Sports Minute: Here is the latest Mississippi sports news from The Associated Press - WXVT-TV Delta News - More Local News and Weather WXVT.com |

Sports Minute: Here is the latest Mississippi sports news from The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - New Orleans Saints players say they expect their return to the practice field this week to be intense, given the tone Sean Payton has set at club headquarters since his return from his bounty ban. The Saints begin their first on-the-field training of the 2013 Tuesday.

(AP) - Vanderbilt and LSU are the favorites to win this week's Southeastern Conference tournament after mowing through regular-season play with uncommon ease. The real intrigue, however, is the new single-elimination format in the opening round of the tournament. Instead of the usual double-elimination format, the league's coaches say the sudden-death round was done because of scheduling and the expansion of the tournament field from 10 to 12 teams.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - A person familiar with the situation says Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is changing his team's name to the Hornets. The person says Jordan will detail the timetable for the change to be completed at a news conference the Bobcats have scheduled for Tuesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - NASCAR Nationwide driver Justin Allgaier started the season with a new car, a new crew chief and a relatively new pit crew. The changes haven't led to a victory, but Allgaier is confident that the No. 31 car is set to blossom into a winner in the weeks ahead.

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