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Auburn HC Steven Pearl - Kentucky Preview · The Auburn Undercover Podcast

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  Yeah, Outlive game. Um, if you don't
• 0:02
  have your shirts yet, outlive.org. And
• 0:04
  if not, they should be selling them in
• 0:06
  all the different concourses. So, um,
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  you know, we got a long sleeve option
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  this year, which is really exciting.
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  And, uh, you know, looking for trying to
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  get as close to 100% participation as we
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  can. Um, you know, it's a
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  really, um, you know, it's a great
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  cause. Um, you know, it's uh it's unique
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  because uh the funds are going not
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  towards like cancer research, but it's
• 0:32
  going uh towards funds at the discretion
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  um of those that it's being given to.
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  So, it can help with a mortgage payment
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  or a gas bill or grocery bills,
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  utilities, different things that you
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  don't really think about um
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  having to burden you when you're when
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  you're fighting this fight with cancer.
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  And uh you know something we're
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  incredibly proud of. Uh our family's
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  been you know really adamant about this
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  for for for a long time since we were at
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  Tennessee and you know Jackie's done a
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  great job of taking over um everything
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  with the family foundation and um you
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  know just want to continue to raise as
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  much money and as much awareness as we
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  possibly can. um you know, there's going
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  to be uh stations set up for um blood
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  tests uh for uh prostate cancer and then
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  there's going to be cheek swabs uh for
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  to be on like a donor list. Um so, a lot
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  of really a lot of really cool stuff and
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  um stuff we're obviously very proud of
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  and want to continue to put in front of
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  our fans and we appreciate you know our
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  fans being so supportive uh in this
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  initiative. So with that, take any
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  questions.
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  >> Justin,
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  >> Stephen, just talk about the challenge.
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  Is this
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  >> on?
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  >> You're good.
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  >> Uh, just talk about the challenge of
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  keeping the guys when you you're going
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  through this skid, you also want to
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  remind them of some of the things
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  they've done this year, whether it's
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  hard or even the second half Mississippi
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  State. How do you sort of pick them up,
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  remind them of that, get them back on
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  track where I know they're they're
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  certainly down right now.
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  This has been a resilient group and um
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  you know we had a great we had a great
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  practice yesterday like if you're in the
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  building the energy was like we have won
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  five in a row so it's commendable and um
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  you know I think they uh have done a
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  good job of just kind of blocking out
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  the noise and we've done a good job of
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  just trying to stay present in what
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  we're doing and you know recognizing
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  that there's a lot of things that we got
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  to get better at. Um, you know, mainly
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  we got to stop letting the posing team's
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  best player just beat us. And, uh, we
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  got to stop getting off to such slow
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  starts. You know, in five of our last
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  six games, we've been down 13 or more in
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  the first half. So, we got to figure
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  out, you know, we're trying to figure
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  out ways to combat that because, you
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  know, in our four game winning streak
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  and when we had won five out of six, you
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  know, we had done a good job of not
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  getting off to slow starts. Texas was
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  the only game in that stretch where we
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  didn't get off to a great start and we
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  were able to battle back. Um, but you
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  know, you look at those 16 minutes in
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  the second half of Missouri or sorry, of
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  Mississippi State and uh, you know, like
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  you said, Justin, you got to remind him
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  of those cuz those were fun. That was a
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  fun 16 minutes to coach. It was a fun 16
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  minutes to watch and I know it was a fun
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  16 minutes for them to play. We just got
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  to find a way to be more consistent. And
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  if we can do that, you know, we can we
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  can start to make our run.
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  >> Going off that, like what did you see
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  was the biggest difference between maybe
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  the start and then the the that second
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  half run. Um, I know you would talk
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  about playing desperately, you know,
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  after the game. You think it's it's just
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  kind of turning it up a little bit more
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  earlier in games or, you know, something
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  else?
