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Auburn PG Tahaad Pettiford - Ole Miss Preview · The Auburn Undercover Podcast

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  All right, we got Todd Pedford, so we'll
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  just open up for questions.
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  >> Todd, it felt like on on Saturday you
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  were involved in like several big stops,
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  forcing turnovers, getting the blocks
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  and all that. How much better do you
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  think you've become as a defender from
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  maybe the beginning of the season now?
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  >> Um, definitely think I've definitely
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  improved on that side, just um being
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  more aware on that side of the floor.
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  Um, just being more active like you
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  said. um try to be more involved even
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  when you know I'm in help now my man
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  doesn't have the ball be more aware of
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  where my man is and just small things
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  small details that um I try to work on
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  every single day to get better.
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  >> I guess similar to that how much do you
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  feel you've improved as a facilitator
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  and a playmaker this season especially
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  on nights where you know your shots
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  aren't always falling.
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  >> Um definitely a lot. Um I feel like I've
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  always had that. It's just I've never
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  been in the position I am now. So just
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  trying to be the best point guard that
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  my team needs me to be. You know shots
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  falling or not. just try to get my guys
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  open open looks and open shots and get
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  them going.
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  >> How much do you learn to kind of set the
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  tone defensively early on in games? I
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  know Stephen came off the bench at that
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  first time out was fired up after you
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  forced that turnover. I guess just how
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  much are you you mentioned how much
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  better you've gotten defensively? How
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  are you kind of leaning on that early in
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  games?
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  >> Um just try to be more engaged. You
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  know, um you know, stops turnovers is a
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  huge thing for us. You know, gives us
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  momentum. So, just knowing that if I
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  bring the energy that my teammates, they
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  they're going to feed off that.
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  what would it mean for you guys to you
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  get two road games this week to go and
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  get a true road win and you know you
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  know get one of those first big ones uh
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  go out of the way this season.
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  >> Um it mean a lot you know um we've had a
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  lot of up and downs this year. So just
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  going to get these two especially these
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  two. These are some big wins for us. So
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  just going to get those I feel like just
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  will push the momentum the way we needed
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  to go. Um get guys in the right head
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  space you know and just get us going.
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  in the nation.
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  >> What did it mean for you guys as a team
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  to have a game where y'all didn't shoot
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  very well at all, but still able to win
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  on defense because y'all had very many
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  opportunities to do that this year. It's
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  mostly been the offense.
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  >> Um, honestly, I look at that as a
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  positive. You know, us not shooting shot
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  horrible. Um, and still being able to
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  grind that wind out just shows that, you
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  know, this team will fight, you know, no
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  matter what till the end. And, um, you
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  know, we've been in situations where
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  we've been down and fought to the end.
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  and just knowing that it can be a whole
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  different type of ball game if five or
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  more shots go in.
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  >> Do you learn anything interesting from
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  being part of that South Carolina huddle
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  toward the end of the game?
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  >> Um, not really. Uh, you know, the coach
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  stopped talking when I got over there
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  looking for a text, so I wasn't able to
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  get the information I needed.
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  >> What do you think about Philip here
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  recently? Obviously had a huge game
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  against South Carolina. Early since play
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  began, he's he's he's really stepped up.
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  What what you've seen on the couch?
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  >> He's a dog. I mean, he gives us energy
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  every single day. We know what to get
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  we're going to get out of Philip every
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  single night. You know, he he just wants
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  to win. Um you know, he's a great guy
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  off the floor. Always smiling, always
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  happy. Um just somebody that I know I'm
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  ready to go to war with every night.
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  the team that you were a part of last
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  year had such a specific kind of half
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  court identity with the players and the
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  personnel that you had. When this team
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  you're on right now is playing at its
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  best. What would you how would you
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  describe the identity out there?
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  >> Um fast pace um and just gritty. You
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  know, we try to get down the floor,
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  score either early or late in the clock
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  and just get stops on defense. We know
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  that stops is what's going to get our
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  offense going. And so we just try to
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  play play the hardest we can on defense
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  and make it easier as our offense.
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  >> I as I asked Stephen about it, but Dylan
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  Cardwell his success in the league. I'm
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  sure you've seen over the past several
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  games. I guess you haven't played with
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  him last season aren't surprised. What
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  does it mean to you him as an undrafted
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  guy that you kind of sting his claim in
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  the NBA?
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  >> Um we all knew this was going to happen.
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  You know, we seen this all last year. Um
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  he's just it's just Dylan. you know,
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  he's going to give it his all every time
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  he goes out there and um he was just
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  blessed with the opportunity in the NBA,
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  you know, after going undrafted and he's
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  making a he's making the best of it.
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  Happy for him.
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  >> What do you think the key is for you
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  guys to string together, you know,
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  multiple defensive games maybe like like
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  the one you had against South Carolina
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  against a team like Old Miss?
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  >> Just not getting too high, you know, um
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  just staying staying at the same level
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  that we are. um go into the same game
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  with the same energy that we did the
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  game before. You know, um every game is
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  is going to be the best game for us. You
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  know, it's we don't look at the next
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  game, we don't look at the day after,
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  the day before. We just try to, you
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  know, stay focused on that game and just
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  keep going from there.
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  >> Any answer, Todd?
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  >> All right. Appreciate your help. Thank