The upset bid for Oklahoma was always going to be a tough task at No. 1 Auburn on Tuesday. That proved to be the case, as it was an uphill battle the entire night.

The Sooners fell to Auburn, 98-70, and drop to 16-6 and 3-6 in SEC play.

The Sooners were certainly competitive, particularly early. They got 16 combined points from Jalon Moore and Jeremiah Fears to open the game, and a 3-pointer from Luke Norweather cut the Auburn lead to 38-34 with under four minutes left before halftime. The Tigers took a 10-point lead into halftime, but the Sooners kept within striking distance.

But in the second half, the talent advantage to be too much to overcome. The Tigers hit seven 3-pointers in the second half alone, and their lead grew to as many as 30 points. The Sooners shot just 33% overall from the floor and lost the battle in key areas like turnovers (15-7) and rebounding (38-28).

— The Sooners were nearly perfect from the free-throw line, making 27 of their 29 attempts (93%). They were fine from the 3-point line (7-23)

But overall, they shot poorly from the field as Auburn dialed up the pressure, particularly on true freshman guard Jeremiah Fears (10 points, 1/7 shooting, five turnovers).

The other issue? The Sooners fought hard defensively, but they were overwhelmed by Auburn's talent. The Tigers shot 53% and they simply got too many easy shots — they recorded six dunks and 12 layups, which played a huge role in the Tigers recording a 46-20 advantage in the paint.

The Tigers were led by Johni Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara, who each had 15 points.

— The Tigers logged 11 blocks as a team. The Sooners logged zero.

— Moore was certainly not afraid to attack the top-ranked Tigers, scoring eight points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first eight minutes of the game. But after scoring a contested layup, Moore was assessed a (questionable at best) technical after he let out some emotional.

After that, Moore never found a rhythm. He missed he next six shots, and three of them were blocked.

Moore finished with 11 points and one rebound on 5/12 shooting, finishing with his toughest performance in conference play.

— The Sooners are in the danger zone with their center rotation, particularly as Sam Godwin's struggles have continued. Over the last eight games, Godwin is averaging 3.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in over 16 minutes per game.

Godwin finished with two points and two rebounds against the Tigers and was limited with four fouls.

There were good moments from Mohamed Wague and Luke Northweather, who hit two 3-pointers in the first half. But it's clear that the Sooners' bigs face a huge disadvantage against the top teams in the SEC.

— Dayton Forsythe continues to see an expanded role, logging at least 20 minutes for the third consecutive game. His shots didn't fall (1/8 from the field) but he made all nine of his free throw attempts to finish with 11 points. Forsythe led the Sooners in scoring with 12 points. Moore, Kobe Elvis and Fears also finished with double-digit points.

— Things don't get much easier this weekend. The Sooners host No. 4 Tennessee on Saturday at 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, softball, basketball, and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!

Follow us on Twitter @OUInsider and on Instagram @ouinsiderofficial!

Subscribe on YouTube by clicking here for daily video content on all things Oklahoma!