WEDNESDAY SPORTS: Davis named USC starting RB; SEC releases conference hoops schedule; Mets beat Braves

*The South Carolina Gamecock football team worked out again Tuesday morning. Among the bigger news items out of practice was Mike Davis being named the starting running back for the North Carolina game. The Gamecocks and Tarheels face off at Williams-Brice Stadium Thursday, August 29 on ESPN.

*The Southeastern Conference released its men’s basketball league schedule for the 2014 campaign on Tuesday. The Gamecocks will host nine league contests at Colonial Life Arena next season, including matchups with LSU, Texas A&M, Kentucky and defending SEC Regular-Season Champion, Florida. South Carolina will face Florida, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss and Auburn in home-and-home series in 2014. The full schedule can be viewed at gamecocksonline.com

*In the majors on Tuesday, rookie Zack Wheeler beat NL East-leading Atlanta for the third time, pitching shutout ball into the seventh inning and sending the New York Mets past the Braves 5-3. The series continues Wednesday afternoon at 1:00 PM.

*The Boston Red Sox’ Ryan Dempster was suspended for five games by Major League Baseball on Tuesday and fined $2,500 for intentionally hitting Alex Rodriguez with a pitch on Sunday. Dempster is not contesting the punishment, but maintained that he wasn’t trying to hit the embattled New York Yankees third baseman.