As he has many times this season, Dana Altman was falling on his sword in taking the blame for Creighton's poor offensive showing in Saturday's loss to Missouri State.

“We didn't have a good flow tonight, and we had people in the wrong positions,'' Altman said. “That's my fault.''

An observer reminded Altman that the Bluejays are 24 games and 80-some practices into this season. By now, shouldn't guys know where they should be and what they should be doing? When are the thousands of free throws shot in practice or the daily rebounding drills going to transfer into consistent on-court efforts during games?

“Yeah, some of the block-outs weren't my fault and the missed free throws aren't my fault,'' Altman replied. “Those are those guys' responsibilities. But our offense wasn't what I envisioned it would be tonight.''

This has been a season that hardly anyone could have envisioned for the Bluejays. They are 12-12 heading into Tuesday's home game against Indiana State. Their next Missouri Valley Conference loss or Northern Iowa win will mathematically eliminate them from the race.

Realistically, the Bluejays have been out of it for a long time.

With six games left — five in league play — Creighton is playing only to improve its positioning for next month's Valley tournament. Its string of 11 straight 20-win seasons is in jeopardy. Postseason play — a staple of the program since 1998 — also is not guaranteed.

The frustration meter is running on high with the players, the coaching staff and the fans. Two Creighton fans seated behind press row at Saturday's game in Springfield, Mo., became more exasperated as things deteriorated in the second half of the 70-52 loss.

Finally, one turned to a Missouri State fan seated next to him and asked, “You guys have any good bars in this town? I'm tried of watching this (expletive).''

Still, Creighton isn't the only program that has enjoyed a high level of success over an extended period of time that is driving its fans to drink. A year after winning the national championship, North Carolina's struggles have a future Hall of Fame coach searching for answers.

Roy Williams' Tar Heels are in 10th place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 2-6 record. They stand 13-10 overall, and some observers are questioning whether they, even with their great tradition, will get a chance to play in the NCAA tournament.

How frustrated is Williams? Consider comments he made a week ago after a 15-point loss at home to Virginia.

“The things I've preached the previous 21 years seemed to work, and the things I preach this year that are the same as those 21 (years) haven't worked,'' Williams said. “I'm at my wit's end, but at the same time, I still have to keep trying something. I still have to keep working, and I still have to make sure they keep working.

“If not, we don't have any chance whatsoever.''

Granted, North Carolina's roster is freshman-laden and the Tar Heels play in one of the toughest conferences in the country. Williams is quick to blame himself when things aren't working, but at some point he knows, like Altman, that a certain degree of responsibility falls onto the players.

“I've lived a pretty charmed life,'' he said. “Kids have always just bought into what we said, and it seemed to work. It hasn't seemed to work as well this year, so we just have to keep trying.''

Altman undoubtedly can empathize with Williams. Altman's track record in 30 seasons of Division I coaching suggests what he's taught can bring success, but there is a degree of disconnect with this season's team that has led to inconsistency from game to game and practice to practice.

There is a faction of Creighton fans that seems to believe that Altman's sometimes stubborn ways aren't working with the athletes of 2010. He's had to suspend P'Allen Stinnett, the team's talented but sometimes troubled junior guard, for conduct unacceptable to the team.

But in talking with Stinnett's teammates, there doesn't seem to be any discontent in what Altman's staff is trying to get across to them. They continually say that the quickest way to dig themselves out of the hole is to put more, not less, trust into Altman and his coaches.

“I felt coach Altman did a good job of getting us ready for this game,'' freshman guard Josh Jones said after the Missouri State game. “But no matter how much coaching he does, it's all up to the players to go out and perform.

“As a unit, we probably could have done a better job of getting ourselves ready. The plan was there, but our execution was not.''

Jones' postgame comments were echoed by senior forward Justin Carter and junior center Kenny Lawson. The fans, they say, can blame whomever they want for the disintegration of the high hopes that were brought into this season but a lot of it should come back to them.

“We know we're a better team than this,'' Carter said. “We're still trying to fight through this. It's on us.''

Today, Altman will do the only thing he knows how to do when things aren't working according to plan. He'll get the players back onto the practice floor, work on their deficiencies and try to accentuate their strengths.

“We just have to keep working,'' he said. “We didn't take a step in the right direction but those things happen. We just have to bounce back and get ready for the next one. We'd like to get more consistent but to do that, everyone on the team has to get more consistent.''

The one constant if the Bluejays continue to struggle is that Altman will take the blame rather than throw his players under the bus. But the bottom line is that there is plenty of blame for all.

“We still have a chance but we have to change,'' Lawson said. “We have to have a sense of urgency. We can't change the past, but we have to make the most out of the opportunities we still have.''

Contact the writer:

679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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