The roster purge continued for the Saints today as the team has cut linebacker Curtis Lofton. The move is expected to free up four-million dollars in salary cap space. The 28-year Lofton had 144 tackles last season, fourth most in the NFL. New Orleans had to move Lofton, because they need to get under the NFL’s salary cap by tomorrow afternoon.

Spring football is underway for LSU and it’s an opportunity for new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele to install his defense. Coach Les Miles says the Tigers “D” will look familiar to fans…
cut 18 (15) “….carry over”
It doesn’t look like defensive tackle Travonte Valentine will be involved in Kevin Steel’s defense. Miles says Valentine is not a guy they are counting on at this point. NOLA-dot-com reports Valentine is dealing with personal issues.

The Pelicans will continue their playoff push tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks. New Orleans is coming off a win over Memphis on Saturday and Anthony Davis has been playing at a high level in the three games he’s played since returning from a shoulder injury, during that stretch he’s averaged 30 points and 12 rebounds a game. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

LSU’s Keith Hornsby has been named a co-Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. Hornsby hit the game winning three-pointer against Arkansas on Saturday to help the Tigers get the four seed in the SEC Tournament.

The other winner is Southeastern Louisiana guard Cedric Jenkins, who had 39 points in a loss to UNO last week. S-L-U has lost five in a row, but they are still in the Southland Tournament. The Lions are an eight seeed and they’ll face McNeese State at five P-M on Wednesday in Katy, Texas.

And in college baseball…LSU is ranked number one by Baseball America. The Tigers are coming off a weekend in which they beat Houston, Baylor and Nebraska at a tournament in Houston.

The LSU Tigers won all three of its baseball games in Houston this past weekend and they are now ranked number one by Baseball America. The Tigers completed the weekend sweep with a four to two win over Nebraska. Conner Hale drove in two runs and Jake Godfrey pitched seven strong innings for his third win on the season. LSU is now ranked fourth in both the D-1 baseball-dot-com poll and Perfect Game.

The Ragin Cajuns are off to a 3-and-0 start in the Sun Belt as U-L Lafayette swept Troy. The Cajuns beat the Trojans ten to five yesterday as senior first baseman Greg Davis drove in five runs.

Northwestern State is 3-and-0 in Southland play. The Demons took three from Lamar, while Southeastern Louisiana, McNeese and Nicholls took two out of three from their repsective opponents.

In college basketball…Louisiana Tech’s Speedy Smith was named to the Conference USA First Team for a second straight year.

Over the weekend, the Saints signed running back Mark Ingram to a four-year, 16-million dollar contract. Ingram will reportedly receive seven-point-six million in guaranteed money and a 3-point-six million dollar signing bonus and the cap hit for this year is one-point-nine million dollars.

Spring football is underway for the LSU Tigers. Coach Les Miles says quarterbacks Brandon Harris and Anthony Jennings have matured since the end of the 2014 season…
cut 17 (19) “….those things”
LSU’s next practice is tomorrow.

Tonight the Pelicans are at Milwaukee. New Orleans is one game back of Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Spring football is underway for the LSU Tigers. A point of emphasis is the passing game. The Tigers ranked 114th in the country in pass offense last year and Coach Les Miles says they will throw it a lot this spring…

cut 16 (11) “will be fun”

Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris will once again battle to be the starting quarterback.

Kyle Hornsby’s three pointer as time expired lifted LSU over 18th ranked Arkansas 81-78 in Fayetteville. The Tigers finish the regular season 22-9 record and get the fourth-seed in the SEC Tournament. LSU’s first tournament game will be Friday afternoon in Nashville.

The Sun Belt tournament kicks off Thursday in New Orleans. ULM earned a number three seed in the tourney, while UL-Lafayette picks up the four seed. Both teams receive first round byes and will play Friday.

The Southland Conference tournament gets underway Wednesday with number 8 Southeastern Louisiana facing fifth seed McNeese followed by seventh seeded UNO versus number six Nicholls State.

