Let’s admit it: After Monday night’s loss at West Virginia, Georgetown basketball is not exactly in the best shape it’s been in all year.

Or is it?

There’s a group of 14 students and a team of coaches who would tell us we’re wrong, and that’s Georgetown women’s basketball. The Lady Hoyas are for real, and if you haven’t yet taken notice, you need to start right now. Forget about the men’s losses to USF, Rutgers (Rutgers?!) and Luke-Harangody-less Notre Dame. The women’s team took care of business against those three schools this season – and then some.

With their 71-49 thrashing of Seton Hall at McDonough Arena on Monday night’s senior day, the Lady Hoyas finished their best regular season in program history at 25-5 overall and 13-3 in the Big East. They have almost half as many losses as the men’s squad and six more wins. They have risen to the top as a No. 3 seed heading into the Big East tournament while the men languish in the middle of the conference standings. To put it simply, the women win, and right now, they are the best basketball team on campus.

What makes the Lady Hoyas’ standout season all the more impressive is the long road they have traveled to get to this point and the odds they had overcome to make it happen. It’s been 17 years since Georgetown last appeared in the women’s NCAA tournament, and only once has the team made it to the Sweet 16. This year, they were unranked yet again and picked to finish eighth in the conference by the Preseason Big East Coaches’ Poll.

But little did the Big East know that these are not your mother’s Lady Hoyas.

The team has been sparked by the arrival of sensational freshman guard Ta’Shauna “Sugar” Rodgers, who leads the team and ranks third in the conference with 18.1 points per game. Yesterday, the Suffolk, Va. native became the first freshman in Georgetown history – and the first Georgetown player since Rebekkah Brunson in 2004 – to be named to the All-Big East first team. Junior guard Monica McNutt was also recognized, earning second-team All-Big East honors after averaging 11.6 points per game and recording a team-high 72 steals.

Behind the firepower of Rodgers and McNutt, Georgetown has knocked off some of the best teams in the country on its way to the No. 12 ranking in the AP Poll. On Feb. 2 they took down current No. 16 St. John’s 67-57. Then, in a follow-up statement game after a close loss at current No. 9 West Virginia, Georgetown toppled perennial powerhouse and then-No. 4 Notre Dame in front of a packed house at McDonough Gymnasium on Feb. 20. The record crowd witnessed undoubtedly the biggest win in program history that day as three Lady Hoyas – Rodgers and sophomore forwards Adria Crawford and Latia Magee – scored in double figures.

In all fairness, the men’s team has garnered some big-time wins of its own this year, beating the likes of ranked opponents such as Duke, Villanova, Butler and Pittsburgh. But what has been frustrating for all of us to watch is the inconsistency of the men’s side, which has not won more than two consecutive games in the new year.

In contrast, the women are good and have proven it game-in and game-out. They set a new Georgetown record with 16 straight victories at one point this season. They have won 24 of their last 27, and only one of their three losses in that span came against an unranked opponent (at Marquette on Jan. 27, where the men also lost earlier in the year). The Lady Hoyas even did some damage against the most dominant team in NCAA athletics, the No. 1 Connecticut Huskies. UConn’s largest deficit in a game this year is just six, but it was Georgetown that forced them to overcome it in their matchup last Saturday.

Heading into the postseason, the Lady Hoyas have a double bye in the Big East tournament and are looking to turn a strong showing there into a No. 3 or even a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Not long ago, it looked like the men would have the same goal in early March, but now they are gasping for air after losing four of five as they teeter on the verge of falling out of the top eight seeds in the conference. Their final game of the regular season against Cincinnati tomorrow will go a long way toward deciding whether they manage to stay in the top half of the Big East, and they will likely have to play without much fan support due to the start of spring break. Remember what happened the last time a quiet gathering was held at Verizon Center? (Hint: USF).

I’m not saying that it’s time to stick a fork in Georgetown men’s basketball or that you shouldn’t be supporting Greg Monroe & Co. more than ever as they struggle through the most trying stretch of their season. But, to be honest, it’s a winning team that deserves attention from the fans. This year, the women’s basketball team is a winner, and they have earned your respect and fandom.

The Lady Hoyas begin play in the Big East tournament with their quarterfinal game on Sunday night at 8 p.m. in Hartford, Conn. If you can find the game on TV, watch it. If you live in or around Hartford, try to get a ticket. If you can do neither of those things, at least check the score online. These players and coaches are good, fun to watch, and right now, they’re the best team in town.

Connor Gregoire is a freshman in the College. For Love of the Game appears in every other Friday issue of Hoya Sports.

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