Yes, Auburn certainly misses the 12-plus points per game Tay Waller typically provided last season.

But oh, coach Jeff Lebo said, there is so much more the Tigers could miss for their third, fourth and fifth games to start the season this weekend at the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Tigers play UCF today, IUPUI on Saturday and North Carolina State on Sunday in the three-games-in-three-days tournament. And Waller, who has been bothered by a sore quadriceps muscle, could be out for all three.

First, the basics as to what Waller brings to the Tigers when he’s actually healthy.

“He is our best shooter and one of our best defensive players,” Lebo said. “He does a lot.”

The Tigers, who rely heavily on the deep ball, have made five less than their first two opponents and are doing it with a success rate just below 20 percent. Opponents are hitting just under 30 percent.

That’s a testament to Waller’s absence on both offense and defense, as Waller had a knack of playing tough perimeter defense and stopping shots before they even happened on his way to 53 steals.

And it’s a testament, Lebo said, to the unquantifiable energy Waller provides when he hits one of those off-balance 3’s.

“The one thing that Tay provides for us when he is making shots, it seems to be contagious to the rest of the crew,” Lebo said. “We haven’t shot the ball very well.”

Lebo said he counted 14 wide-open looks from the perimeter that went uncashed in the tigers’ 73-62 loss at Missouri State on Monday. The Tigers also had just 26 points in the paint compared to the Bears’ 32.

You can put that on Waller, too.

“He stretches the defense and opens up some things for us inside,” Lebo said. “Also, when you play Frankie and him together, that’s two very good shooters on the perimeter so he is a factor out there for us.”

If Waller is absent for today’s game, Lebo will likely go with true freshman Earnest Ross for a third consecutive game.

Ross certainly looks the part, standing at 6-foot-5 and a muscular 215 pounds, but was originally considered a defense-first player at the start of the season. He’s scored 10 points in the first two games, going 4-of-12 from the field and just 1-of-6 from 3-point range.

That, along with the addition of four other new faces in Auburn’s rotation, has made life a little difficult for point guard DeWayne Reed, who leads the team with 18 points per game but has 12 turnovers to his six assists.

“Sometimes, he is trying to maybe do a little too much yet,” Lebo said. “He is trying to get used to them. They are trying to get used to him. He is playing with big guys who haven’t played a whole heck of a lot and another perimeter guy who hasn’t played a whole heck of a lot. They are still learning each other.”

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