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  >> Yeah, I mean, we can't wait till we're
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  down 16 to or 18 and Hubard's got 35 to
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  start, you know, executing the game
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  plan. you know, we if he made nine
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  threes in the first half, um you know,
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  three of them, well, no, probably like
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  five of them were just scouting report
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  mistakes where we just weren't at the
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  level. We didn't impact, we didn't get
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  the ball out of his hands. You know, we
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  gapped um we gapped a pin down. Um you
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  know, we we laid on a couple screens. We
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  didn't top lock. Our bigs weren't, you
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  know, at the level of their man to be
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  able to jump out. Now, he made just
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  three like what in the world shots, you
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  know, but he's capable of doing that and
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  we told him that he's capable of doing
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  that. And as soon as he sees one or two
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  go in, the rim looks like a hula hoop to
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  that guy. So, um yeah, we and you know,
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  the first last five games, the first
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  possession, we've had a we haven't
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  executed our coverages correctly on the
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  very first possession, and I just we got
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  to stop doing that. So, um, yeah, I
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  mean, we we got to find a way to fly
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  around more early in games, um, to get
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  us more engaged on the defensive end.
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  >> Stephen Ted's got notes here that
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  Kucky's the best three-point shooting
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  team in the league during SEC play. You
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  mentioned getting off to better starts
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  defensively. Do you feel like that's
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  kind of been a theme whether it's
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  Hubard, Vanderbilt, Alabama, they've
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  kind of had some early three-point
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  shots. Do you think that's kind of been
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  a theme that's allowed those teams to
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  get confidence and then you guys maybe
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  are better in the scouting report later
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  on? I guess how do you kind of get them
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  to hone in a little earlier in the game?
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  >> Yeah, I mean um Alabama we were too flat
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  on a ball screen and they hit a three in
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  the corner. Vanderbilt we got caught uh
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  on a on a back door where they then came
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  off a dribble handoff and he hit a
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  really tough one. Uh Mississippi State,
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  they missed their first couple, but they
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  got extra possessions. U actually no,
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  they made their first one. they we
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  messed up two switches and uh you know
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  um he was standing wide open at the top
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  of the floor. Now he's made eight threes
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  all year and he made two in that game.
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  Um so you know there's been a little bit
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  of that this year. Um but yeah, we we
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  just got to do a better job of executing
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  early in the scouting report and uh you
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  know we just can't let guys that can
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  really shoot it. um you know, get get
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  easy ones, get clean ones, and um you
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  know, it's uh you know, Mississippi
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  State makes seven threes a game. They
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  made 16, you know, so it's it's going to
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  be really hard to beat teams when they
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  do that. Um but yeah, we uh recognize
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  that KY's a really good three-point
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  shooting team. Um um they shoot good
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  percentages, but you know, they're still
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  probably better from two overall than
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  they are from three just because they do
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  a great job attacking downhill and get
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  into the paint. But, you know, like
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  Chandler's a guy that like you got to
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  treat like Tyler Nickel from Vanderbilt.
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  You can't you can't allow him to get
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  anything clean off cuz I think he's made
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  20 in his last five games. You know,
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  Aberdeen's a guy that, you know, with
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  time and space can really make shots and
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  can be streaky. You know, OA um has the
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  green light, you know, and he can knock
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  down shots, too. So, they got three
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  guards that can all really shoot it.
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  And, uh, you know, we got to do a Noah
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  coming off the bench can shoot it. So,
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  just got to recognize where shooters are
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  and uh do a better job in our closeouts.
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  I want to ask you about Oway and
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  defending him like he's probably the
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  most consistent, you know, high level
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  scorer in the NC this year with the
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  amount of 20 point games he's had. The
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  challenges of defending him, especially
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  knowing that, you know, he's had to
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  carry a lot of this offense this year
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  with the injuries they've had.
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  >> Yeah, I want to say 11 out of the 13
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  conference games, had 20 or more. So,
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  >> um, does a really good job of driving
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  either direction, getting downhill, um,
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  you know, really physical, uh, getting
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  to the rim and, you know, if he can make
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  one, he can make three. um you know can
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  get to his mid-range. I think he shoots
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  75% inside the paint which is you know
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  pretty pretty impressive. So we got to
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  do a really good job of uh you know
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  trying to limit you know his his touches
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  around the rim um and got to try and
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  keep him out of the paint as best we
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  can.
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  >> You were talking about around the rim. I
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  mean that's been a problem the last few
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  games on both ends of the court as well.
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  I mean you're only five of 14 on layups
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  the other day and they're seven of 10. I
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  mean, just is is the offensive problem
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  because teams are backing it in so much
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  and just, you know, giving you the three
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  or what are you seeing?
