Penny Hardaway said it again to start off an especially depressing news conference inside FedExForum.

He said it just like he has so many times in previous years when Memphis basketball lost a game it shouldn’t have. He said it before putting the blame on himself, and he said it again after putting the blame on himself. He said it even though the more he says it, the worse it looks for him.

“We’re being taught the right stuff,” Hardaway told reporters. “We’re not doing it.”

This was Hardaway's clumsy way of trying to explain to the fans and media how hard he's working in the aftermath of the Tigers’ demoralizing 74-71 setback to Rice Wednesday, their fourth defeat in a row. He did this despite mounting evidence that many of those same fans he’s trying to speak to don’t care how hard he’s working if he’s not winning, They view these sorts of statements as throwing his players under the bus, even if it’s unlikely that’s what Hardaway is intending to do.

But the Memphis basketball coach finished this familiar thought with something that felt far more alarming than another attempt to prove this wasn’t entirely his fault.

“I don’t know why now, though,” Hardaway said.

Some version of that came up repeatedly as he surveyed the mess the Tigers have made of their once-promising season in a matter of two weeks. They’ve gone from a top-10 team to a team that's now firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble – and maybe on the outside looking in when it wakes up Thursday.

This is now different – different than any of the other chaotic moments in time during Hardaway’s tenure as head coach. This time, he doesn’t sound defiant. He didn’t tell reporters to stop asking stupid (bleeping) questions like two years ago, when Memphis was floundering in conference play.

This time, he admitted to having no answers. This time, he seemed dejected and demoralized.

“It’s very ugly right now for us because of the way we’re playing,” Hardaway said, “and that’s a reflection of me.”

Indeed, what seemed like the best Memphis team since the John Calipari era not so long ago has gotten incredibly messy. There are concerns about chemistry and rotations that Hardaway has dealt with in the past and concerns about defense and the impact of name, image and likeness in the locker room that weren't so prevalent before.

So a team that won back-to-back-to-back games against ranked opponents in December just closed January with probably the worst loss this program has suffered since Tubby Smith’s last season – on the heels of giving up 97 points in a loss at UAB that came after a week of practices spent addressing the team's deficient defense.

Another Selection Sunday scramble is what everybody hoped to avoid this season. This was about getting a better seed to increase the odds of going on a March Madness run. It seemed possible, even probable, when the Tigers rolled through their daunting non-conference schedule so smoothly.

And it’s all out the window after two stunningly bad weeks.

Now, all of the questions about whether Hardaway can get this program to the places he says he wants to get it to – and the fans want to get back to – will rightfully resurface.

It’s premature to give a definitive answer, particularly since Memphis could still make an NCAA tournament push, as bleak as it appears for now. Point guard Jahvon Quinerly struck a hopeful tone while defending Hardaway, predicting this latest loss to a team that entered Wednesday ranked No. 248 in the NET rankings would be a turning point.

But I don’t blame you for asking if Hardaway can fix this or, beyond this season, if he can find some semblance of sustained stability for the program. Because, right now, he doesn’t sound so sure himself.

ADVICE: What Kendric Davis told Jahvon Quinerly to help Memphis basketball get back on track

He tried changing the starting lineup Wednesday and it produced a ghastly first half. The offense was stagnant and almost completely devoid of assists before halftime. The defense couldn’t get a stop when it mattered after Memphis took a late lead.

After going back-and-forth – on the podium with reporters and during his postgame radio interview – blaming the players for not following his game plan and then blaming himself, Hardaway said there’s a “humongous disconnect” with this group. But then he proclaimed there’s no disconnect between him and his players.

Hardaway said he couldn’t put his finger on why “something has shifted since we’ve gotten into conference,” perhaps forgetting that he may have contributed to that by announcing in October “nonconference is pretty much our season.”

He conceded this team hasn’t been the same since he brought Kansas State transfer Nae’Qwan Tomlin into the fold in December. He didn’t mention that this four-game losing skid also coincides with the decision to allow Jordan Brown back after he all but quit the team. Despite taking that risk, Hardaway is barely playing Brown.

“I pulled every string I could pull with this group,” Hardaway said. “There’s a lot going on, but still we’ve got to be able to come together to win a game. It seems so hard for us on both sides of the ball and I don’t know why. I just don’t know why.”

It all eventually comes back to that same maddening reality – the season is falling apart and Hardaway, as of now, hasn't figured out how to put it back together.

You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on X: @mgiannotto

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis basketball is falling apart. Penny Hardaway doesn't know why