Georgetown sets dubious mark with 25th straight Big East loss

Georgetown set a dubious Big East record on Wednesday night, losing its 25th straight regular-season conference game to break a tie with DePaul for the longest such streak in the history of the league.

The Hoyas were tied with Villanova at halftime but were outscored by 16 in the second half en route to a 73-57 loss in Washington. Primo Spears, Georgetown’s leading scorer at 16 points per game, was held to eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.

Georgetown has lost six straight games to fall to 5-11 on the season, 0-5 in the Big East. The Hoyas lost all 19 of their regular-season Big East games last season while going 6-25 overall, including a 21-game losing streak. They also lost their final regular-season Big East game in 2020-21, before going on a surprising four-game run at Madison Square Garden in New York to claim the conference tournament title. That allowed the team to make its lone NCAA tournament appearance during embattled coach Patrick Ewing’s tenure.

Georgetown’s last regular-season Big East win came on March 2, 2021, a victory at home over Xavier.

Ewing is now 73-95 during his six years in charge of his alma mater, and just 26-68 in regular-season Big East play.

Hours before the game against Villanova, Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed acknowledged it was a “frustrating time” for the program.

“We recognize this is a challenging and frustrating time for the men’s basketball team and our fans,” Reed said in an emailed statement to the Associated Press, issued in response to a request for an interview. “Coach Ewing understands that it is imperative to get the program back on track and no one is more committed than he is to making that happen.”

After Wednesday’s game, which Georgetown president Jack DeGioia attended, Ewing was asked about his job status and the direction of the program.

“I’m here to talk about the game. My future is my future,” Ewing replied. “I’ll be the head coach at Georgetown until the president or the board decides for me to move…