Hokies Hoops, Vol. 12 (Bubble Battle edition) ...

It all comes down to this. Sort of. Virginia Tech could, of course, lose to Georgia Tech today and then win a couple (maybe even three would be needed) games in the ACC tournament and still make the NCAA tournament field.

But winning today would all but guarantee the Hokies, with their No. 52 RPI and No. 339 out-of-conference strength of schedule, an at-large bid. They need to notch their third top-50 victory and, maybe more importantly, just their third road win in conference play. The committee likes to know a team can win somewhere other than at home (where VT is 15-1 and GT is 14-1).

It’s also better to enter selection Sunday on a decent roll rather than a terrible skid. Should the Hokies fall today, they’ll have dropped 4 of 5. Sound like a familiar swoon? Tech lost 6 of 7 going into the ACC tournament last year, forcing a deep conference run that didn’t happen. This year’s team has probably put itself in better position throughout the season, but the fact remains: A loss today followed by fewer than two victories in the conference tournament would leave Virginia Tech in perilous position on Selection Sunday.

Oddly enough, Georgia Tech might still have some work to do, too, despite its No. 35 RPI, No. 18 overall strength of schedule and four victories over top-50 opponents (including Duke).

Those things got the Yellow Jackets on the computer’s good side, but these other factors have left Georgia Tech in doubt: 1) The Jackets have a pair of sub-100 losses. They fell at No. 111 Miami and at No. 124 Virginia. 2) The Insects have a losing record, 7-8, in the ACC. 3) They’re fading down the stretch, losing 5 of 8 going into this game.

So buckle up. The Bubble Battle begins in about four hours. I’ll be there. You be here afterward for some quick reaction and analysis.

Now here’s what the Hokies had to say heading into the biggest game of the year ...

GUARD DORENZO HUDSON

ON HOW THE FOOT FEELS: “A little bad today. Real bad today.”

ON WHERE IT HURTS, SHOWING ON HIS LEFT HAND: “On the outside (pointing to the area on the palm of the hand, where the pinky meets the hand). In two spots there. It’s a sharp pain. It’s throbbing. It’s maybe a deep bruise or a minor fracture.”

ON WHETHER HE CAN DO MORE DAMAGE PLAYING ON IT: “It’s something we’ve just got to keep watching, game by game, and see what the coaches and doctors decide. We’ll see how I feel before each game starts.”

ON BEGGING TO PLAY AGAINST N.C. STATE: “I did. I felt like we needed to get that win, especially at home. So, yeah, I kind of begged.”

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GEORGIA TECH GAME: “I feel like win in Atlanta and we’re in. I feel like we’re in now – we should be – but we definitely need that win in Atlanta. We don’t leave anything in chance. We’re trying to get all the wins we can. We’ve invested in this for the whole year, so we’re going to play as hard as we can in this last one.”

ON WHETHER HE EXPECTS TO PLAY SATURDAY: “I’m pretty sure they’re going to leave it up to me. I’m going to see how I feel before the game.”

ON WINNING SATURDAY GUARANTEEING HE GETS AN EXTRA DAY OFF WITH THE ACC TOURNEY BYE: “That would be real big for me. The more rest I can get, the better, to stay off it and stay in the boot. We definitely need that by for the sake of me.”

ON WHETHER, IF THEY LOCK UP (LIKELY) AN NCAA BID WITH A GEORGIA TECH WIN, HE’D CONSIDER SITTING OUT PART OR ALL OF THE ACC TOURNAMENT TO REST: “No. I’m going to play every chance I get. I’ve got to be there for my team. I’m not going to sit out.”

ON HOW MUCH EASIER THIS GAME WOULD BE IF IT WAS AT HOME: “I would feel a lot better about it. They’re a really good team at home. But we just need to come out and compete.”

ON WHY ACC ROAD GAMES ARE SO BRUTAL: “On the road, you’ve got to be real focused, real locked in. They’re going to be jacked up. Everybody shoots well at home. And they’re going to play as high as they can – with senior night there – and everybody’s going to be jacked up in there. We have to match that intensity.”

ON HAVING SOME SUCCESS AGAINST THE JACKETS, THOUGH: “Yes, we have, but that doesn’t have anything to do with the next game. They’re going to come after us because we’ve been coming after them the last few years.”

ON JEFF ALLEN’S EMERGENCE: “He’s playing at a high level right now. This is what we’ve been waiting for, for a while. He’s had an up-and-down year, but right now he’s playing a very consistent basketball game.”

ON THE KEYS TO GEORGIA TECH: “We have to rebound. We must rebound the ball to compete with them. They’ve got real big guys in the inside. And I feel like we’ve got to get out in transition and get easy layups like we have the last few games.”

ON HOW MUCH WORSE HIS INJURY WOULD BE IF IT WERE HIS LEFT FOOT, HIS TAKE-OFF FOOT: “If it was my left foot, I’d be messed up right now.”

FORWARD JEFF ALLEN

ON KNOWING THAT THIS IS A WIN-AND-IN GAME: “We’ve all got that in the back of our minds. If we win this game, then we’re guaranteed. So we’re going to go out and play like that’s what we want to do.”

ON HITTING HIS STRIDE AT THE RIGHT TIME: “It feels good. Me being one of the big players on the team, it’s about time to step up. So I am. I feel like I’m playing more freed up. Me playing with my back to the basket is not really my thing. But now that I can face up and use my quickness, it feels a lot better.”

ON GREENBERG TALKING BEFORE ABOUT ‘FREEING JEFF UP’ AND SO THAT’S WHAT IT MEANS TO HIM, TO GET OUT AWAY FROM THE BASKET? “Yeah, definitely.”

ON FEELING COMFORTABLE BANGING IN THE POST ON DEFENSE, THOUGH: “That’s not a problem at all. I actually like that.”

ON GUARDING STAR FORWARD GANI LAWAL OF GEORGIA TECH: “The main thing with him, and with Derrick Favors, is keeping them off the boards, not giving them deep posts and attack-position angles. All that.”

ON THE POTENTIAL BOOST OF LEWIS WITCHER’S BIG SENIOR NIGHT – FOUR POINTS, FOUR REBOUNDS AND HELPING SHUT DOWN N.C. STATE STAR TRACY SMITH – GIVING HIM SOME CONFIDENCE GOING INTO A GAME WHEN TECH MAY NEED HIS POST DEFENSE: “Lewis has been doing good in practice. You can see the change. It started in the Maryland game, seeing him dive on the floor. That was a big-time play. He’s playing really well now. We’re going to need him (today). I think he’s going to come out ready.”

ON THE TOUGHNESS OF TEAMMATE DORENZO HUDSON: “He’s a tough kid. That’s what we expect from him.”

ON THE BOND OF THIS GROUP’S JUNIORS: “We all came in at the same time. Me and Zo actually went to school together. We all really know each other. We want to make it together.”

ON HOW BAD THIS TEAM IS TRYING NOT TO LET THE NCAA TOURNAMENT SLIP AWAY: “Right now, we’re trying not to put too much pressure on it, trying not to stress ourselves about it. We just want to go out there and play.”

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