untrue. Loomis added he’s not sure how those rumors got started. Brees is 36-years-old and has two years left on a five-year contract.

The LSU Tigers are ranked number one in five of the six major college baseball polls. Collegiate Baseball is the only one where they are not ranked number. They have Texas A-and-M ranked ahead of the Tigers.

In college basketball…Louisiana Tech is at Texas A-and-M for a second round N-I-T match-up that can be seen on ESPN at six P-M. The Aggies are one of the better defensive teams out of the SEC. Bulldogs Coach Michael White says tonight’s game could be low scoring…
cut 18 (12) “….College station”
ULM will play Mercer tonight in the quarterfinals of the CBI. Tip-off is at six o’ clock from Macon, Georgia.

The Ragin Cajuns will host a C-I-T quarterfinal contest on Thursday. An opponent has yet to be determined. And in the SEC….Mississippi State has hired former UCLA Coach Ben Howland.

D-1 Baseball, Perfect Game and Baseball America all have the Tigers ranked number one after taking two of three from Arkansas this past weekend. But LSU is not in first place in the SEC West. That honor goes to Texas A-and-M, who has a better league record than the Tigers at 5-and-1. Vanderbilt and Missouri are also five and one in league play.

The Ragin Cajuns are a half game back of Georgia Southern and Texas State for first place in the Sun Belt. U-L Lafayette took two of three from Georgia State over the weekend and the Cajuns are back on the road tomorrow to visit McNeese State.

In the Southland…Southeastern Louisiana is in first place in the league with a seven and two record, a half game ahead of Northwestern State and a full game ahead of McNeese. The Lions swept Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi and will host ULM tomorrow night. The Warhawks thumped Appalachian State ten to two yesterday.

Louisiana Tech will take on Texas A-and-M tonight in the second round of the N-I-T. Tech enters the game with a 26-8 record, while the Aggies are 21-11 and beat Montana in the opening round of the NIT. Bulldogs Coach Michael White says A&M presents a tough challenge for his guys…
cut 17 (15) “…strong and physical”
Tip-off is at six o’ clock on ESPN. ULM will look to advance in the CBI tournament tonight as they visit Mercer.

The Pelicans playoff hopes are fading as they lost their third straight yesterday as they were defeated by the Clippers 107-100. It was an up and down day for Eric Gordon, he didn’t start, because he missed a team meeting, but came off the bench to score 23 points. Head Coach Monty Williams…
cut 20 (08) “….played well”
Gordon also lost a tooth during the game, as the result of a hard fall in the third quarter.

The “Dunkin Dogs” of Louisiana Tech will face Texas A&M tonight in the second round of the NIT. Bulldogs Coach Michael White says his program doesn’t have many opportunities to beat a team from a major conference, so they need to take advantage of it when it comes…

cut 16 (13) “very very excited”

Tech enters the game with a 26-8 record, while the Aggies are 21-11 and beat Montana in the opening round of the NIT. This game will be televised on ESPN.

Also tonight, ULM is in quarterfinal action in the College Basketball Invitational when they face Mercer at 6PM. The Warhawks enter tonight’s match up with a 22-12 record while the Bears are 19-15. You can watch on ESPN3.

In the CollegeInsider-dot-com Tournament, UL-Lafayette advances to the quarterfinals after their 71-70 victory over Sam Houston State.

The Pelicans are now three games back of Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference after completing an 0-for-3 road trip with a 107-100 loss to the Clippers. Coach Monty Williams is not happy with the 18 turnovers his team committed

cut 19 (14) “but it happens”

Anthony Davis returned from a sprained ankle and scored 26 points.

In college baseball, LSU won two out of three from Arkansas over the weekend. The split gives the Tigers a 21-3 record with a 4-2 SEC mark. LSU hosts Tulane Tuesday night in a contest that will be televised on Cox Sports Television.

In the Sun Belt, UL-Lafayette won two out of three against Georgia State and ULM dropped two out of three against Appalachian State.

In the Southland, McNeese lost two out of three against Abilene Christian, Lamar swept UNO, Southeastern Louisiana swept Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, Northwestern State split a double header with Stephen F. Austin, and Nicholls State dropped two of three to Sam Houston State.

The LSU baseball team got 21 hits as the top ranked Tigers defeated Arkansas 16-3 last night in Fayetteville. This improves LSU to 20-3 overall and 3-2 in the SEC while Arkansas drops to 11-10 and 1-4. The teams conclude the series at 2 p.m.

The Pelicans lost ground in their bid to secure the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. New Orleans lost to the Golden State Warriors 112-96 Friday night for the second consecutive loss.

Today the LSU football team will go through their second scrimmage of the spring in Tiger Stadium. This will put the Tigers at the halfway point for its spring drills. After today the Bayou Bengals will practice three times next week which also includes a scrimmage next Saturday in Tiger Stadium. Spring drills wrap up April 18th and at 1pm in Death Valley the annual National L-Club Spring Game will take place.

In other college baseball action, Louisiana Tech Senior Phil Maton struck out a career-high 12 batters and held Southern Miss hitless in seven of his eight innings on the mound as The Bulldogs defeated the Golden Eagles, 2-1, in a pitcher’s duel after scoring the winning run on a wild pitch in the ninth to tie the series at 1-1.

McNeese Baseball fell to ACU 5-0.

The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team fell victim to its third straight one-run loss on Friday night losing to Georgia State 7-6 in 10 innings in the series opener at the GSU Baseball Complex.

ULM surrendered runs in three different innings and Appalachian State claimed a 7-0 win in the series opener Friday night at Smith Stadium.

The Nicholls State University baseball team had no answers for Sam Houston State on Friday afternoon, dropping consecutive games in a Friday doubleheader at Don Sanders Stadium. The Bearkats ran away with a 6-1 victory.

The LSU men’s basketball team returns to Baton Rouge today after a heart breaking 66-65 loss to North Carolina State in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack got a tip-in the final second to send LSU home for the season. LSU’s leading scorer was Tim Quarterman, who had 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. But the sophomore from Georgia says they were just one play away from advancing to the round of 32…

cut 18 (14) “….tonight”

Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey each posted double-doubles last night, now we wait to see if they’ll return for their junior seasons.

In the CollegeInsider-dot-com Tournament, Northwestern State was crushed by the University of Tennessee at Martin 104-79 last night, while the Ragin Cajuns will travel to Huntsville, Texas where they’ll play Sam Houston State. Cajuns Coach Bob Marlin used to coach at Sam Houston.

Former LSU Tiger Dwayne Bowe is now a member of the Cleveland Browns. The veteran wide receiver has signed a two-year deal to play at the Dog Pound. The 30-year-old did not catch a touchdown pass last season.

The Saints have reportedly restructured cornerback Keenan Lewis’ contract, which will give the veteran more guaranteed money, which is what he wanted. The restructuring also gives the team more salary cap relief.

Former Saints first round pick, cornerback Patrick Robinson, has signed a free-agent deal with San Diego. Robinson received a lot of blame from Saints fans over the defense’s troubles last season.

In college baseball…LSU looks to rebound tonight when they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at 8 PM. The Hogs topped the Tigers 5-1 last night to open the three game series.

Elsewhere…the Ragin Cajuns are at Georgia State this weekend. ULM visits Appalachian State, Louisiana Tech hosts Southern Miss, McNeese State visits Abilene Christian, Nicholls is at Sam Houston, Northwestern travels to Stephen F Austin and Southeastern Louisiana is at Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi.