Tough one to swallow for the Auburn men's basketball team tonight. It basically came down to two stats. You decide which was more detrimental. Auburn was ...

• 5-for-27 from 3-point range (18.5 percent)
• 10-for-21 from the free throw line (47.6 percent)

I vote for both. It was a dreadful offensive showing all around against a Florida team that, despite now being 16-2, was definitely beatable.

"The worst feeling is that we gave it away," forward Rasheem Barrett said.

This makes the Tigers 10-6 overall and 0-2 in the SEC. They play Alabama on Saturday before traveling to Kentucky and Arkansas next week. There is a definite possibility of starting the conference season 0-5.

Some thoughts from the game ...

• Auburn looked good defensively. It made Florida, a team averaging almost 80 points per game, look extremely average offensively. The Gators weren't much better from 3-point range (5-for-23) but made them when they counted, hitting three in the final four minutes.

• The free throw thing is mind-boggling. The Tigers are shooting an SEC-worst 59.2 percent from the line this season. “It’s been my experience that when you really have to focus on free throws, there is a problem, because it becomes a mental problem,” Auburn head coach Jeff Lebo said. “At least four of our losses, if we shoot just average from the free throw line, we would have won those games. It is disheartening.”

• Quantez Robinson had the roughest night from the line. He was 0-for-6 and missed the front end of two one-and-ones when Auburn trailed by only two points in the final few minutes. Lebo had some harsh words afterward: “When you are out on the floor, you have to step up, especially seniors. You have to be able to make those shots. You can’t do that in this league and expect to win.”

• Barrett stepped up for the Tigers. The senior, who was hampered early in the season by a groin injury and hasn't really hit his stride, scored a season-high 15 points Wednesday. He seemed to be the only player who could make a shot for Auburn down the stretch.

• Korvotney Barber and Lucas Hargrove were active on the offensive end in the first half, combining to go 11-for-13 from the floor for 23 points. The second half? They were 1-for-5 for two points.

• Shooters Tay Waller and DeWayne Reed really struggled. The guards combined to go 6-for-24, including 4-for-16 from long range. Two of Reed's 3-pointers came in the final five seconds, when the Gators weren't even guarding him.

• Florida, which was out-rebounded 46-22 by Ole Miss its last time out, held a 46-36 advantage on the boards Wednesday.

• Oh, and Johnnie Lett isn't necessarily this team's saving grace. After missing the SEC opener because of an academic issue, Lett returned Wednesday. He played seven minutes, didn't score, missed both of his shots and grabbed one rebound.