South Carolina is off to an uneven start, but that hasn't obscured the steady rise of Collin Murray-Boyles. The 6-foot-7 sophomore will be the player to watch when South Carolina (6-3) hosts South Carolina Upstate (4-8) Saturday afternoon in Columbia. Murray-Boyles leads the Gamecocks in points (16.2), rebounds (9.4), steals (1.2) and blocks (1.1) per game. As South Carolina struggled to a 75-68 victory over East Carolina on Saturday, Murray-Boyles carried the Gamecocks, making all 10 of his shots from the floor and finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds. "He's been working on pivoting towards the basket and getting on balance and then making a strong move through some contact," South Carolina coach Lamont Paris said. The Gamecocks have been highly dependent on Murray-Boyles. In the two games in which he has fouled out, South Carolina lost to Xavier and Indiana. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks are unbeaten in the six games in which he has collected at least eight rebounds. "He's still growing and it's exciting to see," Paris said. "He's got phenomenal natural touch." Also emerging lately have been Norfolk State transfer Jamarii Thomas, who had season highs of 22 points and seven assists against East Carolina, and Morris Ugusuk, who has hit 10 of 14 shots from 3-point range in the last three games. South Carolina Upstate has been sparked by a pair of guards who each have won multiple Big South freshman of the week awards. Carmelo Adkins had 31 points and 12 rebounds in wins last week over Division III Brevard and at Western Carolina, while Mister Dean leads the Spartans in points (15.7), rebounds (5.6) and steals (2.0) per game. "He sparks runs because he'll make a dynamic dunk," Spartans coach Marty Richter said of Dean. "He brings energy with how he scores the basketball, in a hurry. He can score in bunches." The Spartans enter on a high as the win over Western Carolina was Richter's first over a Division I team. South Carolina Upstate is 1-8 all-time against South Carolina. This year, the Spartans are winless in four games against power conference schools. In an 85-80 loss a month ago at Wake Forest, however, they led for much of the second half. --Field Level Media
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People in the northern hemisphere will be treated to dazzling displays of the aurora borealis on Wednesday, as a coronal mass ejection from the sun brushes up against our planet, according to Russian scientists. After two weeks of relative inactivity, the sun experienced a class-M flare on Monday, with a magnitude of 8.9, just shy of making it class-X. The flare happened in the sunspot group 3932, which astronomers have been monitoring because it is due to intersect the sun-earth line over the next 5-7 days. “Part of the coronal mass ejection could clip our planet in the afternoon of December 25,” Mikhail Leus of the ‘Phobos’ weather center in Moscow said Tuesday on his Telegram channel. “Forecasts show it might result in a G1 or G2 magnetic storm,” he added. Monday’s flare was at a 40-degree angle from the sun-earth line, Leus explained, which is why the storm will most likely be mild. Its duration has been estimated at 8-10 hours, but it could last for as long as 30. In addition to the northern lights, Wednesday’s solar storm may cause some radio disruptions in the high-frequency (HF) band and affect the operation of some satellites. Solar storms also carry a risk of radiation to astronauts in space and people on board high-altitude airplanes. A X9 flare resulted in a severe geomagnetic storm on October 10. The G4-level event had the potential to disrupt power grids and cause radio blackouts, but ended up being relatively uneventful in terms of technological disturbances. It did cause the northern lights to be observed as far south as the US state of California.
Former Kentucky wide receiver Dane Key, one of the top offensive players in the transfer portal, announced on social media Tuesday that he will transfer to Nebraska. Key posted a photo of himself in a Nebraska uniform wearing the No. 6 he wore at Kentucky. The simple post contained the letters "GBR," short for "Go Big Red," with an emoji heart. Key led Kentucky this past season with 47 receptions for 715 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games as the Wildcats finished 4-8. In three seasons, the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder has 126 receptions for 1,870 yards and 14 TDs in 38 games (35 starts). Key has one season of eligibility remaining after he was a four-star recruit in the class of 2022. --Field Level MediaThe BRICS nations will be hit with 100% tariffs on their goods if they try to introduce a reserve currency to rival the dollar, US President-elect Donald Trump has warned. Trump has repeatedly threatened to use tariffs to achieve his geopolitical goals. ”The idea that the BRICS Countries are trying to move away from the Dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. Trump went on to say that he would ask the BRICS nations to promise not to create a common currency, “nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar,” or they will face 100% tariffs. ”They can go find another ‘sucker!’” he continued. “There is no chance that the BRICS will replace the US Dollar in International Trade, and any Country that tries should wave goodbye to America.” BRICS previously comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and was expanded in January to include Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. Around 30 other nations have expressed interest in joining the group of emerging economies. Russia, which currently holds the group’s rotating presidency, floated the idea of introducing a BRICS currency in 2022. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva echoed Moscow’s proposal last year, arguing that having the option of trading in another reserve currency would reduce the BRICS countries’ “vulnerability” to fluctuations in the dollar’s exchange rate. BRICS leaders stopped short of announcing plans for such a currency at their summit in the Russian city of Kazan last month. Instead, the group pledged to set up a cross-border payment system to function alongside the Western SWIFT network, and to increase their use of local currencies in international trade. ”Cooperation within BRICS is not directed against anyone or anything – neither against the dollar nor against other currencies,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated in October. “It pursues the main goal of ensuring the interests of those countries that participate in this format.” Using local currencies to settle bilateral trade bills “helps to keep economic development free from politics,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the time. Trump has vowed to use tariffs to settle US trade deficits, force offshore manufacturers to return, and achieve a range of geopolitical goals. In addition to proposing a blanket tariff of 20% on all incoming goods, Trump has threatened Canada and Mexico with additional 25% tariffs if they fail to reduce the flow of migrants and drugs into the US. Trump also declared this week that “we will be charging China an additional 10% tariff, above any additional tariffs,” until Beijing “follows through” on punishing the producers and smugglers of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid.
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OpenAI plans to team up with Anduril, the defense startup, to supply its AI tech to systems the U.S. military uses to counter drone attacks. The Wall Street Journal reports that Anduril will incorporate OpenAI tech into software that assesses and tracks unmanned aircraft. Anduril tells the publication that OpenAI’s models could improve the accuracy and speed of responding to drones, reducing collateral damage. OpenAI’s technology won’t be used with Anduril’s other weapons systems as a part of the deal, the companies said. As The WSJ notes, the OpenAI-Anduril tie-up is just the latest example of a major tech company embracing rather than shunning the defense sector. OpenAI previously barred its AI from being used in warfare, but revised that policy in January, and shortly thereafter inked deals with the Pentagon for cybersecurity work and other projects. OpenAI has also sought to bring defense leaders into its executive ranks, including former ex-Defense Department official Sasha Baker and NSA chief Paul Nakasone , who sits on OpenAI’s board.High school exit exams dwindle to about half a dozen statesGrey Cup streaker fined $10,000 for naked run