The Pelicans trail their best of seven series with Golden State two games to nothing after losing to the Warriors 97-87 last night. New Orleans got off to a strong start and led by 11 points after one quarter. But Golden State shot 76-percent from the field in the second quarter to take a three point halftime lead. Klay Thompson finished with 26 points and Stephen Currey added 22 points. The Pelicans got another strong game from Anthony Davis, who had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Eric Gordon chipped in with 23 points. Game 3 is Thursday in New Orleans.

The NFL releases its 2015 schedule tonight at 7 PM. New Orleans will play its divisional opponents twice, home and on the road. They’ll also host Dallas, the Giants, Jacksonsville, Tennessee and Detroit. The Saints will also go on the road to play Houston, Philadelphia, Washington, Indianapolis and Arizona. Based on records from last season, the Saints have the fifth easiest schedule in the NFL.

Louisiana’s Mr. Basketball has decided to sign with LSU after previously committing to St. John’s. Brandon Sampson averaged nearly 16 points a game as he led Madison Prep High School to the Class One-A Championship last season. Tiger Rag Editor Cody Worsham says the Baton Rouge product is an excellent scorer…
cut 17 (19) “….day one”
Sampson adds to a class that already boasts the nation’s number player in Ben Simmons, plus five-star guard Antonio Blakeney along with Arizona transfer Craig Victor.

In college baseball last night…Nicholls State held off Spring Hill eight to six. Tonight LSU hosts Tulane, Louisiana Tech is at Stephen F Austin, ULM travels to Southern Miss, the Ragin Cajuns are at Southeastern and McNeese State hosts Houston.

The Pelicans will look to even up their best of seven series with Golden State tonight. New Orleans dropped game one on Saturday as the Pels fell behind by 15 points in the first quarter and ended up losing 106-99 in front of a fired up crowd at Oracle Arena. Coach Monty Williams said today he believes the decibel level inside Golden State’s Arena may be illegal. Golden State has won 40 of its 42 home games this season.

Also, Pelican guards Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday are listed as questionable for tonight. Evans has a deep bone bruise in his left knee and Holiday is dealing with leg soreness. Both players are game-time decisions.

LSU is ranked number one in all six college baseball polls that were released today. The Tigers swept a doubleheader from Georgia on Saturday in a rain-shortened series. They host Tulane tomorrow night and then Texas A-and-M comes to Baton Rouge for a three-game series that begins Thursday.

It’s still unclear who will be LSU’s starting quarterback based on what happened in Saturday’s spring game. Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris combined to throw for 420 yards and four touchdowns, but Coach Les Miles says both players can still get much better…
cut 18 (14) “…could be”
At Louisiana Tech’s spring game, former West Monroe standout Michael Mims had an excellent game as he racked up nine tackles. Coach Skip Holtz has been impressed with Mims, who has made the move from safety to outside linebacker…
cut 20 (20) “…on the field”

The Pelicans will look to even their best of seven series with Golden State tonight as they face the Warriors at Oracle Arena at 9:30. New Orleans found out quickly in Game 1 that can’t let the fans get in the game right away, as they got behind early in that one and could not catch up. Golden State hasn’t lost a home game since January 27th.

Louisiana’s Mr. Basketball…Brandon Sampson, has decided to sign with LSU. The six-foot-five Sampson originally planned to play at St. John’s, but changed his mind when there was a coaching change. Sampson helped guide Madison Prep to the Class One-A Championship this past year. LSU now has a top five recruiting class.

In the latest D-1-baseball-dot-com poll, LSU is ranked number one after winning two games over Georgia in a rain-shortened series. Texas A-and-M is ranked second after losing a series to Arkansas. The Aggies and Tigers will meet in Baton Rouge for a three-game series that begins Thursday.

The Saints begin their offseason training program today. It will consist mostly of weightlifting and conditioning. There will not be any on field work until a rookie minicamp May 15th to the 17th and organized team activities start May 26th. And the NFL has announced the 2015 schedule will be released tomorrow night.

