Double trouble

The Hoyas now need some heroics.

Torrid Villanova added another stretch-run scratch to Georgetown’s NCAA tournament resume yesterday, overwhelming the Hoyas 67-65 in front of 11,770 at MCI Center.

Suddenly mired in a three-game losing streak, the Hoyas (16-9, 8-6 Big East) travel to No.17 Connecticut on Wednesday with their postseason prospects quickly fading and time running out on a once-promising season.

“It’s extremely disappointing,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said after watching yet another slow start doom his young Hoyas. “But we’ve been fortunate enough to put ourselves in a position where at this time of the year games are important. And it’s not over. The Connecticut game is important. The Providence game [Saturday] is important. And the Big East tournament [March 9-12] is important. We’re fighting here. We’re scrapping. And we’re still in the mix.”

The Hoyas probably need at least two victories between now and Selection Sunday to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

A win yesterday would have given Georgetown a season sweep of the Wildcats (19-6, 9-5) and a major boost in the RPI rankings. But Villanova, a team playing exponentially better than the squad the Hoyas toppled 66-64 on the road six weeks ago, isn’t anybody’s patsy.

Ever since the Wildcats destroyed then-No.2 Kansas 83-62 on Jan.22, the Wildcats have been one of the nation’s most formidable teams. And yesterday, the most compelling question wasn’t whether Villanova was the better team in the building but whether they are the best team in the Big East.

“They are playing at a very high level across the board,” Thompson said of the Wildcats, who have won five straight and seven of eight on their march toward the top of the conference standings. “They are one of several teams in this league who can go deep into the [NCAA] tournament.”

That doesn’t excuse the fact the Hoyas missed 12 of their first 15 shots, mostly open looks, en route to falling behind 27-11 late in the first half. But even when Georgetown’s shots started to drop, the margin didn’t, a testament to Villanova’s offensive prowess and superior firepower.

The disparity in personnel between the two teams was as obvious as Villanova’s defensive gameplan:

“This team decided not to let [Georgetown freshman forward Jeff Green] touch the ball,” Thompson said. “I mean we could not get him the ball, and when we did get it to him, they doubled and sometimes tripled him right away.”

Green, Georgetown’s most consistent offensive option and five-time conference rookie of the week, was held to a career-low five points on five shots. Bowman picked up some of the scoring slack by posting a game-high 22. But no other Georgetown player escaped single digits. And minus Bowman’s 8-for-15 effort from the field, the rest of the team finished a woeful 11-for-40.

No such singularly focused defense can be employed successfully against the Wildcats. Bowman, for instance, did an excellent job on Curtis Sumpter (11 points, nine rebounds), last week’s Big East player of the week. And Mike Nardi, Villanova’s regular starter at the point, sat out with a severe ankle sprain. No matter. Less a star and a starter, three other Wildcats stepped to the fore. Slasher Allan Ray paced the Wildcats with 18 points, but the difference-makers were power forward Will Sheridan and backup point man Kyle Lowry.

Sheridan dropped a season-high 14 points on the Hoyas, most coming when the defense collapsed on Sumpter or Ray, and collected nine rebounds (seven offensive) to help the Wildcats dominate the glass 41-31. And as a freshman making just his second start, Lowry routinely shredded his defender with the quickest first step on the floor, matching his career highs in both points (12) and assists (seven).

Combined with Georgetown’s slow start, the first eight minutes of the second half defined the game. Just as they have all season, the Hoyas erupted after intermission, drilling six straight 3-point attempts at one point. But despite that onslaught from behind the arc, the Hoyas were only able to trim the 12-point halftime margin to 37-31 with 15:44 remaining. The Hoyas couldn’t get a defensive stop against a Villanova lineup stuffed with offensive options.

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