For the first time since 2009, the LSU Tigers are in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Coach Johnny Jones says the tournament selection committee recognizes LSU had a good regular season…
cut 14 (09) “from this team”
The Bayou Bengals are a nine-seed and they’ll take on North Carolina State in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Louisiana Tech will have to settle for the N-I-T again this year. The Bulldogs will host Central Michigan on Tuesday night at the Thomas Assembly Center.

U-L-M has received a bid to play in the College Basketball Invitational. The Warhawks will host Eastern Michigan on Wednesday. It’s U-L-M’s first postseason apperance since 1996.

The Ragin Cajuns and Northwestern State are in the College-Insider-dot-com tournament. U-L Lafayette will visit in Incarnate Word tomorrow night, while the Demons will host Tennessee-Martin on Thursday.

Great ballgame and great performance from Anthony Davis in the Smoothie King Center last night but the Pelicans lost 118-111 in double overtime to the Denver Nuggets. A-D had 36 points, 14 rebounds, nine blocks and seven assists. Oklahoma City also won yesterday, so New Orleans now trails the Thunder by one game for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The LSU Tigers are still ranked number one in Baseball America’s poll after taking two out of three from Ole Miss. The Bayou Bengals belted the Rebels 18 to six yesterday as Alex Bregman, Jared Foster and Conner Hale all had home runs. LSU is now 18-and-2 on the season.

For the first time since 2009, the LSU Tigers are in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The Bayou Bengals are a nine-seed and they’ll face North Carolina State on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Coach Johnny Jones says the goal all season long was to get an invite to the Big Dance

Cut 13 (15) “front of us”

There was a concern LSU would not get into the tournament after they lost to Auburn in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. But based on LSU getting a nine-seed, they really didn’t need to sweat it out.

Anthony Davis scored 35-points and pulled down 12 rebounds, but the Pelicans could not hold on to a double-digit second half lead and fell to the Denver Nuggets 118-111 in double overtime last night at the Smoothie King Center. The loss drops the Pels back to one game behind Oklahoma City for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Four boys’ state championship basketball teams were crowned Saturday night in Lake Charles. Madison Prep reigns in Class 1-A after defeating Lafayette Christian. Riverside Academy defeated Lakeview to earn the 2-A championship. It was University Lab over John Curtis for the 3-A title. And in Class 4-A, Landry-Walker claimed the trophy after edging Salmen.

In college baseball, Number one ranked LSU won two of three against Ole Miss to begin their SEC schedule. Twelfth ranked Rice swept Louisiana Tech.

In the Sun Belt, ULM won two out of three against Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas-Little Rock swept UL-Lafayette.

In the Southland, Nicholls dropped two of three against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. UNO took two of three against Stephen F. Austin. Sam Houston State won their series against Northwestern State. Southeastern Louisiana took their series against Abilene Christian. And McNeese State swept Incarnate Word.

The LSU men’s basketball team finds itself back on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament after getting upset by Auburn in the SEC Tournament. Auburn rallied to beat the Tigers 73-70 in overtime. LSU shot just 36-percent from the field and 57-percent from the free throw line. The NCAA tournament bids go out tomorrow.

Louisiana Tech’s NCAA Tournament dreams look to be dashed as the Bulldogs lost in overtime to UAB in the semi-finals in the Conference USA Tournament. The Blazers outscored Tech in overtime 14-4, and ended up winning 72-62.

The Ragin Cajuns and Warhawks advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Tournament. U-L Lafayette topped Texas State 53-43 and ULM dribbled past South Alabama 77-59. The Cajuns will face Georgia State at one o’ clock in New Orleans, while the Warhawks will battle Georgia Southern at 3:30.
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The New Orleans Saints now have eight draft picks in the upcoming draft as their roster make-over continued on Friday. The Saints traded wide receiver Kenny Stills to Miami for linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and a third round draft pick. New Orleans also announced they signed unrestricted free agent running back C-J Spiller and released cornerback Corey White. Spiller has 33-hundred yards rushing in his career, and nearly 12-hundred yards receiving.

