LSU is ranked ninth in the Division One Baseball Top 25 rankings, which came out today. Vanderbilt, who won it all last season, is ranked number one followed by Florida, Virginia, UCLA and South Carolina. The Ragin Cajuns who reached super regionals last season are not ranked.

Big game tonight in the Cajundome as the first place U-L-M Warhawks visit U-L Lafayette at 7:15. The Warhawks moved into first place in the Sun Belt standings with a 64-52 win over Arkansas Little Rock on Saturday. U-L-M heads into Lafayette riding a five-game winning streak. The Ragin Cajuns are looking to snap a two-game losing streak as they lost to South Alabama 89-82 on Saturday.

In other action tonight…Southeastern Louisiana is at Lamar, Grambling seeks its first SWAC win of the year at Prairie View A-and-M and Southern hosts Mississippi Valley State.

The Pelicans will face the New York Knicks today in a game that will tip-off at 4:30 Central time. New Orleans is coming off a 95-93 win over Toronto yesterday. Tyreke Evans had 26 points as New Orleans won without Anthony Davis, who missed his second consecutive game because of a sprained left toe.

In NFL news…Saints regional scout Josh Lucas is leaving the Black and Gold for the Chicago Bears. Lucas joins Ryan Pace, who was the Saints director of player personnel and now is the Bears new general manager.

Meanwhile, Saints General Manager and Head Coach Sean Payton will be in Mobile this week for Senior Bowl practices and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning will not play in this Sunday’s Pro Bowl because of a thigh injury.

The Baton Rouge advocate reports that fullback Melvin Jones and cornerback Rashard Robinson are no longer members of the LSU football team. Neither player is apparently taking classes this spring semester. Robinson started six games in 2014, while Jones had a chance to be LSU’s starting fullback next season.

The Super Bowl 49 matchup is set. The Seattle Seahawks are the NFC Champions after overcoming a 16-0 halftime deficit to defeat the Green Bay Packers 28-22 in overtime. Punter Jon Ryan’s 19 yard touchdown pass to offensive tackle Garry Gilliam got the Seahawks on the board in the third quarter. Russell Wilson’s 35 yard pass to Jermaine Kearse in overtime punched Seattle’s ticket to Arizona. The Seahawks are the first defending champion to make it back to the Super Bowl in 10 years.

A much easier go of it for New England as the Patriots are heading to the Super Bowl on the heels of a 45-7 rout of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game. Quarterback Tom Brady threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns. This will mark Brady’s sixth Super Bowl appearance while this will be former LSU wide receiver Brandon LaFell’s first. This will be the franchise’s eighth trip to the big game.

Super Bowl 49 takes place February 1 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The Pelicans scored 31 fourth quarter points to get past the Toronto Raptors 95-93. Tyreke evans poured in 26 and Alexis Ajinca added 22 as the Pels climb back to the .500 mark for the season at 20-20. Anthony Davis sat out his second game in a row due to a toe injury. The Pels wrap up a week-long 5 game road trip tonight at Madison Square Garden taking on the New York Knicks.

In weekend college basketball action, LSU fell to Texas A&M 67-64 and Tulane upended Houston 68-65.

Louisiana Tech remains perfect in Conference USA after a 75-68 win over Middle Tennessee.

In the Sun Belt, South Alabama defeated UL-Lafayette 89-82 and ULM beat Arkansas-Little Rock 64-52. ULM now has sole possession of first place in the conference with a 5-1 league record.

Southeastern outlasted Incarnate Word 108-98 in double overtime, McNeese lost to Sam Houston State 69-60, and it was Northwestern State over Lamar 98-84.

A short handed Pelicans team fell to the Philadelphia 76ers last night 96-81. Anthony Davis sat out the game with a left toe sprain and Jrue Holiday missed his second straight game with ankle inflammation. Eric Gordon and Alexis Ajinca both had a team high 16 as the Pels fall back below .500 to 19-20. New Orleans heads to Toronto for a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Raptors.

