Blue Cain called teammate Dylan James one of Georgia’s “unsung heroes” following the Bulldogs’ big 73-64 win over South Carolina Tuesday night in Colonial Life Arena.

His effort against the Gamecocks was a good example. The Florida sophomore made huge plays on both ends of the court, helping the Bulldogs (19-11, 7-10) likely qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Up by six with 38 seconds left, Cain launched a 3-point try. The ball missed its mark, but the 6-foot-9 James beat South Carolina’s Morris Ugusuk to the rebound and laid the ball in the hoop while picking up the foul.

James calmly sank the free throw before hustling back to the other end, blocking a 3-point try by Ugusuk. Moments later, Cain sank two free throws to secure the win, pushing Georgia’s lead to 11 with 28 seconds to play.

“Really, I was just thinking of playing through mistakes," Jame said. "I made a turnover and had a defensive mishap a few plays earlier. It was about bouncing back off that, staying focused, and moving on to the next play.”

James – who has started five of the last six games for the Bulldogs – has seen his minutes increase since the beginning of conference play. James ' minutes have doubled after averaging less than 10 minutes to start the year, and he’s responded.

"Every Day Dyl. Every Day Dyl. You know what you're going to get out of him from an effort and attitude standpoint, and also mentally,” head coach Mike White said. “He's always engaged, locked in on the scout and what we're trying to do offensively. He plays within himself, too. He's growing.”

Cain said James’ exploits against the Gamecocks did not surprise him. He’s seen it all year, even if your casual fan hasn’t.

“His stats don't always show up on the stat sheet. He makes winning plays,” Cain said. “That block was huge, him coming over. He does stuff like that all the time. He'll get his hand on a ball here or there. He does winning stuff all the time.”

James' size and length certainly help.

Along with Asa Newell (6-11), Somto Cyril (6-11), Justin Abson (6-9), and RJ Godfrey (6-7), James and the Bulldogs can roll out a front line to match many of the teams in the SEC.

“You see that big front line, we just try to … scare the crap out of guys and be a defensive minded team,” said James, whose 16 blocks rank fourth on the team.

“That’s a massive part of my game. I try to make that a main part of my game, be the defensive anchor,” added James when asked about his late block against the Gamecocks. “That was just another one of the plays that I feel like that may just be who I am. But it was there, I took advantage of it.”

Although the Bulldogs have put themselves in a prime position for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, James said the team isn’t counting its chickens just yet.

It’s been a season of ups and downs, playing one of the toughest schedules in the country. But after three straight wins, the Bulldogs enter Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt on the verge of locking up their first trip to the NCAAs since 2015.

“There’s going to be bumps in the road. There are going to be highs and lows. That goes for life and basketball,” James said. “You’ve just got to keep playing, playing and moving through that. It’s about moving on to the next thing. You’ve got to play past the L’s and the mistakes so we can reap the benefits.”