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  >> Well, we went like 12 for 24 from three,
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  so I don't think that's the problem. We
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  just missed layups. Um, yeah, we we've
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  been a really good two-point shooting
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  team all year. Um, we just haven't three
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  out of the last four games. So, um,
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  yeah, we got to do a better job, you
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  know, and I it's cuz we played off one
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  foot and, uh, all we talk about is not
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  playing off one foot. You got to play
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  off two. So, showing them possessions
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  yesterday, just every time we played off
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  two, it was either a foul or a made
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  layup. Every time he played off one, it
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  was a miss layup, no foul. So, we kind
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  of got away from what we've been doing,
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  playing off two feet in that game. And
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  uh you I thought we shot the ball better
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  from three. Made made made 12 in the
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  game. Um which you know should uh you
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  should be able to win a lot of games
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  doing that. Um but obviously when they
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  make 16 it makes it a little more
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  difficult.
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  >> You were talking about how good practice
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  was yesterday and the energy was and how
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  resilient this group has been just for a
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  new team or a team bunch of guys and
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  played together before and it's the
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  first time. Where's that where do you
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  think that comes from just with guys?
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  me. No, I'm joking.
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  No. Um, no. I mean, I think
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  I think, you know, um,
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  you know, the things that I say, it's
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  not just lip service. Like, they I think
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  they believe it, too. Like, they they
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  believe that they're capable of making a
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  run. And that that's that's where I
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  think that energy comes from is that,
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  you know, they know that, you know, and
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  we're not going to say the C-word, but
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  we're right there. You know, we just got
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  to get over the hump, man. like um we
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  lost to four really really good teams.
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  One of those without was without our
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  best player and then you know he had 46
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  freaking points. So it's like golly you
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  know we're just we're we're right there
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  and we just got to finish. we got to
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  push it over the edge and uh you know um
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  so I think that the reason why there's
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  good energy is because they they just
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  they recognize that we're we're very
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  we're more than capable um if we can
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  just you know finish and that's that's
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  what we got to do in these last five
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  games is we got to finish possessions,
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  you know, we got to finish games.
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  >> Stephen, I'm I'm curious at this point
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  in the season, you guys have had some
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  highs and lows. I mean, do you do you
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  reach out to your dad for for counsel at
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  any point? right now. I mean, how much
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  do you speak with them necessarily for
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  advice or anything like that? Or are you
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  guys just so deep in trying to finish
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  season, trying to get to March that
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  that's not something necessarily on your
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  mind that much?
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  >> Uh, I mean, you know, we
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  No, I don't I mean, I talk to him once a
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  week pretty routinely, even when, you
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  know, when we're winning, you know, if
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  we're not winning. Um, so no, I mean,
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  you know, he's whenever I need him, I'll
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  reach out to him, but it hasn't been
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  like, uh, you know, where I I've had to
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  confide in him for counsel, you know,
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  over these last this tough stretch cuz
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  it's just it's just part of it, you
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  know. Um, biggest thing is we just have
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  to stay consistent with what we're
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  doing. Um, and we just we can't panic.
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  Um, so no, I mean, if I if I ever need
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  him, he's there. Um, you know, he he's
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  not reaching out to me, you know, cuz he
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  he knows what what we're what we're in
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  right now, what we're dealing with, what
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  we're going through, and uh, you know,
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  he knows when when I need him, I'll
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  reach out to him.
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  >> Just, you know, how the schedule shapes
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  up with the, you know, the lack of, I
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  guess, major, you know, quad one
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  opportunities left, you know, making
• 11:18
  this game important. Is that something
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  that you, you know, address honestly
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  with the team and, you know, that this
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  game is big because of that or do you
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  just keep the focus on, you know, this
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  game is big because it's the next game
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  is another opportunity out?
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  >> I mean, 60% of our remaining games are
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  quad ones. So, is that a lack of quad
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  one opportunities?
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  >> Well, just in terms of I mean, I guess
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  >> Oh, seriously. Yeah. If you look at our
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  last eight and it's not eight in a row.
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  >> Yeah.
• 11:42
  >> Yeah, I got you.
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  >> The next, you know,
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  >> I'm just messing with you, Peter.