LSU head football coach Les Miles held a press conference to recognize six underclassmen who have decided to return for their senior seasons. One of those players is linebacker Lamar Lewis who says he’s excited to get a chance to play for new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele…

cut 30 (17) “defense”

Defensive back Jalen Mills and offensive linemen Gerald Hawkins and Vadal Alexander are also coming back for another year in college.

Sunday is Championship Sunday in the NFL. The NFC title game has Seattle versus Green Bay. Houma native and former Louisiana Tech standout Tramon Williams won a Super Bowl with the Packers in 2011 and the veteran cornerback says the key to getting back to the Super Bowl will be tackling Seahawk running back Marshawn Lynch…

cut 18 (10) “on the ground”

The AFC Championship game is New England versus Indianapolis.

In college basketball, the LSU Tigers get an early start to their day as they have an 11AM tip off this morning against Texas A&M. The Tigers are coming off of a 4-point road win over Ole Miss.

Louisiana Tech hosts Middle Tennessee at 3PM. The Bulldogs are hoping for a sold out Thomas Assembly Center. Tech is tied for first place in Conference USA with Western Kentucky.

The Warhawks and Ragin Cajuns are also home. UL-Lafayette takes on South Alabama while ULM hosts Arkansas-Little Rock.

LSU holds a press conference this afternoon where it’s expected they’ll announce that juniors Vadal Alexander, Jerald Hawkins and safety Jalen Mills will return for their senior seasons.
Former LSU Tiger Brandon Lafell is getting ready for the A-F-C Championship game as the New England Patriots will host the Indianapolis Colts. Lafell caught the winning TD pass last week, but he expects the Patriots will run the ball more this week after only just a handful of rushes in the win over the Ravens…
cut 17 (15) “…..everything else”
U-L Lafayette announces the addition of four mid-year signees to their 2015 roster. Out of that group is quarterback Dion Ray, who played at Helen Cox High School in New Orleans. Ray was a four-time all district selection.
Louisiana Tech improved to 4-and-0 in Conference USA play with a thrilling 74-71 win over UAB last night. The Bulldogs sunk nine three-pointers, four of them were from Erik McCree, who finished with 26 points. Alex Hamilton had 20 points, as he was 6 of seven from field and five of six from the free throw line.
There’s now a three-way tie for first place in the Sun Belt. The Ragin Cajuns suffered its first league loss of the season last night as they lost to Georgia Southern 78-70. U-L Lafayette got off to a slow start, just 14 points in the first 15 minutes.
ULM is part of that three-way tie for first place after beating Troy 63-54. That’s four wins in a row for the Warhawks, who are undefeated at home. Tylor Ongwae had 15 points and ten rebounds.
Tonight in the NBA…the Pelicans are at the 76ers. Anthony Davis is questionable with a toe injury.

The Saints are not involved in championship Sunday, but the N-F-C and A-F-C title games will feature several players from LSU and Louisiana. Former Dutchtown star Eddie Lacy, who rushed for 101 yards in Green Bay’s win over Dallas last week, says he’s looking forward to playing in his first championship game…

cut 16 (13) “football team”

The Packers face the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship. Former LSU standout Brandon Lafell will also play Sunday as his New England Patriots host the Indianapois Colts in the AFC title constest.

Louisiana Tech defensive end Houston Bates has been selected to participate in the College Gridiron Showcase All-Star Game on January 31. The Covington native ended his Bulldog career with 4.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for a loss in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl. The College Gridiron Showcase All-Star Game takes place in Arlington, TX.

In college basketball, UL-Lafayette dropped their first Sun Belt game of the season to Georgia Southern, 78-71. The Cajuns were lead by Shawn Long’s 18 points. Hayward Register comes off the bench to add 12 points and Brian Williams scored 10. UL-L falls to 4-1 in conference play, while Georgia Southern improves to 4-1.

ULM also has a 4-1 conference record after handling Troy 63-54. Majok Deng lead all scorers with 16 and Tylor Ongwae added a double-double, 15 points and 10 rebounds, as the Warhawks won their seventh straight at home.

