The Ninth-seeded LSU Tigers faces 8th seed North Carolina State tonight in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The oddsmakers have the Wolfpack as a two-point favorite. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says it’s hard game to decide who will win….

cut 17 (13) “of the ball”

Worsham says for LSU to win, they’ll need great performances from their two big men, Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:20PM and you can watch on TBS.

Former Ragin Cajun star Elfrid Payton had his first career triple-double last night in the Orlando Magic’s 107-102 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The rookie from Gretna scored 15 points and added 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

In the College Basketball Invitational, ULM got past Eastern Michigan 67-71. The Warhawks were lead by Tylor Ongwae’s 26 points, followed by Jamaal Samuel’s 15. ULM advances to the CBI quarterfinal round where they’ll travel to Macon, Georgia to take on Mercer Monday night at 6.

Northwestern State takes the court tonight in the CollegeInsider-dot-com Tournament. In the final first round game, the Demons welcome the University of Tennessee at Martin. Tipoff is at 6:30. The winner will travel to face the University of South Carolina Upstate Saturday afternoon.

U-L Lafayette’s second round game in the CIT has been announced. The Cajuns will hit the road again, this time to take on the Sam Houston State Bearkats. That game will tip off at Saturday at 2PM.

And in the second round of the N-I-T. Louisiana Tech will play Texas A-and-M in College Station. The game will take place on Monday, with the tipoff scheduled for 6PM. That game will be televised and you can watch on ESPN.

The LSU men’s basketball team got an opportunity to practice in Pittsburgh today as they ready for tomorrow night’s match-up with North Carolina State in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack have three starters who average in double figures, including Ralston Turner, who spent his freshman and sophomore seasons with the LSU Tigers.

Tonight in Monroe, U-L-M will host Eastern Michigan in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational. This is the Warhawks 10th ever postseason appearance and first since the 1995-96 season. ULM has only won one postseason game and that was in 1991 as they defeated Florida A-and-M in a play-in-game into the NCAA Tournament.

Louisiana Tech defeated Central Michigan in the N-I-T last night. The Bulldogs will next play Texas A-and-M in College Station. The game will take place on Monday, but an exact time has not been announced. U-L Lafayette defeated Incarnate Word in the C-I-T last night and no word on who the Cajuns will play next.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team is off to Arkansas where they’ll begin a three-game series against the Razorbacks tomorrow night. LSU needed ten innings to beat cross-town rival Southern four to two last night. LSU shortstop Alex Bregman drove in two runs and Collin Strall earned the win in relief and Jesse Stallings picked up his ninth save.

Former US Open Champion Justin Rose, who is ranked as the 10th best golfer in the world, has committed to play in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which will take place April 23rd to the 26th at TPC Louisiana. Rose’s commitment to play in the Zurich Classic, comes about a week after Billy Horschel’s announcement that he would play in New Orleans next month. Horschel won the Zurich Classic in 2013 and he’s ranked 17th in the world. Fore Kids Foundation President Steve Worthy credits the golf course in helping them get some of the best players in the world
cut 17 (11) “…with them”

It wasn’t a pretty performance but the Pelicans picked up a win last night as they outlasted the Milwaukee Bucks 85-84. Anthony Davis had 20 points, but shot six of 18 from the field. Quincy Pondexter had 18 as he hit 5 three-pointers. The victory moves New Orleans back into a tie with Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The LSU men’s basketball team is in Pittsburgh, getting ready for tomorrow night’s NCAA Tournament against North Carolina State. Tigers Coach Johnny Jones is very familiar with Wolfpack head coach Mark Gottfried. Jones served under Gottfried for one season, when Gottfried was the head coach at Alabama.

Louisiana Tech has advanced in the NIT Tournament as they defeated Central Michigan last night. The Bulldogs will next play Texas A-and-M. The Ragin Cajuns beat Incarnate Word in the CIT Tourney last night and tonight ULM hosts Eastern Michigan in the opening round of the C-B-I.

The number one ranked LSU baseball team was nearly upset last night as they needed extra innings to beat cross-town rival Southern University four to two. LSU scored a run in the eighth to tie the game at one and then scored again in the ninth to tie the game at two. LSU then pushed across two runs in the tenth to win. Alex Bregman drove in two runs and Collin Strall picked up the win in relief and Jessie Stallings earned his ninth save.