In college baseball…LSU began SEC play last night with a six to four win over Ole Miss. Conner Hale had three hits and drove in two runs. While the Rice Owl doubled up Louisiana Tech 4-2.

At the boys top 28 tournament, New Living Word repeated as Class C champs by beating Atlanta. In Class B, Annacoco won its first boys title by knocking off Midland and in the Class 5a title game, Scotlandville outlasted Nathitoches Central in a rematch of last year’s 5A title game. Four more champions will be crowned today in Lake Charles.

The Saints are making a lot of roster moves as as league sources say former Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller has been signed to a four year, 18 million dollar contract, with a nine million dollar guarantee. The Saints have also reportedly agreed to trade wide receiever Kenny Stills to the Miami Dolphins for a third round pick along with veteran linebacker Danelle Ellerbe. The Saints have also signed veteran cornerback Brandon Browner, who won a Super Bowl with the Patriots last season. Saints radio color analyst Hokie Gajan likes the idea of having another big physical cornerback to compliment fellow starting corner Keenan Lewis…:
CUT 19 (13) “the quarterback”
He says the Saints are clearly stockpiling draft picks and appear poised to rebuild their defense.

The LSU Tigers begin SEC play tonight against Ole Miss as the number one ranked team in the country according to Baseball America. Jared Poche will be tonight’s starting pitcher. The sophomore left-hander from Lutcher is 4-0 with a 2.08 ERA. Coach Paul Mainieri says he’s not surprised by Poche’s success this season…:
CUT 17 (12) “get it done”
Friday and Saturday’s games are at 7, Sunday first pitch is at 3.

The Class Five-A Boys basketball championship is tonight in Lake Charles. It’s a rematch of last year’s title tilt as Natchitoches Central faces Scotlandville. Natchitoches Central won last year and this is the sixth straight year Scotlandville has reached the title game.

At six p-m, Midland looks to repeat as Class B champs as they face Anacoco who is seeking its first boys title.

And the Class C championship game has New Living Word taking on Atlanta. New Living Word is the defending champ.

The LSU Tigers begin SEC baseball play tonight against Ole Miss as the number one ranked team in the country according to Baseball America. Coach Paul Mainieri says his team earned that number one ranking, by playing solid baseball…

Cut 16 (16) “excites me”

Jared Poche will be tonight’s starting pitcher.

The Saints have traded veteran offensive guard Ben Grubbs to Kansas City for a fifth round draft pick. Saints radio color analyst Hokie Gajan likes the trade and believes Tim Lelito, who started a couple of games at center last season, will be able to move to guard and replace Grubbs…

cut 18 (11) “to the Saints’

The Saints have also signed veteran cornerback Brandon Browner, who won a Super Bowl with the Patriots last season.

The Class Five-A Boys’ basketball championship is tonight in Lake Charles. It’s a rematch of last year’s title tilt as Natchitoches Central faces Scotlandville. Natchitoches Central won last year and this is the sixth straight year Scotlandville has reached the title game.

At 6PM, Midland looks to repeat as Class B champs as they face Anacoco, who is seeking its first boys title.

And the Class C championship game has New Living Word taking on Atlanta. New Living Word is the defending champ.

In the semi-finals of the Conference USA tournament, Louisiana Tech will face UAB at 5:30 today.

Northwestern State will face top seed Stephen F. Austin in the semi-finals of the Southland Conference tournament in New Orleans at 5PM.

In quarterfinal action at the Sun Belt tournament, UL-Lafayette faces Texas State and ULM takes on South Alabama at 7:30.

And LSU begins play in the SEC tournament this afternoon. The number four seed Tigers face Auburn in quarterfinal action beginning at 2PM. That game can be seen on the SEC Network.

