By Kyle Tucker
The Virginian-Pilot
BLACKSBURG
Some coaches would smile more in Seth Greenberg's shoes. His Virginia Tech men's basketball team is 12-1, off to the program's best start in 14 years.
The Hokies have beaten two Big Ten teams on the road, toppled a Southeastern Conference foe at home and just knocked off Seton Hall in Mexico with their leading scorer on the bench nursing a bum ankle.
fake rolexTech enters its ACC schedule riding a nine-game winning streak. But that's exactly why Greenberg isn't grinning, but rather gritting his teeth for what lies ahead.
He knows how quickly and drastically fortunes can change in conference play - which starts at No. 9 North Carolina tonight, then home against Miami (15-1) and at No. 18 Florida State in the next six days.
Greenberg called the ACC lineup "16 root canals."
UNC (11-4), still seething over an upset loss at College of Charleston, could provide the first painful procedure in Chapel Hill. Forgive Greenberg if he isn't patting his players, or himself, on the back just yet.
Wins at Iowa (5-10) and Penn State, which has lost 4 of 6, are suddenly not so impressive. Seton Hall seemed sexier when it was 8- 0, but the Pirates have lost 5 of 6. To date, Tech's signature victory is over Georgia (8-5), which has since beaten Illinois and Georgia Tech and nearly handed Kentucky its first loss Saturday, trailing by two late in the game.
Even so, Greenberg calls the impending ACC slate "a different animal."
"That's the best of the best," he said. "We're going to have to continue to get better. We've played 13 games. We play 30 games. We're starting our second season."
The Hokies hope that will lead to a third season, an NCAA tournament bid, which would be the program's first in three years. Beating Carolina would be a huge step in that direction - but just one of many required.
"If you worry about the tournament Jan. 6, then you're not making it," Greenberg said. "You're going to have to play at a high level 16 times. You can't let one affect the other. You can't get caught up in the past. You've got to stay very much in the present."
At the moment, then, Tech has to be happy that in the absence of star guard Malcolm Delaney against Seton Hall, junior shooting guard Dorenzo Hudson seized his chance and scored 41 points - the program's biggest outburst since Bimbo Coles' 42 in 1990.
One of the major questions of this young season was whether the Hokies had a legitimate third scorer beyond Delaney and forward Jeff Allen. Hudson has now scored at least 11 points in each of the last four games.
"I think coach has a lot of confidence in me now," Hudson said. "I'm walking with my shoulders kind of high right now, feeling real confident going into the next game."
rolex replica That's good for Tech, since it remains unclear whether Delaney will return from his ankle injury tonight. Greenberg said his star, the ACC's leading scorer, has been in a protective boot since his injury and has only come out of it to shoot around in practice each day.
Greenberg said Delaney will be a game-time decision. Should he sit again, true freshman point guard Erick Green will be back in the pressure cooker.
At times like this, Greenberg likes to remind
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