BLACKSBURG -- Virginia Tech shooting guard Dorenzo Hudson returned to the team's practice facility nine days ago and began trying to change the Hokies' mood from bitter about getting left out of the NCAA tournament the night before, on Selection Sunday, to motivated about maximizing their upcoming experience in the National Invitation Tournament.
"I came into the training room," he said, "and was like, 'We didn't make the tournament. Ain't no point sitting around crying about it. We've still got a chance to win a couple more games, get to Madison Square Garden and try to win a championship.'"
The Hokies have responded well to missing the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season. They beat Quinnipiac in the NIT's first round last week, then got past Connecticut 65-63 in Monday's second round. Tonight, they host Rhode Island in the quarterfinals, with two significant achievements at stake: a berth in the Final Four, next Tuesday through Thursday, and their 26th win of the season, which would break the school record set in 1995.
That team, which won the NIT, was the last group of Hokies to make the Final Four. Two years ago, Tech fell just short by losing to Mississippi in the quarterfinals. But these Hokies are familiar with the Garden, New York's basketball Mecca. They went 2-0 there two seasons ago and won a holiday tournament. Last season, they did the same. Those positive memories of a historic venue drive them, as does something less profound, albeit practical.
"We want to get out of school," point guard Malcolm Delaney said.
They reached this point because their play Monday, when they improved to 17-1 at home this season, reflected a quote their coach, Seth Greenberg, heard earlier in the day when he watched a television interview with Butler coach Brad Stevens, whose team is in the NCAA Sweet 16: "The game honors toughness."
The Hokies' toughness was evident in their two defensive stands in the final minute, in center Victor Davila scoring eight points in 29 minutes against Connecticut's formidable frontcourt despite food poisoning that required a pregame IV, in Hudson's 27 points on 12-of-20 shooting despite having done little more than shoot free throws in practice since he bruised a bone in his right foot Jan. 16 at Florida State.
Hudson's performance -- the most points of his career besides 41 earlier this season against Seton Hall -- proved timely because Delaney, Tech's leading scorer, managed just six points, 14 fewer than his average. Not counting two games this season -- zero points against Longwood, when he sprained his left ankle in the second minute, and five against North Carolina Central, a team Tech could have blown out without him -- Monday's six were Delaney's fewest points since he scored three at Clemson in March of his freshman year.
"I really believe tonight," Greenberg said Monday, "our kids were honored because they were just so resilient, so tough."
Retired coach Dave Odom, whose son Ryan is one of Greenberg's assistants, used to say when he was at South Carolina, where he won the NIT in 2005 and 2006, that the teams that play well in the NIT aren't disappointed about being there. The most important part, then, is making the opportunity matter.
"It matters a lot," Delaney said.
Possibly for next season, too, because the Hokies are scheduled to return every significant contributor, and their promising transfer, 6-9 power forward Allan Chaney, will be eligible.
"We could prove a point by winning the NIT," Delaney said. "Then next year, the last thought of us will be: Well, they won the NIT championship, and then they've got everybody coming back, basically. That would just leave a good taste in everybody's mouths."
Contact Darryl Slater at (804) 649-6026 or dslater@timesdispatch.com.
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