In other action…Nicholls State defeated Lamar one to nothing. Ryan Deemes pitches seven scoreless innings for hits third win of the season. Tulane thumped Southeastern Louisiana 15 to 2, and U-L-M blanked Grambling seven to nothing. Keelin Rasch and Danny Springer hit home runs for the Warhawks.

Former US Open Champion Justin Rose, who is ranked as the 10th best golfer in the world, has committed to play in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which will take place April 23rd to the 26th at TPC Louisiana in Westwego.

Rose’s committment to play in the Zurich Classic, comes about a week after Billy Horschel’s announcement that he would play in New Orleans next month. Horschel won the Zurich Classic in 2013 and he’s ranked 17th in the world. Worthy credits the golf course in helping them get some of the best players in the world…
cut 17 (11) “…with them”

The top-ranked LSU Tigers scored two runs in the top of the 10th to get past Southern last night, 4-2. Junior right-hander Collin Strall picked up the win for the Tigers, while reliever Rafeal Diaz gets tagged with the loss for Southern. The Jaguars head into a home weekend SWAC series against Texas Southern. LSU travels to Fayetteville for a three game series against Arkansas beginning Thursday.

Former US Open Champion Justin Rose, who is ranked as the 10th best golfer in the world, has committed to play in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which will take place April 23rd to the 26th at TPC Louisiana in Westwego. Fore Kids Foundation president Steve Worthy says they are working to bring more big names to the P-G-A event

cut 16 (09) “attracted here”

Rose’s commitment to play in the Zurich Classic, comes about a week after 17th ranked Billy Horschel’s announcement that he would play in New Orleans next month.

The Pelicans moved back into the final playoff spot in the Western Conference after last night’s 85-84 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Anthony Davis scored 20, Quincy Pondexter added 18, including five three-pointers, and Omer Asik threw in 16 for the Pels. The Pelicans begin a 3-game road trip Thursday in Phoenix.

In the NIT, Louisiana Tech advances after defeating Central Michigan 89-79. Raheem Appleby lead all scorers with 22 and Jacobi Boykins threw in 18 as the Bulldogs won their third consecutive NIT opening round game. Tech advances to the second round where they’ll hit the road to face Texas A&M.

In the CollegeInsider-dot-com Tournament, UL-Lafayette handled Incarnate Word 83-68 to advance to the second round. Bryce Washington lead the Cajuns with 25 points, followed by Hayward Register’s 12. The Cajuns’ next opponent will be announced later this week.

The LSU men’s basketball team makes its way to Pittsburgh today for it’s NCAA Tournament match-up with North Carolina State on Thursday. The only player on LSU’s squad to experience an NCAA Tournament game is Keith Hornsby. The shooting guard was a freshman on UNC-Asheville’s team that made the NCAA Tournament in 2012. LSU sophomore Jordan Mickey is not worried about the lack of March Madness experience on his team…
cut 18 (13) “…ready to play”
Mickey also says a shoulder injury that kept him from playing in the regular season finale is feeling much better.

There is some basketball tonight….Louisiana Tech hosts Central Michigan in the N-I-T. The Ragin Cajuns, who were in the NCAA Tournament last year, face Incarnate Word tonight in the College-Insider-dot-com tournament.

The Saints have reportedly restructured the contract of new linebacker Dannell Ellerbe. Based on media reports, Ellerbe’s base salary was slashed to one-point-one million dollars this year, but with bonuses he’ll make at least four-point-nine million dollars in 2015.

In other NFL news…former Saints running back Travaris Cadet has signed with the New England Patriots. Cadet caught 38 passes for the Black and Gold last year.

There are several rivalry games on tonight’s college baseball schedule…LSU visits crosstown rival Southern in a game that can be seen on C-S-T. U-L-M is at Grambling and Tulane hosts Southeastern Louisiana.

In the NBA…the Pelicans are at home tonight to take on the Milwaukee Bucks. New Orleans is a half-game back of Oklahoma City for eight place in the Western Conference. The Bucks have lost nine of their last 12. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

And the LSU softball team is ranked number one for the first time in program history. They only have two losses on the year.

The LSU men’s basketball team leaves today for Pittsburgh where they’ll play eighth-seeded North Carolina State in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Guard Tim Quarterman says after an up and down regular season, the team is ready to play its best basketball…
cut 17 (11) “….upcoming games’
LSU should have a healthy Jordan Mickey for the NCAA Tournament, Mickey says his banged up shoulder is feeling much better.