During Saturday’s spring game in Tiger Stadium, LSU quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris each put up big numbers, Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural each caught a couple of touchdown passes and Leonard Founette had 42 yards rushing on eight carries. LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron likes the direction the offense is heading…
cut 17 (15) “….good running backs”
LSU has also received a verbal commitment from Ed Alexander, one of the top recuits in the state. He’s a defensive tackle from St. Thomas Aquinas in Hammond.

LSU quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris combined to throw for 420 yards and four touchdowns in Saturday’s spring game. Harris threw for 178 yards and two scores, Jennings had 242 passing and two TDs. Coach Les Miles likes how the two developed over the spring, but they still need to get more consistent…

cut 16 (15) “are improved”

Louisiana Tech also completed spring practice on Saturday and three quarterbacks for the Bulldogs, Jeff Driskel, Ryan Higgins, and Price Wilson, each threw touchdown passes. Coach Skip Holtz says all three of them showed they are capable…

cut 19 (16) “that stadium “

Top ranked LSU took a double header from Georgia Saturday before Sunday’s game was cancelled due to weather. The Tigers improve to 34-6 overall and 12-5 in the SEC. LSU is now tied for first in the SEC West with Texas A&M who comes to Baton Rouge for a three game series this weekend. But first, the Tigers host Tulane tomorrow night.

In the Sun Belt, ULM took two of three from Arkansas Sate after Sunday’s 3-2 win. Anthony Herrera earned the win and tallied the winning hit for the Warhawks.

UL-Lafayette run ruled Texas State yesterday 13-3 in seven innings to claim that three game conference series. The Cajuns host Southeastern Louisiana tomorrow night.

In the Southland, Northwestern State won two out of three against Central Arkansas, UNO dropped two to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and Southeastern Louisiana swept McNeese State. The Lions are in sole possession of first place in the conference.

And Louisiana Tech lost two of three to UAB.

The Pelicans and Golden State hook up for game two of their Western Conference playoff series tonight in Oakland. The Warriors lead the series 1 game to zero.

LSU Freshman Alex Lange is tonight’s starting pitcher as the Fighting Tigers visit the Georgia Bulldogs to begin a three-game SEC series. Lange didn’t pitch last weekend because of elbow tightness, but he’s been LSU’s best pitcher all season, posting a 6-0 record with a 1.39 ERA.

The Pelicans will face Golden State tomorrow afternoon in game one of their best of seven series. The game will be on national television as ABC is carrying Anthony Davis’ first ever playoff game, but A-D is not getting involved in all of the hype…
cut 30 (14) “…win some games”
Tip-off is at 2:30.

LSU holds its annual spring game tomorrow in Tiger Stadium. Fans will keep a close eye on the play of the two quarterbacks, Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris. Coach Les Miles says both have improved during the spring and he’s looking for them to execute the offense. He’s also looking to see some depth emerge at many positions….
cut 19 (20) “…little younger”
Kick-off in Tiger Stadium is at one o’ clock.

Louisiana Tech also holds its spring game tomorrow at one P-M. It will be  the first opportunity for fans to see former Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel in a Bulldog uniform. And Tech fans will also get a chance to see how the defense performs with first year defensive coordinator Blake Baker at the helm.

LSU freshman pitcher Alex Lange will get the start tonight as the Tigers visit the Georgia Bulldogs for the start of an SEC weekend series. Lange didn’t pitch last weekend because of elbow tightneess and he’s expected to pitch no more than 80 pitches tonight. The series gets underway in Athens at 6 PM.

In Hammond tonight….Southeastern Louisiana hosts McNeese State. The Lions lead the Southland Conference with an 11-and-5 record, while the Cowboys are 12-and-6. In other action around the state….U-L-M hosts Arkansas State, Louisiana Tech takes on UAB in Ruston and Northwestern State hosts Central Arkansas.

