Heeeeeeee’s baaaaack! Virginia Tech’s redshirt senior Dorenzo Hudson was admittedly a little “rusty” in the first two games of the young season, but he shook off that rust tonight in the Hokies’ 78-63 win over florida international.

Hudson led the Hokies with 31 points in 34 minutes of action. Three other Hokies scored in double figures, including freshman phenom Dorian Finney-Smith, who had 14 points. Erick Green returned to the starting five and added 12 points while senior Victor Davila contributed 11, including a wicked “one-handed ram” … whatever that is.

Finney-Smith is the real deal, people. For reals. Doe Doe had a double-double tonight – 14 points, 10 rebounds – and still managed 5 assists and a pair of steals. It was his second d/d of the season.

It’s been a long time since Hokie fans have seen a freshman step into the starting lineup and play this well and more importantly, with this much poise and confidence.

Jarrell Eddie, a sophomore back from a semester suspension, was the only starter to not score, but he did contribute 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Tech’s bench threw in 10 points, getting two each from Robert Brown, Cadarian Raines, Ty Garland, C.J. Barksdale, and Joey Racer.

This game was never in doubt, folks, so it was a great game to sit back and enjoy watching the young guns get some quality playing time and build some confidence.

Tech led 33-26 at the half and came out in the second half with a zone defense that completely smothered fiu. The Hokies built a huge lead and then coasted to a 15-point victory, their third of the season.

The bad news is that Green left the game in the second half with an injury – presumably the same Achilles that’s been hampering him early this season. He played 25 minutes before coming out for good. When we know more, we’ll pass it on.

That’s the quick and dirty version. Niemo may or may not chime in, but really, what more do you need to know? The Hokies played an absolutely terrible team tonight and they won as they should have. And, we’re going to Madison Square Garden, allegedly the world’s most famous arena, though we’ve yet to confirm.

Tech will play a real team on Wednesday, Nov. 23, when they take on No. 5 syracuse, which trashed albany in another second-round game tonight. We’ll get a good idea of how good VT’s young team is in about a week. The tip-off time hasn’t been set yet.

PS – Seth Greenberg > Isaiah Thomas