Tennessee puts Alabama loss behind it, but who knows what's next in SEC?

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Tennessee coach Rick Barnes recaps the Vols' win against South Carolina Mike Wilson/News Sentinel

Tennessee distanced itself from a 28-point loss to Alabama with a 70-67 victory over South Carolina on Tuesday night at Thompson-Boling Arena. But it didn’t remind you of the team that routed Ole Miss by 33 points at the same venue 10 days earlier.

The outcome was still in doubt until South Carolina’s Justin Minaya missed a last-second 3-pointer. That’s how close the Vols cut it against a double-digit underdog that entered the game on a five-game losing streak.

However, don’t assume the Vols are fading. In a league as competitive as the SEC, it’s risky drawing any conclusion from one or two games.

Just when a team seems to be hitting its stride, a winning streak can turn into a tailspin. Take South Carolina for example.

Despite suffering key player losses from last season’s Final Four team, the Gamecocks distinguished themselves with a 13-7 start, highlighted by a victory over Florida in Gainesville. Six consecutive losses later, the Gamecocks are 13-13.

As tough as South Carolina coach Frank Martin can be with his players on the court, he doesn’t blame them for a season that has turned topsy-turvy.

“I don’t think it’s so much us,” Martin said. “I think it’s how good the teams in this league are. We’re not strong enough yet. We’re too young.

“Last year, we would win these kind of games.”

Any kind of a win qualified as a huge step up for Tennessee after what happened Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Vols looked utterly helpless in a 78-50 defeat that was shocking in light of how well they had been playing.

“We definitely played much harder defensively (against South Carolina),” UT coach Rick Barnes said when asked if he thought the Alabama loss had a lingering effect.

“Our defense won tonight. But our offense wasn’t good.”

Tennessee clicked both offensively and defensively during its six-game conference winning streak, highlighted by dazzling 3-point shooting in a 94-61 runaway victory over Ole Miss and clutch defense in a 61-59 victory over Kentucky in Lexington.

What comes next is anyone’s guess?

The Vols could be favored in their last four regular-season games. But favorites have tumbled repeatedly during this SEC season. Moreover, it has been so difficult to predict how any team will play from one week to the next.

Georgia, which is up next for the Vols Saturday in Athens, has lost six of its past seven games. But between a pair of three-game losing streaks, it beat Florida by 12 points.

The Gators, who come to Thompson-Boling Arena on Feb. 21, sometimes look like the conference’s premier team. But they also have suffered inexplicable losses – at home to South Carolina and on the road at Ole Miss.

A road game at Mississippi State could be UT’s toughest challenge in its last four regular-season games. League-leading Auburn is the only team to beat the Bulldogs in Starkville this season.

But trying to analyze future games based on past performances often leads you astray in the SEC.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.