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  >> Um, no. I mean, they're all they're
• 11:49
  right now they're just they're all
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  equally important because like you know
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  we have five quality wins already this
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  year and every one that you can add on
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  top of this you know is is significant
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  at this point in the year. So you know
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  um every win is is a way to win your win
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  yourself into the tournament or win
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  yourself into better seating in the SEC
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  tournament and every loss is you know a
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  way to lose yourself out of the
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  tournament and lose yourself in seating.
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  So they they recognize what it is. I
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  mean you know they they know where we're
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  at right now. They they know exactly
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  where we're at right now. And um yeah, I
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  think
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  I think we as coaches probably put more
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  pressure on ourselves than young people
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  do. You know, I don't think they, you
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  know, feel that pressure as much. They
• 12:32
  feel that pressure for I think they feel
• 12:33
  that pressure for like Key Keshan Hall
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  and Keshan Murphy. Murf's never won a
• 12:37
  tournament game and Keshan Hall's never
• 12:39
  been there. So, I think collectively
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  they'd like for them both to be able to
• 12:42
  experience that. So, I think that's
• 12:44
  where there's a little pressure in
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  there. But besides that, like I think
• 12:47
  they they have a full awareness and
• 12:48
  understanding of you know the
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  um you know the urgency of what needs of
• 12:54
  how we got to play and how we do have to
• 12:57
  put our backs up against the wall and
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  play desperate these last five to you
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  know put ourselves in position to do a
• 13:03
  lot of the things that we set out to do
• 13:04
  at the beginning of the year because you
• 13:06
  know while we're sitting here at 14 and
• 13:08
  12 and you know we're not in as good of
• 13:10
  a spot as we'd like to be like we still
• 13:12
  are in position to accomplish you know a
• 13:14
  lot of the things that we talked about
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  and we set out to earlier in the year.
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  We just got to finish.
• 13:21
  >> You guys have had to play guys like
• 13:23
  entire halves, you know, keep play the
• 13:25
  entire game the other day. Just to be
• 13:26
  this deep in the season and still having
• 13:28
  that fight and kind of that energy. What
• 13:29
  does that kind of say about you guys and
• 13:31
  the conditioning especially going down
• 13:33
  the stretch because, you know, it's a
• 13:35
  it's thinner than what y'all are usually
• 13:37
  used to, but obviously there's reasons
• 13:38
  for that. Yeah, I mean obviously not you
• 13:41
  know with Mech and Abdul both being out
• 13:43
  with injuries for the year like you know
• 13:45
  it just makes it really difficult and
• 13:47
  the other guys that you have are
• 13:49
  freshman you know so it's like you know
• 13:52
  it's you're putting a lot on those on
• 13:54
  those seven or eight guys and uh but
• 13:57
  it's a credit to them and how hard they
• 13:59
  work you know like you know Keith's in
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  here working out every single day. Todd
• 14:02
  was in here last night getting an extra
• 14:04
  workout in and was is getting shots
• 14:05
  right now. Like, you know, all those
• 14:07
  guys, you know, work worked their tails
• 14:09
  off and, you know, it's a credit to
• 14:11
  coach D and and Clark and the work that
• 14:13
  they put in uh to help these guys be,
• 14:15
  you know, in tip-top shape. And, you
• 14:17
  know, Keith plays 40 minutes the other
• 14:18
  night and you really don't recognize any
• 14:21
  like lack of effort or energy when he's
• 14:22
  out there. So, it it's, you know, Todd
• 14:25
  Todd's getting, you know, in much better
• 14:28
  shape as the year's gone on. And um you
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  know it's just a testament to to the
• 14:32
  work that they've put in to be able to
• 14:34
  you know be in those situations. Um but
• 14:36
  that's you know if you look across the
• 14:37
  country like that's kind of the norm now
• 14:39
  is there's seven eightman rotations now.
• 14:41
  We we would like to have nine cuz then I
• 14:43
  feel like we could just fly around a
• 14:45
  little bit more defensively and be a
• 14:46
  more a little more effective on that
• 14:48
  end. Um but you know with what we got
• 14:51
  you know we got we got seven really
• 14:52
  talented players that can go out there
• 14:54
  and be impactful. So, um, you know, we
• 14:57
  just
• 14:58
  got to, you know, just stay healthy and
• 15:00
  just just keep pushing.