19. South Carolina Gamecocks - 19-3 (7-2 SEC)
The Gamecocks started 2-2 in SEC play and weren’t viewed as a major threat in the conference. That’s changed in the past couple of weeks, as Coach Lamont Paris's team has now won five straight games, including against two of the top teams.
They were on the road in Tennessee to start out, with its defense having a big impact. Outside of Dalton Knecht, the Vols didn’t have much going for themselves for the 40-minute defensive struggle. In one of the bigger surprises of the week, South Carolina got the 63-59 upset. Ta’Lon Cooper had 18 points and five rebounds, while BJ Mack went for 16 points. Myles Stute returned from injury to chip in with 13 off the bench.
The Gamecocks remained on the road for a matchup with Georgia, reeling from its loss to Alabama after having a double-digit lead. The Bulldogs were leading at halftime again but thanks to an impressive defensive effort by SC, they came back to win 72-62 for another road win. Collin Murray-Boyles led the way with 16 points, while Josh Gray had 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Not only does South Carolina find itself in second place in the SEC standings but they also have a pair of winnable home games to try and keep pace with first-place Alabama. They take on Ole Miss first on Tuesday, followed by a battle with Vanderbilt.