Collegiate Times

Hokies guard Dorenzo Hudson puts up a hotly contested shot in the lane during Tech's loss to Miami.

Ironically, if the Hokies win against Quinnipiac, Tech could potentially meet Calhoun’s Huskies in the second-round of the NIT. Connecticut, a four-seed, takes on Northeastern University, a five-seed, Tuesday night.

“We’re obviously in the process of collecting as much information as we can on Quinnipiac,” Greenberg said. “I know they won 23 games, I know that coach Moore is a disciple of Jim Calhoun which means they’re going to play really hard, I know they’re athletic.”

“I think they play really hard and that’s kind of all (coach Moore) knows from the number of years he spent with Jim (Calhoun).”

The Hokies will have to shoot well from the field if they want a shot at advancing in the NIT. Tech took a giant leap backward in the ACC Tournament fromits strong shooting performance against Georgia Tech the previous week, where it shot 51 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from beyond the arc.

In their opening game of the conference tournament against Miami, the Hokies shot 38.1 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range.

Junior guard Malcolm Delaney will also need to get back in the rhythm of Tech’s offense. Delaney managed only seven points against Miami and shot three for 15 from the field, after leading the ACC in scoring throughout the regular season. He also missed on all eight of his three-point attempts after torching the Yellow Jackets with four three-point baskets.

Tech also suffered a blow to its bench Sunday after freshman guard Ben Boggs suffered an ankle injury in practice. Boggs was averaging 2.2 points per game in 8.6 minutes of action per contest.

“Ben Boggs had a severely sprained ankle, grade-two ankle sprain,” Greenberg said. “They thought it was broken, but it’s not.”

The Hokies will look to win their third straight opening round game in three years when they begin NIT competition Wednesday. They will also be seeking their third NIT banner, after winning the tournament in 1973 and more recently in 1995.

As a No. 1 seed, the Hokies are guaranteed to host their opponents, if they continue to advance, until the semifinal round. The semifinal games and final round will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 30 and April 1.

Wednesday’s game will not be televised locally, but tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

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A version of this article appeared in the Mar 16 issue of the Collegiate Times.