Photo by blightylad1.

Now that it’s officially December, early season tournaments are winding down while conference schedules are about to start. The time to improve is now as the road ahead will only become even more challenging as we draw closer to the New Year. And while this month features mostly non-conference cupcakes garnished with a few Top 25 matchups, January is rapidly approaching. The DCist sports team breaks down how our area teams are doing now that we’re a month into college basketball season.

Maryland Men: After suffering a setback against Oregon State on their home court, the Terps (5-2, 0-0 ACC) went on to defeat Marist, Northern Iowa, and Providence and captured the Paradise Jam championship in the U.S. Virgin Islands last week. Junior guard/forward Dez Wells was named the tournament’s MVP while junior forward Evan Smotrycz scored in the double figures in all three games. Maryland then took care of business last Friday against Morgan State, 89-62, in perhaps the team’s most complete showing yet. However, they face a tough test on Wednesday as they take on fifth-ranked Ohio State in the Terps’ first true road game of the season in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge (7 p.m., ESPN). Maryland continues its non-conference schedule on Sunday against a resurgent George Washington University program in the BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center. Both games provide the Terps an ample opportunity to improve their resume in hopes for the team’s first NCAA tournament bid since 2010. — Brett Gellman

Maryland Women: After a humbling loss to #1 Connecticut a couple of weeks ago, the eighth-ranked Lady Terps (7-1, 0-0 ACC) have won five straight and went undefeated in the San Juan Shootout against Texas Southern and Ohio University last week. Preseason All-American senior forward Alyssa Thomas collected her seventh straight double-double against the Bobcats while freshman guard Lexie Brown netted a career-high 16 points. Maryland next faces future conference member Ohio State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at the Comcast Center Wednesday night at 7 p.m. — Brett Gellman

George Washington Men: It was a big weekend for the Colonials (6-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10), who defeated #20 Creighton and the University of Miami (coached by George Mason Final Four coach Jim Larranaga) while falling to #24 Marquette. The three games were part of the Wooden Legacy tournament in California, and with the two wins the Colonials took third place. The win over Creighton, where GW held superstar Greg McDermott to seven points on 2 for 12 shooting (21 under his season average) was their first win over a ranked team since 2005. The ‘05 win (over Maryland at the BB&T Classic) began George Washington’s three year streak of NCAA tournament bids. It’s too early to tell if that’s the case for this team, but they did look good, earning two votes in this week’s AP Top 25 and another vote in the Coaches Poll. They face Rutgers next at the Smith Center this Wednesday at 7 p.m. — Andrew Wiseman

George Washington Women: With a big win over #10 California, the Colonials (4-2, 0-0 Atlantic 10) had an opportunity to get into the rankings, facing #8 Maryland and #21 Georgia. However, GW dropped both of those games while then going on to beat Jacksonville State and USC Upstate. They next face cross-town rivals Georgetown on Tuesday at McDonough Gym on the Georgetown campus. — Andrew Wiseman

Georgetown Men: The Hoyas (4-2, 0-0 Big East) seem to run hot and cold. They defeated #10 VCU and Kansas State but fell to lowly Northeastern in a game reminiscent of the Hoyas’ many recent early NCAA tourney exits. The team also dismissed junior forward Greg Whittington, though he wouldn’t have been able to add depth to Georgetown’s bench until later this season due to a knee injury he sustained earlier this summer. The Hoyas disappear at times on the boards, ranked 197th in the nation in rebounding, but sophomore D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera is playing wonderfully, leading the team with 18.7 points per game and nearly collecting a triple-double against Lipscomb on Saturday. If he keeps playing like this, they might be worried that he’ll leave early for the NBA. The Hoyas fell out of the “others receiving votes club” in the polls and next face High Point at the Verizon Center on the 5th. — Andrew Wiseman

Georgetown Women: The Hoyas (4-2, 0-0 Big East) are finishing up their out of conference schedule with a few tough games, facing GW next on Tuesday followed by #10 Penn State. They’ve actually only won three games over Division I schools, those coming over Nicholls State, Princeton and Richmond, so we’ll see what happens in the Big East. That said, they have scored over 80 points in three of their six games, so if they can play solid defense they might be able to outrun some teams. — Andrew Wiseman

George Mason Men: After winning their first four games of the season, the Patriots (5-2, 1-0 Atlantic 10) have dropped two of their last three, both of which were on the road. Mason bounced back against Rhode Island in their conference opener, but considering that the Patriots are 315th overall in assists per game, they need to greatly improve upon distrusting the ball once they get into the heart of the A-10 schedule. Mason hosts South Florida this Wednesday at the Patriot Center at 7 p.m. — Brett Gellman

American University Men: It’s not looking so great for the Tenleytowners, as the Eagles (2-4, 0-0 Patriot) lost to Mt. St. Mary’s and Columbia, not exactly basketball powers, as well as #8 Ohio State. They did manage a win against a 1-6 St. Francis team. They next face Howard at home on Dec. 4th — a cross-town game with domination of… we’re not sure what’s at stake quite yet. On the bright side, the Eagles do have four scorers in double figures, and the experience against Ohio State may come in handy against Patriot League foes. — Andrew Wiseman

Howard Men: The Hilltop isn’t looking much better for the Bison (2-7, 0-0 MEAC) who have lost seven straight — and if you count Division I opponents only, they are actually 0-7 overall. They got close though, losing an overtime game against William & Mary on the 30th. They next face American. — Andrew Wiseman

American, Howard, George Mason Women: The Patriots (5-2, 0-0 A10) and Eagles (4-2, 0-0 Patriot) have beaten up on weak schedules so far, while the Bison (2-6, 0-0 MEAC) have taken it on the chin from some power conference teams. Maybe those tough games will help in conference. — Andrew Wiseman