In college baseball, the second ranked LSU Tigers went 3-0 at the Houston College Classic after Sunday’s 4-2 win over Nebraska at Minute Maid Park. The Tigers extend their winning streak to 12 games, their longest since 2013. LSU will host Nicholls State Wednesday night at Alex Box Stadium before opening SEC play over the weekend when Ole Miss comes to Baton Rouge.

UL-Lafayette swept their three game series with Troy over the weekend opening their Sun Belt Conference Schedule. The Cajuns improve to 10-5 on the season and will host UNO tomorrow night.

ULM lost two out of three against Texas State. The Warhawks are 7-6 and will host Grambling tomorrow night.

In the Southland, McNeese took two of three over Houston Baptist, UNO was swept by Sam Houston State, Nicholls won two of three over Abilene Christian, Southeastern Louisiana bested Incarnate Word two out of three game, and Northwestern State swept their three game series over Lamar.

Trailing by five going into the fourth quarter, Baton Rouge’s University High went on a 18-1 run on their way to winning the girls’ Class 3-A state championship with a 52-42 victory over Mansfield. The Cubs were lead by championship game MVP Alanie Fisher’s 21 points. This is U-HIgh’s second straight state girls’ basketball championship.

Also at the Girls’ Top 28 in Lake Charles, Lacassine topped Stanley, 54-43, to capture the Class B championship. This was the fourth straight finals appearance for the Lady Cards and their first championship in that time frame.

And in the Class C state championship game, Summerfield outlasted Pleasant Hill 31-26 in overtime.

There are four more state championship games on the slate tonight in Burton Coliseum.

In Class 1-A, Lebeau’s North Central takes on Vermilion Catholic.

The 2-A championship game sees Pickering facing North Caddo.

New Orleans’ Warren Eason and Salmen go at it for the Class 4-A title.

And in Class 5-A, Ponchatoula faces Walker.

In the NBA, the Pelicans lost to the Celtics 104-98. Anthony Davis lead all scorers with 29 and Eric Gordon added 20 for the Pels. The Pelicans hope to rebound tonight as they host the Memphis Grizzlies.

In college baseball, the second ranked LSU Tigers beat number eight Houston 4-2. Jared Poche’ picked up the win giving up only four hits. LSU has won 10 in a row and will take on Baylor this afternoon.

In Sun Belt Conference play, it was UL-Lafayette over Troy 6-5 in 11 innings and Texas Stated edged ULM 4-3.

It was a busy day in the Southland Conference. Southeastern Louisiana topped Incarnate Word 5-3, Northwestern State defeated Lamar 4-2, Abilene Christian beat Nicholls State 3-2, Sam Houston State crushed UNO 12-4, and McNeese split a double-header with Houston Baptist: The Cowboys won game 1, 2-1, and fell in the second game 4-3.

A league source says the New Orleans Saints have restructured the contract of wide receiver Marques Colston, keeping him in Black & Gold for the 2015 season. No details of the restructuring are available, but it’s suspected the deal will reduce Colston’s salary cap obligation for the upcoming season.

The Indianapolis Colts have announced that they will not re-sign veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne. The New Orleans native ranks seventh all-time in the NFL for career receptions and eighth in receiving yards. He will become an unrestricted free agent Tuesday.

Spring football gets underway for LSU on Saturday leading up to April 18th’s Spring Game. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says spring football will give a chance for some of the Tigers young wide receivers to mature like Malachi Dupre and Trey Quinn….

cut 18 (10) “much better’

On the other side of the ball, LSU needs two new starting defensive ends.

“Marsh Madness” gets ramped up today in Lake Charles as three girls’ state championship basketball teams will be crowned tonight. Jeff Palermo has more…

cut 1 (30) “reporting”

Louisiana Tech men’s basketball team claimed the Conference USA regular season championship last night with 72-61 victory over Southern Miss. Raheem Appleby lead the way with 23 and Michale Kyser pumped in 19 as the Bulldogs won their first outright championship title since 1999. The Conference USA tournament begins next week in Birmingham, AL.

