The Gauntlet, Game 1: Over the next two weeks, the Friars face an unprecedented torrent of Big East firepower—four straight games against teams ranked in the top seven in the nation. First up: 7^th-ranked Georgetown, earlier tonight at the Dunkin Donuts Center. The Friars played solid ball in the first half but ultimately collapsed under the weight of their poor shooting from the field and the free throw line, falling 79-70 to the Hoyas.

PC was the more physical team all night. The Friars crashed the boards hard, especially on the offensive end, and won the rebounding battle 42-31. But the Hoyas’ superb ball movement and shooting prowess ultimately overwhelmed the home team, sending the Friars to their fourth consecutive loss.

The Friars shut down Georgetown big man Greg Monroe in the first half, holding him to just one field goal and four points. PC went into halftime with a 33-31 advantage and built their lead to 47-40 five minutes into the second. But Georgetown went on a 14-1 run to take a 54-48 lead, which they would never surrender.

Jamine Peterson led the way for the Friars with 23 points, and Bilal Dixon had a career-high 16 rebounds. But the Friars shot just 34 percent from the field and 64 percent from the charity stripe. Those numbers were no match for the Hoyas, who hit 60 percent of their shots in the second half.

It doesn’t get any easier from here. Next up for Providence is 4^th-ranked Villanova in Philadelphia on Saturday. The Friars will then return home for dates against No. 5 West Virginia on Feb. 17 and No. 2 Syracuse on Feb. 23.

After the game, PC coach Keno Davis said his team played with heart.

Davis talked about the tough stretch coming up.