GW drops three straight -- why is there always a big conference losing streak??

Every year it seems like GW has a nice winning streak early in the season, then a not-so-nice losing streak in conference play. Things are seeming to go well, then the proverbial wheels fall off. This year, unfortunately, seems no different, with a 5 game winning streak followed by losses to Harvard, Richmond and Bonaventure.

Let's look at past years: last year GW started the season 4-0 and won the first conference game, then dropped the next 4 in a row and 7 out of 8. In 2008-2009, the good guys started 7-2, then lost 11 in a row, including the first 7 conference games. In 2007-2008, the team was 4-6 OOC, won the first conference game, and lost the next 7.

Why does this always happen? Is it the weak conference schedule not preparing the team for conference play? Or something else?