Following two consecutive losses, Alabama exits the SEC championship race. Three things to note

Two weeks ago, Alabama head coach Nate Oats believed his squad was peaking at the ideal time, riding a four-game winning streak. That its momentum might continue into March, allowing it to win another conference regular-season championship and begin preparing for the tournament. But the Crimson Tide struck another valley on Tuesday night.

In a key Southeastern Conference game, No. 16 Alabama (20-10, 12-5) lost by a landslide for the second time in as many games. With its 105-87 performance against Florida (21-9, 11-6), UA lost its last four games and most certainly eliminated from the SEC regular-season championship competition.

The Tide was atrocious from 3-point range and was no better on the defensive end, allowing at least 80 points in its fifth-straight outing. And with a teetering offense, Oats will go into Saturday’s regular-season finale with more questions than answers

Here are our takeaways.

3s, please

The score was close for about 15 minutes with Grant Nelson scoring three buckets in a row to cut the Gators lead to two points. Florida ended the half on a 19-12 run as Walter Clayton Jr. (22 points) took advantage of another off night from 3-point range for the Tide.

Alabama went 5 of 23 from range overall after missing its initial nine attempts. A pair of second-half makes that kept the margin within double digits, yet the Tide missed its next seven deep tries. Alabama has needed a historic offensive pace to keep up with a lackluster defense all year. But in losing back-to-back games for the first time since December, Alabama is left searching for guards.