Louisiana Tech claimed the Conference USA regular season championship last night with 72-61 victory over Southern Miss. Raheem Appleby scored 23 and Michale Kyser added 19 as the Bulldogs won their first outright championship title since 1999. The Conference USA tournament begins next week in Birmingham, AL.

ULM fell out of a first place tie in the Sun Belt after their 58-50 loss to Georgia State at Fant-Ewing Coliseum. DeMondre Harvey came off the bench to lead the Warhawks with 13. Justin Roberson and Nick Coppola each scored 11. With one game remaining, ULM can finish no higher than third in the league.

UL-Lafayette got past Arkansas-Little Rock 75-69. The Ragin’ Cajuns have now won five straight and are in fourth place in the league.

In the Southland, Stephen F. Austin outclassed Northwestern State 92-66, Nicholls State defeated Central Arkansas 77-70, and UNO beat Southeastern Louisiana 85-79.

Spring football gets underway for LSU on Saturday and Tiger fans hope the 14 practices that will lead up to the Spring Game on April 18th will result in improved play out of the quarterback position. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham expects the Q-B battle between Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris to continue into the fall

cut 17 (14) “football office more”

On the other side of the ball, LSU needs two new starting defensive ends.

In weekend college baseball action, the number two ranked LSU Tigers begin the Houston College Classic tonight by taking on seventh ranked Houston. LSU will face Baylor tomorrow and Nebraska on Sunday.

Conference play gets underway this weeken in the Sun Belt. UL-Lafayette hosts Troy this weekend. ULM is on the road to face Texas State.

League play also begins in the Southland. Southeastern Louisiana travels to take on Incarnate Word. Nicholls is away to face Abilene Christian. And McNeese is in Houston to take on Houston Baptist

Many Saints fans are sad over the news the Black and Gold have released Pierre Thomas, who ends his career in New Orleans as the team’s fourth leading rusher. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says the fans love him and he’s very active with the community and quick to speak to the media, but this is about winning games…
cut 15 (13) “…paying you”
By releasing the 30-year-old Thomas, the Saints save nearly two-million dollars against the salary cap.

The team has also reportedly restructered free safety Jairus Byrd’s contract by converting his roster bonus to a signing bonus. The move reportedly saves New Orleans another five-million dollars, but the team still has another 16-million dollars in salary cap money to shed by March 10th.

There are some big college basketball games in the state of Louisiana tonight. In Monroe, the Warhawks host Georgia State. Both teams are involved in a three-way tie for first place in the Sun Belt. ULM Coach Keith Richard likes the challenge in front of his team by playing the Panthers…
cut 18 (13) “….doing this”
A few miles away from Monroe, Louisiana Tech hosts Southern Miss. A Bulldogs win and they’ll win the Conference USA title outright. In Lafayette, the Ragin Cajuns have won four in a row as they host Arkansas Little Rock tonight. Coach Bob Marlin credits improved play on defense…
cut 19 (13) “…NCAA Tournament (2x)

The Saints have let fan favorite and running back Pierre Thomas go, after an eight year run with the Black and Gold. NFL Analyst Mike Detillier says the Saints will miss Thomas’ ability on screen passes and he was an excellent pass blocker…
cut 14 (07) “…with one team’
The Saints have also reportedly restructured free safety Jairus Byrd’s contract as they converted his roster bonus to a signing bonus, which lowers his 2015 cap number from ten million to five million dollars. That’s according to Field Yates of ESPN.

Anthony Davis returned to the court last night and he gave a big boost to the Pelicans as he scored 39 points, 13 rebounds and had eight blocked shots in an 88-85 win over Detroit. Davis had missed the previous five games, because of a right shoulder strain. The Thunder also won last night, so the Pels are still one game back from the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Bad loss for the LSU men’s basketball team last night. Tennessee, who had lost five in a row, came into the Maravich Center and beat the Tigers 78-63. But despite the loss, bracketologists Jerry Palm of CBS-sports-dot-com and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi still have LSU in the tournament as a ten-seed.