The Pelicans leave for the West coast today where they’ll begin their best of seven series with Golden State. Tomorrow’s game one will be on ABC at 2:30. Fox Sports New Orleans announced today that they’ll televise games two through four and possibly more games if the series is extended beyond four games.

The Ragin Cajuns have signed two basketball players . They are Jerekius Davis, a six-foot-six forward from Mississippi and Jay Hedgeman, who is a forward and played junior college basketball last year.

The LSU football team completes spring practice on Saturday with the annual spring game. The scrimmage will give quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris another opportunity to show whether they should be the starting quarterback next season. LSU’s quarterback play was not the only thing wrong with the Tigers passing game last season. LSU’s young wide receivers also had their growing pains, but Coach Les Miles says spring practice has been good for those guys…
cut 18 (17) “…this fall

The LSU football team completes spring practice on Saturday with the annual spring game. The scrimmage will give quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris another opportunity to show whether they should be the starting quarterback next season. Coach Les Miles on what he’s looking for from his signal callers…

cut 17 (14) “it aggressively”

Miles says as the Tigers conclude spring practice, the goal looking ahead to next fall is to make it into the four-team college football playoff.

Louisiana Tech will hold its spring game on Saturday. The coaching staff has divided the team into two squads and Coach Skip Holtz says Saturday is like a final exam, especially for the younger players on the roster…

cut 20 (12) “do what they’re doing”

The LSU baseball team is in Georgia for a three-game series that starts tonight against the Bulldogs. Coach Paul Mainieri has announced Alex Lange will get the start today, after missing last weekend because of elbow tightness.

In other college baseball action this weekend…there’s a good match-up between Southland Conference schools in Hammond as Southeastern Louisiana hosts McNeese for three games. The Lions lead the league with an 11-and-four record and the Cowboys are right behind them with a 12-and-6 conference mark. Northwestern State is also near the top of the standings. The Demons host Central Arkansas this weekend.

In the Sun Belt…ULM will host Arkansas State, while the Ragin Cajuns are at Texas State.

Louisiana Tech hosts UAB in a Conference USA series.

The Louisiana Tech men’s basketball team has signed one of the top junior college basketball players in the country. His name is Justin Leon. He’s six-foot-eight and averaged 21.5 points and 10 rebounds last season for Shawnee Community College in Illinois.

ULM has signed a couple of prep basketball stars, six-foot-eight power forward Ramses Sandifer from Mississippi and six-foot-five guard Wade Martin from West Virginia.

The Pelicans are in the Western Conference playoffs for the first time since 2011 after beating the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs 108-103. Anthony Davis had 31 points and Coach Monty Williams was impressed with how his young superstar performed with a lot on the line….
cut 4 (09) “…free throws”
Now the Pelicans will get ready for a best of seven series with top-seeded Golden State, which will begin Saturday afternoon in Oakland. Game two is Monday night. Games three and four will be in New Orleans, next Thursday and Saturday nights.

The LSU baseball team is heading to Georgia for a three-game series that starts tomorrow night against the Bulldogs. Coach Paul Mainieri has announced Alex Lange will get the start on Friday, after missing last weekend because of elbow tightness. The Tigers are coming off an 11-2 victory over Lamar last night.

Looking ahead to the weekend of college baseball…there’s a good match-up between state schools in Hammond as Southeastern Louisiana hosts McNeese for three games. The Lions lead the Southland Conference with an 11-and-four record and the Cowboys are right behind them with a 12-and-6 league mark. Northwestern State is also near the top of the standings. The Demons host Central Arkansas this weekend.

In the Sun Belt…ULM, who beat Northwestern State last night, will host Arkansas State, while the Ragin Cajuns are at Texas State. Louisiana Tech hosts UAB.

Louisiana Tech men’s basketball has signed one of the top junior college basketball players in the country. His name is Justin Leon. He’s six-foot-eight and averaged 21.5 points and 10 rebounds last season for Shawnee Community College in Illinois.