The LSU Tigers begin SEC baseball play tonight against Ole Miss as the number one ranked team in the country according to Baseball America. Coach Paul Mainieri says his team earned that number one ranking, by playing solid baseball…

Cut 16 (16) “excites me”

Jared Poche will be tonight’s starting pitcher.

The Saints have traded veteran offensive guard Ben Grubbs to Kansas City for a fifth round draft pick. Saints radio color analyst Hokie Gajan likes the trade and believes Tim Lelito, who started a couple of games at center last season, will be able to move to guard and replace Grubbs…

cut 18 (11) “to the Saints’

The Saints have also signed veteran cornerback Brandon Browner, who won a Super Bowl with the Patriots last season.

Louisiana Tech advances to the semi-finals of the Conference USA basketball tournament with a 70-64 win over Rice. Erik McCree scored 17 and Alex Hamilton added 15 as the Bulldogs will face UAB at 5:30 today.

In the Southland Conference tournament, Northwestern State got past McNeese 96-89. Zeek Woodley’s 34 lead the way for the Demons who advance to the semi-finals where they’ll take on top-seeded Stephen F. Austin. Tipoff is scheduled for 5PM.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi downed UNO 61-58. The Privateers end their season with an 11-18 record.

Quarterfinal action gets underway today in the Sun Belt tournament. At 5 o’clock, fourth seed UL-Lafayette faces eighth seed Texas State and third seed ULM takes on sixth seed South Alabama at 7:30.

And LSU begins play in the SEC tournament this afternoon. The number four seed Tigers face Auburn, who upset Texas A&M last night, in quarterfinal action beginning at 2PM. The game can be seen on the SEC Network.

The Saints were wheeling and dealing again today. New Orleans traded two-time pro bowl offensive lineman Ben Grubbs to Kansas City for a 5th round pick. The trade freed up three-point-six million dollars in salary cap money. The Black and Gold used that extra cap space to sign cornerback Brandon Browner, who helped the New England Patriots win the Super Bowl last season and he was a member of the Seahawks the year before. The Saints have also announced they’ve re-signed special teams captain Ramon Humber.

Meanwhile, former Saints tight end Jimmy Graham said on a conference call with reporters in Seattle that his trade out of New Orleans was shocking.

And news out of New Orleans, Tyrann Mathieu’s mother, Shelia Mathieu, is one of 20 people indicted by the US Attorney’s office in a Medicare Fraud case. Shelia is a registered nurse who is accused of completing fraudulent paperwork that resulted in patients receiving Medicare services they didn’t need.

Louisiana Tech will play Rice tonight at 8:30 in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament. The tournament is taking place in Birmingham and Bulldogs Coach Michael White knows each team will give its best effort…
cut 18 (12) “….for the fences”
If Tech can win three games in three days, they’ll win the conference tournament and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Lady Techsters were eliminated today from the women’s Conference USA Tournament.

At the Southland Tournament…McNeese State and UNO advanced last night and tonight the Cowboys will play Northwestern State, while the Privateers take on Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi at 7:30.

In the SWAC Tournament….Southern beat Alabama A-and-M.

And the number one ranked LSU baseball team begins SEC play tomorrow against Ole Miss.

The heirs to Tom Benson’s professional franchises say they would like to see the Saints and Pelicans flourish as world champions in New Orleans. Michelle Southern has the story…
cut 3 (28) “…reporting”

In other Saints news…the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the Black and Gold offered cornerback Brandon Browner a contract that would pay him over five million dollars a season. Browner helped the Patriots win the Super Bowl this past season. And free agent running back CJ Spiller is in New Orleans today visiting with the Saints.

Louisiana Tech will play Rice tonight at 8:30 in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament. If the Bulldogs win tonight, they’ll play in the semi-finals on Friday at 5:30. Coach Michael White says it’s a disadvantage to play late tonight and then turn around and play another game in less than 24 hours….
cut 17 (10) “…won’t be correct”
Tech beat Rice earlier this season 58-45 in Ruston.

