Takeaways: No. 12 Auburn falls 81-65 to Florida
The No. 12 Auburn Tigers (19-5, 8-3 SEC) fell 81-65 at the hands of the Florida Gators (16-7, 6-4 SEC) for its 15th straight loss in Gainesville.
Auburn never held a lead in this game. Florida jumped out in from quickly and never looked back.
What are the main takeaways from the game?
Auburn could not overcome its bad start
Florida opened up the game with a 9-0 run. Auburn's first points came from a Johni Broome dunk 3:16 into the game.
Auburn nearly broke back into the game multiple times throughout the first half but could never get closer than seven points.
Slow starts on the road have been a consistent part of Auburn's season, particularly during conference play.
Auburn has some challenging road tests remaining on its schedule and will be looking to break this trend.
Poor 3-point shooting and poor defense is not a good combination
Auburn shot 3-17 or 17.6% from 3-point range, one of its worst performances of the season from beyond the arc.
Additionally, Auburn had one of its worst defensive performances of the season.
The Tigers allow only 66.5 points per game on average, placing them at No. 2 in the SEC. Florida passed that mark with 11:31 remaining in the game.
Florida does have one of the better offenses in the SEC averaging 84.9 points per game, but Auburn was lost on the defensive end.
K.D. Johnson had one of his better scoring performances
K.D. Johnson was Auburn's second-highest scorer with 12 points, closely following Broome who had 14. This was the seventh time this season that Johnson scored in double figures.
Johnson's role does not always involve him being a scorer, but it does involve him providing the team with a spark.
Johnson did his best to do just that in this game despite the result.
What's Next?
Auburn takes on the No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks at home inside Neville Arena on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT. The television broadcast can be found on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be streamed anywhere on the Auburn Athletics app.