ULM has signed a couple of prep basketball stars, six-foot-eight power forward Ramses Sandifer from Mississippi and six-foot-five guard Wade Martin from West Virginia. Sandifer averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds during his three-year career at St. Joseph’s High in Missipppi.

The Pelicans are in the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 2011 season as New Orleans punched its ticket with a 108-103 over the defending champs, the San Antonio Spurs. Anthony Davis led the way with 31 points and now the Birds will get ready to play top-seeded Golden State. Game one is Saturday afternoon at 2:30 in Oakland.

The LSU baseball team had an easy win over Lamar last night 11 to 2. Chris Chinea hit his fifth home run of the season and drove in four runs. The Tigers begin an SEC series tomorrow night at Georgia. Freshman Alex Lange will start on the mound for LSU.

Also last night…U-L-M upended Northwestern State five to one. Shortstop Kodie Tidwell had two hits and drove in two runs for the Warhawks who are now 18-and-18 on the season.

And former St. Thomas More standout and LSU Tiger Mikie Mahtook hit his first major league home run in a 12-7 loss to Toronto.

John Treloar, who was an assistant basketball coach at LSU from 2004 to 2008, is returning to Baton Rouge to serve as an associate coach. The Clinton, Mississippi native has been the director of player personnel for the Phoenix Sunds the last five seasons.

ULM has signed a couple of prep basketball stars, six-foot-eight power forward Ramses Sandifer from Arcola, Mississippi and six-foot-five guard Wade Martin from Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Sandifer averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds during his three-year career at St. Joseph’s High in Missipppi.

Louisiana Tech men’s basketball signed athletic forward Justin Leon. He’s six-foot-eight and spent the last two seasons at a community college in Illinois. As a sophomore, he averaged 22 points and ten rebounds a game.

And Northwestern State has signed Malike Metoyer (MA-twyer) who had a standout basketball career at nearby Lakeview High School.

And former St. Thomas More standout and LSU Tiger Mikie Mahtook hit his first major league home run in a 12-7 loss to Toronto.

The Pelicans are playoff bound after last night’s 108-103 win over defending NBA Champion San Antonio in front of a sell-out crowd at the Smoothie King Center. Anthony Davis had another monster performance scoring 31 and pulling down 13 rebounds. The Pels make the playoffs for the first time since 2011 as the number eight seed in the Western Conference. The Pelicans begin their first round best-of-seven series against Golden State this Saturday at 2:30. It will be televised on ABC.

The Saints have reportedly signed center Mike Golic Junior, who is the son of ESPN personality Mike Golic. The younger Mike, spent some time with the Saints, last season, but was released after New Orleans acquired Jonathan Goodwin. The Saints are also reportedly talking with free agent defensive lineman Corey Wooton, who had 16 tackles and a sack last season.

LSU Coach Les Miles says quarterbacks Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris will split reps in this Saturday’s spring game.

The top-ranked LSU Tigers scored six runs in the first inning and then cruised to an 11-2 win over Lamar last night at Alex Box Stadium. Left-hander Kyle Bouman picked up the win for LSU in his longest outing of the year. In five innings, Bouman allowed only one run on five hits and struck out three. At the plate, the Tigers pounded the Cardnials with 13 hits including home runs by first-baseman Chris Chinea and shortstop Alex Bregman. LSU is 32-6 as they head to Athens for a three-game SEC series against Georgia beginning Friday. Those games wil be available online only through SEC Network+.

In a battle of a couple of state schools, it was ULM over Northwestern State 5-1. The game was tied at one and the Warhawks broke it open in the bottom of the seventh when shortstop Kodie Tidwell’s two-out triple to right center drove in a pair of runs. ULM reliever Brayden Bouchey picked up the win, while NSU’s Fielding Matkins gets tagged with the loss. The Warhawks will remain at home this weekend hosting Arkansas state for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series. The Demons welcome Central Arkansas Friday for a weekend Southland series in Natchitoches.