Charles Nailen/The Hoya Head Coach Craig Esherick at the press conference following Georgetown’s loss to Virginia

Classes weren’t in session, but the Georgetown men’s basketball team was nonetheless taken to school over break, losing four straight contests (three to ranked teams) and starting off 0-2 in Big East play. It began with a tough loss to then-No. 5 Virginia in a rematch of 1982’s titanic Ralph Sampson-Patrick Ewing faceoff and ended with a hard-to-swallow overtime loss to Rutgers, with defeats to No. 15 UCLA and No. 21 Miami thrown in.

This tough stretch has dropped the Hoyas to 9-5 on the season and knocked them out of both top 25 polls, while Georgetown’s RPI has fallen to 100. This leaves the Hoyas with quite a hill to climb in order to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, and it doesn’t get any easier for Georgetown with four of the next six games coming against ranked teams, starting with No. 16 Boston College tomorrow (1 p.m., CBS).

After cruising to an early 9-1 record that saw Georgetown roll over MEAC teams but rack up only one quality victory (over South Carolina), the Hoyas stumbled when the level of competition rose. Beginning with Virginia, Georgetown has struggled at both ends of the court, failing to put together 40 minutes of solid basketball.

Georgetown welcomed Virginia into its house for the final of the John Thompson Classic on Dec. 20 and played the role of good host, falling 14 points behind the Cavaliers in the first half. The Hoyas didn’t roll over, fighting back to narrow the Virginia lead to four points multiple times in the closing minutes, but it was not enough. Virginia 61, Georgetown 55.

Next up for the Hoyas was a trip to venerable Pauley Pavilion to take on UCLA after a few days off for Christmas. The Hoya five must have still had visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, because UCLA completely blew Georgetown out of the water in the opening minutes, rolling to a 22-point first-half lead.

Unfortunately for the Hoyas, this time the comeback was furious but too late. Sophomore swingman Gerald Riley cut the lead to 71-63 with 7:40 remaining, but the Bruins widened their lead again, and it took a flurry of three pointers from guards senior Kevin Braswell and freshman Tony Bethel in the closing minutes to keep the score respectable. UCLA 98, Georgetown 91.

The new year brought new hope for Georgetown, along with the opening of Big East play against Miami on Jan. 2, but it was the same old story for the Hoyas. Another slow start left Georgetown with a 37-25 halftime deficit, the second straight game the Hoyas had found themselves in a double-digit hole at the break.

The second half saw the game turn around as the Hoyas pounded the ball into sophomore forward Mike Sweetney, who finished with 25 points. A bucket by junior forward Courtland Freeman tied the game at 68 with four minutes to go, but Miami scored the next two baskets and iced the game by sinking five of six free throws in the closing minutes. Miami 78, Georgetown 71.

After three straight losses to top-25 teams, all by single digits, Georgetown traveled to New Jersey this past Saturday, ready to take out their aggression on an out-manned Rutgers squad. Early on, the Hoyas did, taking a 19-point first-half lead and completely dominating Rutgers at both ends of the court. A run by the Scarlet Knights cut the halftime lead to eight, but Georgetown seemed to still be in control of the game.

The Hoyas led by seven with three minutes to go, but the Scarlet Knights went on a 7-0 run to end regulation tied at 80. Georgetown again pulled ahead, scoring the first two buckets of the extra session, but Rutgers scored nine of the game’s final 11 points for the victory. Rutgers 89, Georgetown 87.

This was far and away the most disappointing of the Hoyas’ games over break, but each of Georgetown’s four straight losses has been frustrating for different reasons. The team has struggled at certain things throughout the streak – consistent themes that need to be resolved by the coaching staff: Boxing out. Three-point defense. Outside shooting. The void at the center position. Horrible starts. And, most importantly, coming up short on the scoreboard.

Sweetney continues to be the Hoyas’ savior, averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds per game over the past four games, but it has been his frontcourt mate that has fallen off the radar more than any other Hoya. Junior Center Wesley Wilson has averaged a paltry four points and two rebounds over the same stretch, disappearing at both ends of the floor after ravaging softer opponents early in the season.

Despite Wilson’s struggles, the blame for the losing streak does not rest upon any single person’s shoulders. Georgetown needs better decisions from Braswell, one of its guards to step up and consistently hit the three, someone to step up at the small forward spot, a better inside presence on defense (especially when it comes to rebounding) and a little luck certainly wouldn’t hurt.

The Hoyas have suffered through a tough four-game losing streak, but the season is far from over. Georgetown has faced tough competition and shown it can play with any team they will face this year, and a turnaround is more than possible but will have to start soon if the Hoyas’ NCAA Tournament hopes aren’t to go up in smoke.