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Trademark of this Texas basketball team: Inconsistency

AUSTIN — If you really want to sum up the regular season for this Texas men's basketball team, the best description is very much a broken record.

It ended the regular season SEC schedule just as it started it.

With an overtime loss at home.

A 3-point loss to Mississippi State at Moody Center.

A 3-point loss to Oklahoma at Moody Center.

Twin losses to two teams very unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament. Texas could easily fall into that same category, should it lose to Ole Miss — another NCAA tourney wannabe — on Wednesday night in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

And the Longhorns lost to the Bulldogs and to the Sooners 88-85 Saturday night because they are flat out lousy on defense.

They justifiably rank 110th nationally in defensive efficiency.

They equally justifiably rank 10th nationally in offensive efficiency.

But you can't be half a team and have any realistic expectations of doing any damage in March. Other than damage to your program's reputation.

The Longhorns are horrible on defense. Just pitiful.

They can't keep guards in front of them. They don't defend the rim as much as they gather in that location to take the ball out of the basket after an opponent's score so they can race back downcourt to do what it does best.

Score the basketball.

But this is a team that must outscore the other side to have any chance at victory.

However, even though their season is a broken record, their team is not.

I don't get that sense at all.

Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark were made available in the postgame press conference. Both expressed faith in this team and gratitude for its fans. Pope even took a moment afterward to put into words how much he has genuinely appreciated his two seasons in Austin after transferring from Oregon State.

I could even make the case that the Longhorns are not that far off. Some might say that's a lie. But if you take a game into overcome, you have just as good a chance at winning as you do losing.

Had Texas won both those overtime games, it'd be sitting here at 11-7 and probably expecting to be seeded seventh or eighth in the dance. But that's what losers say. Winners bounce back and play up to their potential.

The results in those two difference-making games came down to much the same pattern. Mississippi State scored 101 points in its upset of Texas, and Oklahoma scored 88.

In the former, Dailyn Swain first showed a glimpse of how talented a playmaker he is. The junior swingman scored a career-high 34 points in that defeat, but fouled out with 1:20 left in the game. Texas' offense vanished along with him.

In the latter, Swain mostly deferred to his less-talented teammates and didn't even attempt a shot the last 13-plus minutes of the second half and overtime. That can't happen on this team, and it doomed the Longhorns to an ignominious defeat even though Oklahoma is playing its best basketball of the year.

Texas, on the other hand, is not. Not even close.

A case can be made that Texas' worst two games of the year were these back-to-back losses to Arkansas and OU that may have sealed its fate as a team on the outside looking in.

If forced to predict, I think the Longhorns will beat Ole Miss in Nashville and still get in the field, if barely. But that could well depend on other bid-stealers around the country. And I believe this offensively gifted squad could either get left out of the tournament or get an at-large bid and even win two games or get killed in its first-round game.

This team has been so unreliable that fans can't trust it to produce at a high level. Its inconsistency has been its trademark. And, yes, that sounds like a broken record.

Kirk Bohls, University of Texas Columnist

kirk.bohls@houstonchronicle.com

Around the Horns

Vic Schaefer's Longhorns buried defending SEC tournament and regular-season champion South Carolina in the SEC league final Sunday in Greenvile, S.C. The Longhorns never trailed, racing to a 27-12 first-quarter lead. Justice Carlton of Katy scored 13 of her 15 points in the opening period, and Madison Booker added 18 one day after putting up 30 on Ole Miss, and Texas never let up to win its first SEC Tournament championship. … The significance of the win can't be overstated because the victory likely moves Texas (31-3) ahead of South Carolina for the valuable third No. 1 national seed and a probably regional berth in Fort Worth rather than a long road trip to Sacramento if the Longhorns win their first two NCAA games at Moody Center.

The Texas baseball team continues to soar as one of only two undefeated Division 1 teams, improving to 15-0 to match USC's record after the Trojans swept Illinois. The Longhorns swept a mid-major powerhouse that has won 35 games or more for five straight seasons and beat USC Upstate 13-3 in the finale. Reserve Josh Livingston and first baseman Casey Borba combined to hit three home runs, drive in 11 runs and make a winner out of freshman reliever Michael Winter, who threw 2⅓ scoreless innings and allowed just one hit one day after recording his first save.

Quote of the Week

“

We have to come out and play super desperate like it's our last game, which it could be.

– Tramon Mark on SEC tournament

”

Stat of the week

Who's hot

Ruger Riojas, Texas' ace, struck out a career-high 12 USC Update batters Friday night and now has 42 strikeouts and only three walks in his four starts.

Who's not

Cam Heide played almost 21 minutes against OU and finished with two points, one rebound, one assist and four fouls.

📬 Texas Mailbag

Q: Shouldn't Sarkisian's "success" be measured against the backdrop of Texas having the biggest budget in the country? That being the case…I think he's underachieved. — Ben in Houston

KB: Not sure Texas has the biggest budget in football. Texas Tech probably wins that honor. But to your point, the Longhorns have more than ample financial resources and had a payroll topping $35 million, a very connected source told me. But it's never simply about money. I also agree that Sarkisian did underachieve for his failure to crack the 12-team College Football Playoff field. He really needs to make the postseason or risk undoing all of the momentum from two CFP runs to the semifinals.

Q: Please tell me that when we don't make the big dance we will not accept the NIT — Wayne, Galveston

KB: Can't promise you that. More games of any kind means more time for younger players to get better. But I understand your intent. The NIT's significance has dwindled to the point that it's almost a sign of disrespect to even accept an invitation. Sean Miller would probably be ready to just say goodbye to this flawed team. I feel your pain.

Q: How could the Horns be "flat" against the Hogs at Walton before 19,000 screamers? Did the coaching staff not prepare them for the hate? — Jerry

KB: I don't think they were ready emotionally. So many Longhorns also fail to grasp the ferocity of this rivalry, at least on the part of the Razorbacks. I blame a lot of it on Texas feeling sassy and overconfident after beating A&M to virtually clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Or at least the players mistakenly thought they had. Miller and his staff definitely deserve big criticism for not having their team ready.

❓ Send me your questions: If you have questions you want answered about Texas, A&M, Oklahoma, the SEC or college football, please send them to me at kirk.bohls@houstonchronicle.com.