Tonight in college hoops…U-L-M hosts Georgia State, which is one of the two teams the Warhawks are tied with for first place in the Sun Belt. ULM lost to Georgia State by 20 points in the Sun Belt opener back on December 30th. But Warhawks Coach Keith Richard says his team is much better on offense then they were a couple of months ago….
cut 17 (09) “…Thursday night”
Also tonight…the Ragin Cajuns go after their fifth straight win as they host Arkansas-Little Rock. Louisiana Tech seeks an outright Conference USA title as they host Southern Miss. And Northwestern state seeks its sixth straight win as they host Stephen F Austin.

The New Orleans Saints have released running back Pierre Thomas from the team. The 30-year-old will save the Black and Gold $1.735 million dollars against the salary cap. NFL analyst Mike Detillier says it’s a heart breaking move, but not really a surprise…:

cut 13 (09) “a year too late”

New Orleans needs to continue to move or lay-off some players by March 10th to get below the salary cap.

Anthony Davis returned to the Pelicans lineup last night and poured in 39 as the Pels outlasted Detroit 88-85. Tyreke Evans added 21 and Alexis Ajinca scored 10 as the Pelicans have won five of their last six. The Pels remain one game behind Oklahoma City for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Tennessee erupted for 45 second half points as they defeated LSU 78-63. Keith Hornsby lead the way for the Tigers with 25 points, followed Jordan Mickey with 16. Tennessee has now beaten LSU five straight times at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

With just two regular season games left, the ULM men’s basketball team is in a three way tie for first place in the Sun Belt Conference. The Warhawks host Georgia State tonight, one of the three teams they are tied with at the top of the standings. ULM Coach Keith Richard likes the position his squad is in….

cut 16 (20) “we have an opportunity”

ULM lost to Georgia State by 20 points in the Sun Belt opener back on December 30th.

At the Girls Top 28 tournament…Mansfield had a convincing 60-44 victory over Ville Platte in the Class 3-A semifinal. The Lady Wolverines will face defending champion University Lab in Friday’s state championship game.

In college baseball…Second ranked LSU defeated Grambling 7-1 and UL-Lafayette completed a season sweep of Northwestern State with an 8-2 win last night.

There’s a report that New Orleans Saints running back Pierre Thomas will be released from the team. The move would result in salary-cap space for the Black and Gold who need the extra cash. Thomas was set to make $2.1 million next season and $2.2 million in 2016 according records.

It’s also being reported that the Saints are looking to trade linebacker Curtis Lofton. The 28-year-old led New Orleans in tackles last season, but has a salary cap number of just over nine million dollars in 2015.

Also, Saints free safety Jarius Byrd tweeted out today that he’s been officially cleared for the 2015 season. Byrd missed most of the 2014 campaign after injuring his knee.

And there’s also a report the Broncos and Peyton Manning are in the final stages of a revised contract that will result in a four-million dollar cut in pay for the New Orleans native. The five-time NFL MVP is entering his 18th season and he would make 15-million dollars under the revised deal.

In the NBA…the Pelicans host the Detroit tonight, Anthony Davis is questionable with an injured shoulder.

The LSU men’s basketball team hosts the Tennessee Volunteers tonight. The Tigers are 10-and-6 in league play. LSU guard Keith Hornsby says they are trying to close out the regular season on a strong note….
cut 18 (13) “….to us”
The Volunteers have lost five in a row, a losing streak that started with a loss to LSU on Valentine’s Day. Tip-off tonight is at 6 PM.

At the girls Top 28 tournament tonight, …Ville Platte hosts Mansfield in a Class 3-A semi-final match-up. Ville Platte lost in the state title game last year. Also tonight….a class two-a semi-final contest as top-seeded Pickering battles 29th seeded Lakeview.

Earlier today, fourth seeded Stanley upset top seeded Florien 43-38 to reach the Class B championship game on Friday.