At the Southland Tournament…McNeese State and UNO advanced last night and tonight the Cowboys will play Northwestern State, while the Privateers take on Texas A-and-M Corpus Christi at 7:30.

In LSU spring football news…Jerald Hawkins has been working out at left tackle. He could be a possible replacement to La’el Collins at that position. Hawkins started at right tackle last season.

And the number one ranked LSU baseball team blanked McNeese Seven to nothing.

The Louisiana Tech men’s basketball team begins play tonight in the Conference USA tournament. The Bulldogs won the regular season title and a conference tournament championship will give them an automatic berth in the Big Dance. Tech Coach Michael White believes the CUSA Tournament is up for grabs…

cut 16 (09) “handful”

Tech plays tonight at 8:30 PM against Rice, who defeated North Texas 82-54 last night. If the Bulldogs win tonight, they’ll play in the semi-finals on Friday at 5:30.

In the Southland tournament, UNO eliminated Nicholls State 82-73 and McNeese and Southeastern Louisiana had to go to overtime before the Cowboys could squeak out a win 62-60.

The Pelicans now hold sole possession of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference after Chris Paul and the Clippers raced past Oklahoma City 120-108. The Pels will look to strengthen their hold Sunday when they host Denver.

Tom Benson files a lawsuit that attempts to secure the ownership shares of the Saints and Pelicans from a trust fund that his relatives currently have control over. The federal suit is aimed at Robert Rosenthal who has blocked a previous effort by Benson to remove the teams from the trust. Legal analyst Tim Meche says this is a desperation move on Benson’s part…

cut 4 (08) “from the trust”

Meche gives Benson very little chance of winning, here.

There are reports that free agent running back CJ Spiller will visit the Saints. Spiller has spent his five years in the league with the Buffalo Bills, with his best season coming in 2012 when he rushed for over 1200 yards. Injuries allowed Spiller to only play in nine games last season.

In other Saints news…linebacker David Hawthorne has reportedly taken a pay cut to remain with the Black and Gold. Hawthorne’s base salary went from two million to one-point-one-nine million dollars.

At the Boys’ Top 28 tournament in Lake Charles … Anacoco and Midland have advanced to the Class B Championship game. The Class 1-A title game will pit Madison Prep against Lafayette Christian.

So now that the Saints have traded tight end Jimmy Graham, what’s next for the Black and Gold. There are reports that the Saints are interested in bringing running back Reggie Bush back. The former first round pick, who helped New Orleans win a Super Bowl is coming off an injury plagued season in Detroit. NFL Analyst Mike Detillier says Bush would be a nice pick up, if the price is right….
cut 15 (08) “….settle for”
The Saints are not the only team interested in Bush. He’s reportedly visiting the 49ers today.

In other Saints news…linebacker David Hawthorne has reportedly taken a pay cut to remain with the Black and Gold. Hawthorne’s base salary went from two million to one-point-one-nine million. And former Saints linebacker Curtis Lofton has signed with the Oakland Raiders. And Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis has apparently told the team to guarantee the remaining three years of his contract or cut him.

The Pelicans are off tonight as they get a chance to rest after winning back to back road games in Milwaukee and Brooklyn. The Pelicans cut down the Nets 111 to 91 to move into a tie with Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder host Chris Paul and the Clippers tonight.

The Southland Conference Tournament cranks up today in Katy, Texas. On the men’s side McNeese State battles Southeastern Louisiana, while Nicholls State takes on UNO. The Colonels have won three straight.

Louisiana Tech senior guard Speedy Smith has been named Conference USA Player of the Year and the Bulldogs Michael White has been named Coach of the Year. Tech enters the Conference USA Tournament as the top seed and they’ll play either North Texas or Rice in the quarterfinals tomorrow night.

Today at the Boys Top 28 Tournament in Lake Charles…it’s the Class B Semi-finals….Florien versus Midland and Anacoco against Fairview.