MBB Preview: No. 24 South Carolina at Tennessee

No. 24 South Carolina (17-1) at Tennessee (9-9)

WATCH: 12:00 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Tuesday's win over Ole Miss may have been another moment that asserted itself as this season's greatest game. With this 2015-16 Gamecock team, those moments just keep on coming. From the Paradise Jam win to the rivalry victory over Clemson to the nonconference win over Memphis, a triumph over talented conference foe Vanderbilt, and now - a come-from-behind escape on the road in Oxford. South Carolina seems to be one-upping itself as the season goes along.

USC now aims for a second consecutive SEC road win as the Gamecocks travel to Knoxville on Saturday afternoon to take on the Tennessee Volunteers. A win over the Vols will give South Carolina more wins on Jan. 23 than they had all of last season.

In his first year as head coach in Knoxville, Rick Barnes has the Vols at .500, 9-9, with a 2-4 mark in league action. Barnes and South Carolina head coach Frank Martin are familiar foes due to the former's years at Texas and Martin's tenure at Kansas State.

Most recently, Tennessee dropped a home game to in-state rival Vanderbilt, 88-74. The Vols earned solid wins in SEC play over Florida and at Mississippi State. If you haven't already noticed, almost any team in the SEC is capable of beating another this season. While South Carolina is the better team, this isn't some gimme game.

The Vols boast a 20+ point a game scorer in senior Kevin Punter. The guard's 22.6 points per game ranks second in the SEC, just behind Ole Miss' Stefan Moody, who gave South Carolina all they could handle on Tuesday night. Armani Moore, Robert Hubbs III, and Devon Baulkman are other Volunteers that average double-figures in scoring for Tennessee. They have the third-best offense in the conference by points per game, averaging 79.3 per contest. USC ranks 18^th nationally in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 38.6 percent shooting from the floor. In recent games against Ole Miss, Missouri and Alabama, however, Gamecock opponents have shot abnormally well from the field against this defense.

South Carolina ended their regular season last year with an 11-point road win in Knoxville. The win gave USC their first win on the road against Tennessee since 2012, snapping a 15-game losing streak. They return on Saturday afternoon to start a streak of their own.