They may not have finished in double figures, but it's difficult to imagine Georgia defeating Vanderbilt Saturday night if not for the efforts of sophomores Tyron McMillan and Jaxon Etter.

For those who watched the Bulldogs hold off the Commodores 73-70, it's difficult to argue otherwise.

Georgia is not a team blessed with a lot of size. But the 6-foot-9 McMillan certainly made his presence felt, scoring a career-best eight points with three rebounds in just seven minutes.

Etter’s performance was also one Bulldog coaches and teammates will not soon forget.

Etter may be a walk-on, but that hasn't kept head coach Tom Crean from relying on him more and more, including Saturday’s game, when he played a career-high 14.35 minutes, not only scoring seven points but teaming with Sahvir Wheeler to limit top Vandy scorer Scottie Pippen Jr. to just 12 points—almost 10 points below his season average.

“It's very satisfying. You work your tail off every day. You’re ready when your number is called,” Etter said. “Tyron and I were ready when our numbers were called. Ty had some awesome minutes, had some huge rebounds, huge put backs. Shout-out to his work ethic in practice every day.”

There's a reason Crean isn't hesitant to bring Etter into the game at crucial times: effort.

According to Crean, Etter is one of those players whose energy is infectious—and that makes a huge difference.

“(Scott) Skiles—when he was an NBA coach, he referred to a guy named Adrian Griffin, who is now an assistant with the Raptors. He referred to him as a play-on-demand player. Every time he was called upon, he was ready to go. I never forgot that,” Crean said. “Well, if we were going to put a poster up right now for our team, Jaxon Etter would be the epitome of play-on-demand. You know, when you call him, he's ready, and he goes out there and he impacts the game.”

Graduate transfer P.J. Horne has only been with the program a few months, but he appreciates what he has seen from the two youngsters.

“That was really big. He came in when his number was called, and he was ready to play, right then and there,” Horne said. “He always goes hard in practice, and it shows up in the games when he gets a chance.”

He's also seen McMillan’s game begin to take another step forward.

“He’s very good when he’s playing at his peak,” Horne said. “I’ve seen his growth since I’ve been here, and watching him compete and play in practice and in games. I feel like he’s getting there.”

Etter’s story is one that's been told before.

Despite holding offers from smaller schools, the Woodstock native’s dream was to play for Georgia. As a lifelong fan of the Bulldogs, putting on the red and black was his only goal.

Now that he has started to earn the trust of Crean, Etter is anxious to show its deserved.

"It means a lot. It means a lot that he sees what I'm working on in practice, and that's something I worked a lot on during the offseason and during Covid,” Etter said. “As far as being an energy guy, everybody must find their roll. Not everybody can be a leading scorer. Maybe that seems too obvious, but I feel like a lot of people need to find their role, and I feel like a lot of guys on this team have found their role. I just so happen to take up the energy guy spot."

A junior college transfer from Kilgore College in Texas, Crean said he's noticed McMillan’s upward trajectory for a few weeks now.

“Absolutely, we’ve seen it coming. I thought he did a good job the other night in the first half of the Auburn game,” Crean said. “I think when he strings together really good practices, and he strings together impacting his teammates, and he’s having fun and he’s playing with some confidence—I think he can help our team. I think this was a really good step for him, and it’s been his best week.”

The Georgia at Texas A&M game set for Wednesday has been postponed due to continued Covid issues with the Aggies.

As a result, the SEC announced that the Bulldogs will now play at Tennessee Wednesday at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.