Louisiana Tech will host Central Michigan in the N-I-T tonight. The Chippewas are 23-and-8 and Bulldogs Coach Michael White says they are hard to defend….
cut 20 (12) “…all year”
Tip-off is at 6:30 in the Thomas Assembly Center.

In the NBA tonight, the Pelicans host Milwaukee at the Smoothie King Center. New Orleans is a half-game back from O-K-C for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Saints have reportedly restructured the contract of new linebacker Dannell Ellerbe. The Black and Gold acquired Ellerbe from the Dolphins last week. Based on media reports, Ellerbe’s base salary was slashed to one-point-one million dollars this year, but with bonuses he’ll make at least four-point-nine million dollars in 2015.

In college baseball…LSU is at Southern tonight. The Tigers are 18-and-2, while the Jaguars are three and ten. U-L-M visits Grambling State, Southeastern Louisiana is at Tulane and Nicholls State hosts Lamar. The Colonels will wear green jerseys today and then aucion them off after the game to raise funds for a bone marrow transplant recipient in Thibodaux.

After taking two out of three from national powerhouse Florida, LSU softball is the new number one ranked team. It’s the first time the program has ever been ranked number one.

The LSU men’s basketball team leaves today for Pittsburgh, where they’ll play North Carolina State on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers bring a 22-and-10 record to the Big Dance and some of those losses were against bad teams. LSU guard Keith Hornsby says now that they are in the field of 68, they should not look past anyone…

cut 16 (17) “this point”

LSU needs to win six straight games to win a national championship.

The UL-Lafayette Men’s Basketball team continues into the postseason after accepting a bid to participate in the CollegeInsider-dot-com Tournament. The Cajuns will travel to San Antonio to take on Incarnate Word at 7PM tonight in first round action.

Louisiana Tech hosts Central Michigan tonight in the N-I-T. It’s the second straight year the Bulldogs will get to host a postseason game. But this year Tech is coming off a disappointing loss in the Conference USA tournament and Coach Michael White is interested to see how his team will react…

cut 19 (09) “situation deserves”

Central Michigan was the regular season Mid-American Conference West Division champions.

The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament bracket is released and Louisiana is represented in three of the four regionals. In the Albany Regional, LSU comes in at a number 11 seed and will face South Florida Saturday at 5:30PM in Tampa. In the Oklahoma City Regional, 15th seed Northwestern State travels to Waco, Texas to take on Baylor Friday afternoon at 1:30PM. And in the Spokane Regional, Tulane gets in as a 12 seed and will face 5th seed Mississippi State Friday at 1:30PM in Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

LSU will face North Carolina State in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night. The Tigers are the nine seed in the East Regional and will play in their first NCAA Tourney game since 2009. Guard Tim Quarterman says he’s familiar with the Wolfpack after watching them play in the A-C-C Tournament…
cut 28 (06) “….ready to play”
N-C State is 20-and-13 overall, 10-and-8 in the A-C-C.

Louisiana Tech was hoping to make the NCAA Tournament, but the Bulldogs will have to settle for the N-I-T. Tech will host Central Michigan tomorrow night at 6:30.

New Saints Center Max Unger spoke with reporters today on a conference call and said he’s stoked to be part of the Who Dat nation. The two-time Pro Bowler missed ten games last season, because of knee and ankle injuries. The 28-year-old said he took a physical today and he assumes that he past.

The LSU Tigers are still ranked number one in Baseball America’s poll. The Tigers took two out of three from Ole Miss this past weekend. LSU lost on Saturday to the Rebels in 14 innings, but starting pitcher Alex Lange received SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his performance on that night. The Missouri native struck out a career-high 13 in eight innings.

In the Southland….McNeese State swept Incarnate Word this past weekend and the Cowboys are now five and one in the league. Northwestern State is also 5-and-1 in the Southland after taking two of three from Sam Houston State.

After losing in double overtime last night, the Pelicans are off tonight. New Orleans is now one game back of Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Thunder are at Dallas tonight. O-K-C’s Serge Ibaka reportedly needs knee surgery to relieve some soreness. No word on how much time he might miss. New Orleans hosts Milwaukee on Tuesday.

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.