There is a logjam at the top of the Sun Belt standings. Georgia Southern, UL-L, and ULM sit atop the conference with 4-1 records. Two other teams, Texas State and Georgia State, are a half game behind with 4-2 records.

Louisiana Tech remains perfect in Conference USA as they downed UAB 74-71 in front of a home crowd in Ruston. Erik McCree lead the way for the Bulldogs with 26 points, including four 3-pointers. Alex Hamilton added another 20 and Raheem Appleby finished with 11. Tech is 4-0 in league play.

Some are calling the new look LSU coaching staff the “Dream Team” of recruiters. New defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and new defensive line coach Ed Orgeron join Tigers recruiting coordinator Frank Wilson as some of the best recruiters in college football. Orgeron has been named recruiter of the year multiple times. But the South LaFourche grad says recruiting is only half the battle when it comes to putting together a great defense…
cut 18 (21) “…great players”
National Signing Day is February fourth and the Tigers have 16 commitments, but only one of them is a defensive lineman.

The LSU men’s basketball team was able to boost its NCAA Tournament resume with a 75-71 win over Ole Miss in Oxford last night. Six-foot-four junior Keith Hornsby led the way with 23 points, 20 of them were in the second half.

Louisiana Tech, who is currently a 13-seed in ESPN’s Joe Lunardi NCAA Tournament bracket, hosts U-A-B tonight. Both teams are 3-and-0 in Conference USA action. Tip-off is at seven o’ clock and C-S-T will broadcast the game throughout the state.

U-L Lafayette is a 15-seed in Lunardi’s bracket. The Ragin Cajuns are at Sun Belt-newcomer Georgia Southern tonight. The Eagles are 10-and-3 overall, 3-and-1 in the league.

U-L-M is also 3-and-1 in the Sun Belt and they host Troy, who is 1-and-3. Warhawks Coach Keith Richard…
cut 30 (12) “…easily won”
Tip-off tonight is at 7 PM.

Louisiana native Ed Orgeron finally has the opportunity to coach for the Purple and gold. Orgeron has had several coaching stops since he graduated from Northwestern State University in 1984. Coach “O” says he didn’t need much convincinging when Les Miles called him late Tuesday afternoon and asked him if he wanted to be the Tigers defensive line coach….
cut 17 (16) “….get here”
Meanwhile, LSU says they are cooperating with the authorities in a case where a man has been arrested for selling game worn shoes and gloves on E-bay. The individual arrested by LSU police, 25-year-old Fletcher Sanders, is not telling cops how he got the LSU gear.

The Pelicans are back at the .500 mark for the season after beating Detroit 105-94 last night. Anthony Davis had 27 points and ten rebounds, Ryan Anderson added 17 points.

The LSU men’s basketball team picked up a nice road win in Oxford last night as the Tigers topped Ole Miss 75-71. Keith Hornsby led the way with 23 points, 20 of them came in the second half. He also hit five three-pointers. Jarell Martin also had 18 points and 14 rebounds.

Tulane lost in triple overtime last night as they fell to Central Florida 103 to 100.

Tonight, the Ragin Cajuns are at Georgia Southern. U-L Lafayette is 4-and-0 in the Sun Belt and they’ve won seven of their last eight overall. ULM is off to a 3-and-1 start in league play and the Warhawks will host Troy tonight at seven P-M. U-L-M has won three in a row. Louisiana Tech is also at home. The Bulldogs will host U-A-B. Both teams are undefeated in league play.

New LSU football coaches are fired up for their opportunities to coach the Tigers back to an SEC championship. New LSU defensive coordinator Kevin Steele will have the difficult assignment of developing schemes to slow down the spread offenses in the league. Steele will have some points of emphasis once he begins to game plan…

cut 16 (17) “big play”

Joining Steele is a Louisiana native Ed Orgeron, who will coach the defensive line.

Former Haughton high star and Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott has announced that he will return for his senior season. Prescott finished eighth in the Heisman balloting this past season, throwing for 3,449 yards and 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. LSU begins conference play in Starkville against Prescott and the Bulldogs on September 12th.

