3 ranked college basketball teams on upset alert this week

No. 20 South Carolina (At Ole Miss 2/24)

No matter how things end up, this season has been a tremendous success for South Carolina. Despite being picked to finish last in the SEC's preseason poll the Gamecocks enter the week ranked at No. 20 after a 21-5 start that includes a 9-4 mark in SEC play.

The weight of expectations started to catch up to South Carolina last week, however, as they were blown out by 40 at No. 13 Auburn before blowing a 16-point lead to lose at home to LSU on Saturday. The Gamecocks will have to stew in that loss to the Tigers for a week before they hit the road again to take on Ole Miss this Saturday in Oxford.

The Rebels have also done well this year, posting a gaudy win-loss record of 21-5, but currently sit right near the cut line in most brackets due to a severe shortage of quality wins. Chris Beard's team has lost all five games it has played against ranked opponents this season, leaving this game against South Carolina and a home date against Alabama next Tuesday as their best opportunities to pick up a quality win to impress the selection committee.

The desperation that the Rebels will play with in a hostile environment makes this a very dangerous game for South Carolina to try and grab. A loss here wouldn't be the end of the world for the Gamecocks, who are safely in the field in most brackets, but failing to get this game could eat into their margin for error in a significant way.