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Louisiana continues to underwhelm when March Madness comes around

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Louisiana continues to underwhelm when March Madness comes around


Shahada Wells
Shahada Wells and McNeese carry Cinderella vibes in the NCAA Tournament (Photo: Michael Wade).

I watched the NCAA men’s basketball selections Sunday night, but not with the intensity of many years past.

Grambling made the field of 68 for the first time ever. McNeese won the Southland Conference regular season and tournament championship. The Cowboys are in the big dance for the first time since 2002.

Both had automatic bids.

For the rest of the state of Louisiana, it is time to move on from hoops quickly.

LSU hasn’t played in the tournament since 2022. Louisiana-Lafayette last appeared in 2023.

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The University of New Orleans last appeared in 2017. Southern University, who made the NCAA’s four times under head coach Ben Jobe, haven’t appeared since 2016. Southeastern made the tournament in 2005 for the only time under head coach Billy Kennedy. It seems like yesterday, but 20 seasons have passed.

Northwestern State last appeared in 2013. The Demons’ upset of third seed Iowa was a classic NCAA moment but that was 18 years ago.

Louisiana Tech appeared five times in the NCAA’s from 1984 to 1991 but none since. Nicholls hasn’t appeared since 1998 under head coach Ricky Broussard. Louisiana-Monroe hasn’t made it since 1996.

Tulane’s last of three NCAA tournament appearances was in 1995.

A good bit of the lack of success for Louisiana teams comes from a decline in high school basketball in the state. It wasn’t always that way.

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The top six scorers on LSU’s 2006 Final Four team hailed from Louisiana. Four of those – Darnell Lazare, Darrel Mitchell, Garrett Temple and Tyrus Thomas – hailed from Baton Rouge area high schools. Tasmin Mitchell played at nearby Denham Springs and Darrel Mitchell played at St. Martinville, about an hour’s drive from the LSU campus.

In the 1980’s head coach Dale Brown built one of the best programs in the nation recruiting Louisiana players. Howard “Hi C” Carter and Derrick Taylor hailed from Redemptorist. In DeRidder, Louisiana, Johnny Jones was legend. So was Nikita Wilson at Leesville. Ethan Martin played his high school basketball at McKinley. Leonard Mitchell hailed from St. Martinville.

The 1986 LSU Final Four team included Anthony Wilson (Plain Dealing) and Don Redden (Ouachita).

Those days are long gone.

One of the items that has hurt Louisiana basketball is out migration. The population of Louisianians heading to live in Texas only exacerbated after Hurricane Katrina.

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So, at about 6 p.m. Sunday, I turned off the tube and started to write. Of course, my alarm was set to the women’s NCAA selection show an hour later. LSU is the third seed in the same region with Iowa.

Now that’s exciting.

A possible rematch of the NCAA championship game, in a regional final.

Louisiana is vested in the women’s game.

Other than in Grambling and Lake Charles, Louisiana’s lack of participation in the men’s Big Dance continues. Sadly.

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Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for March 2, 2026

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The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

3-9-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 2 drawing

4-1-1-0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing

0-5-2-9-5

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Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

  1. Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
  2. Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
  3. Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
  4. Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

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555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

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Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
  • Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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National Guard deployment in New Orleans extended for six months

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National Guard deployment in New Orleans extended for six months


NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana National Guard announced Monday that 120 troops will remain deployed in New Orleans through August.

The six-month extension comes after 350 Guard members deployed to New Orleans in late December, in the run-up to New Year’s and other high-profile events like the Sugar Bowl. The troops, which had mainly clustered in the city’s historic French Quarter, had been scheduled to depart in the aftermath of Mardi Gras.

New Orleans is one of several Democrat-run cities, such as Washington and Memphis, Tennessee, where the federal government deployed armed troops under the administration of President Donald Trump. Hundreds of federal agents also converged on Louisiana in December as part of a separate immigration crackdown in and around New Orleans.

During his State of the Union address last week, Trump touted the deployment in New Orleans as a “big success.” In January, Trump credited the troops with reducing the city’s violent crime within a week of their deployment. City police data shows violent crime rates have significantly declined over the past three years in parallel with national trends.

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According to a press statement from the Louisiana National Guard, the remaining guard members will serve as a “visible presence to deter criminal activity in New Orleans.”

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat who initially opposed the deployment, said that the troops would benefit the city in the coming weeks. She pointed out that National Guard troops had assisted the city during last year’s Mardi Gras in the aftermath of a vehicle-ramming attack in the French Quarter that killed 14 people on New Year’s Day.

“I continue to support the partnership with the LA National Guard to assist in our major events and there are several coming up in the next few weeks,” Moreno said in a statement.

While Moreno did not address which events she referred to, visitors flock to New Orleans in the spring for events like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican and staunch Trump ally, requested the deployment of the National Guard last September, citing rising violent crime rates in New Orleans despite the data showing crime was down.

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“This continued deployment will help us combat violence in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana,” Landry wrote on the social platform X on Monday, noting Louisiana had also sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., last year.

Kate Kelly, a spokesperson for Landry, said the federal government would cover the cost of the extended deployment. She did not respond to a question about whether Guard members would be deployed outside New Orleans.

Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, said in a statement the troops had already worked closely with other city, state and federal agencies to improve public safety during a stretch of high-profile events in the city, including the flood of visitors over Mardi Gras and the city’s carnival season.

“We remain committed to those partnerships as we continue supporting efforts to keep the City of New Orleans safe for residents and visitors,” Friloux said.



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Jury selection begins Monday in one of Louisiana’s largest auto insurance fraud cases

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Jury selection begins Monday in one of Louisiana’s largest auto insurance fraud cases


NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Jury selection begins Monday in what prosecutors describe as one of the largest auto insurance fraud cases in Louisiana history, with two local attorneys set to stand trial on charges that include fraud and obstruction of justice.

Attorneys Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles are accused in an alleged scheme in which drivers — referred to as “slammers” — were paid to intentionally crash into 18-wheelers, file injury lawsuits and allow attorneys to collect the settlements. Both have pleaded not guilty.

63 people have been charged in the case. Many have already pleaded guilty. Motta and Giles are being tried together.

Criminal defense attorney Craig Mordock, who is not directly involved in the case but has been following it closely, said the scope of the litigation is significant.

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“You have 10 years of personal injury cases and almost… almost a billion dollars in recovery. That’s all at issue,” Mordock said. “So yeah, this could go two to three weeks.”

Motta’s defense team has advanced a narrative that she was manipulated by a co-defendant.

“There is a compelling narrative that’s been advanced by Vanessa Motta’s lawyer in terms of her being manipulated by one of the co-defendants… about being manipulated by him and him having a prior federal conviction for fraud,” Mordock said.

Motta’s team originally claimed she did not know the crashes were staged. In 2024, her team told FOX 8 she is the victim.

Mordock said Giles faces a more difficult defense.

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“I don’t see a favorable juror for one of the other lawyer defendants, Jason Giles. There’s not a clear theory of innocence. This is basically a standard white-collar prosecution where knowledge and intent are going to be the issue,” Mordock said.

The case carries what Mordock described as a shadow. In September 2020, key witness Cornelious Garrison was killed in New Orleans four days after his name appeared in an indictment. Garrison’s admitted killer, Ryan Harris, is expected to testify.

The judge in the case is also allowing the slain witness’s recorded descriptions of the alleged scheme to be admitted at trial.

Mordock said Louisiana drivers have a direct stake in the outcome.

“As your average Louisianan, the idea would be you would save… because the people committing this fraud have been wrapped up. The insurance companies are going to know how to look for this,” Mordock said.

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