The Pelicans jumped back in the win column last night as they picked up a road win over Detroit 105-94. Anthony Davis lead all scorers with 27 and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Tyreke Evans threw in 18 and Ryan Anderson added 17 as the Pels climb back to .500 on the season at 19-19. The Pelicans road trip continues as they take on the Philadelphia 76ers Friday night.

In college basketball, LSU scored an SEC road win last night as they defeated Ole Miss 75-71. Keith Hornsby scored 23, including 5 three pointers, as the Tigers mark their second straight conference win. Jarell Martin added 18 and Jordan Mickey scored 11 as LSU improves to 2-1 in league play. The Bayou Bengals host Texas A&M this Saturday morning.

It took an extra 15 minutes before the University of Central Florida outlasted Tulane 103-100 in triple overtime. The loss drops the Green Wave to 3-2 in American conference play. Tulane was lead by Louis Dabney’s 26 points followed by Jay Hook’s 25. The Green Wave road trip continues as they take on Houston Saturday.

LSU has added one of the top recruiters in the country to its football staff. Louisiana native Ed Orgeron was named the Tigers new defensive line coach today and he replaces Brick Haley, who is being reassigned within the LSU athletic department. Orgeron’s last coaching stop was at U-S-C, where he was the recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach for the Trojans for four years.

Football analyst Mike Detillier says not only will Orgeron be asked to recruit, but he’ll also need to do a better job of developing an under performing defensive line…
cut 18 (15) “…defensive lineman”
LSU introduced Orgeron and new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele during a four P-M press conference.

Former Haughton high star and Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott has announced that he will return for his senior season. Prescott finished eighth in the Heisman balloting this past season, throwing for 3,449 yards and 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. LSU begins conference play in Starkville against Prescott and the Bulldogs on September 12th.

In college baseball news…Ragin Cajuns third baseman-slash-designated hitter Tyler Girouard has decided to return for his senior season. Girouard started at third base in 2013 and hit a career-high .360. He was used as a D-H last year, because of a stress fracture and persistent knee pain and hit .324. At one time, injuries were thought to keep him from playing this year, but Girouard says he’s healthy enough to give it go this year.

In basketball….LSU is at Ole Miss tonight for a six P-M tip. Both teams are one-and-one in league play. Tulane travels to Central Florida. The Pelicans will battle the Pistons. Detroit has won nine of its last ten, while New Orleans will be without Jrue Holiday, who is out with an ankle injury. Tip-off is at 6:30.

One day after hiring former Alabama linebackers coach Kevin Steele as their new defensive coordinator, LSU announced today that Louisiana native Ed Oregeron will be the Tigers new defensive line coach. Brick Haley, who has been LSU’s defensive line coach since 2009, is expected to be re-assigned within the department.

Football analyst Mike Detillier says the defensive philosphy of Steele will be different from what former D-C John Chavis brought to the field…
cut 17 (18) “….a quarterback”
In a statement, Coach Les Miles says Steele has been a very successful coach, with a great defensive mind and he’s also an outstanding recruiter.

In college hoops action tonight…LSU visits Ole Miss. The Tigers have lost seven of their last eight meetings with the Rebels. The tip-off is set for 6 PM.

Tulane begins a two-game road trip tonight at Central Florida. The Green Wave are off to a three and one start in the American Athletic Conference, while the Knights are one and three in league play.

Last night…a hot shooting Abilene Christian team beat Northwestern State 95-81. The loss prevented Demons Coach Mike McConathy from collecting his 600th coaching victory.

Nicholls State earned its first Southland win of the season last night as the Colonels rallied to beat Houston Baptist 61-57. Freshman guard Quinton Thomas had a breakout game as he scored a career-high 18 points and also had a career-high three blocked shots.

In the NBA…the Pelicans will visit the Detroit Pistons. It will be the first game in a New Orleans Pelican uniform for Quincy Pondexter, who was acquired earlier this week.