THURSDAY SPORTS: Gamecocks get first SEC win

South Carolina (8-12, 1-6 SEC) led by as many as 32 points and four Gamecocks scored in double-figures, as the Gamecocks posted their first SEC win of the season with a strong offensive effort in an 80-52 victory over visiting Texas A&M (12-8, 3-4 SEC) on Wednesday evening at Colonial Life Arena. Freshman guard Duane Notice posted a season high 19 points and fellow rookie guard Sindarius Thornwell also posted 19.

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The Furman’s men’s basketball game versus Samford, originally slated for Thursday night, has been postponed until Monday, February 3. Tip-off at Timmons Arena is set for 7 p.m. Thursday’s game was postponed because of travel difficulties for Samford (Birmingham, Alabama) due to dangerous road conditions following Tuesday night’s winter storm that blanketed the southeast with snow and ice.

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Former Clemson All-American Tree Rollins will be Clemson’s representative at the ACC Tournament in the league’s 2014 Legend’s Class. Rollins was a second-team All-American as a senior in 1976-77 and was named one of the ACC’s Top 50 players in 2002 in conjunction with the ACC’s 50-Year celebration.

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The winter storm that swept through the Southeast left the NBA in a deep freeze. The Detroit Pistons game against the Altanta Hawks set for Wednesday night was postponed, as the Pistons were unable to make their flight from Motor City.

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Clemson was ranked #16 in the nation in USA Today’s 2014 preseason coaches poll, released on Wednesday. Cal State Fullerton was atop the USA Today poll, followed by #2 Louisiana State, #3 Oregon State, #4 Mississippi State, and #5 Florida State.

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Looks like all those fears about — or hopes for! — a snowy Super Bowl won’t come true, with the National Weather Service not forecasting any snow or rain for the championship game on Sunday  between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. The temperatures won’t even be all that bad for a football game, with the high for the day forecast to be 38 degrees, although it could fall into the 20s by the time the game ends. However, it would still be the coldest Super Bowl ever, beating the previous low of 39 degrees in an uncharacteristically cold New Orleans in January 1972.