BLACKSBURG - Awestruck, Virginia Tech's freshmen walked into Madison Square Garden three months ago for a holiday tournament. The storied arena in midtown Manhattan captivated them and left them with even fonder memories after they beat Hofstra and St. John's to win the tournament.

"The whole place is amazing, just from stepping off the bus looking at it, to walking in," freshman forward J.T. Thompson said.

He and his teammates are one win away from going back for another look. The Hokies host Mississippi at 7 tonight in the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals, with the winner advancing to the Garden to play in Tuesday's Final Four against the winner of tonight's quarterfinal between Ohio State and Dayton.

"I feel like if we make it up there again, we ought to do great things," Thompson said.

The Hokies already played great in their first two NIT games, beating Morgan State by 32 points and Alabama-Birmingham by 26 - results that belie their lack of dominance this season. They entered the NIT beating opponents by an average of 4.4 points.

As with their first two NIT games, the Hokies have the luxury of playing tonight at Cassell Coliseum, whose patrons were as loud and enthusiastic for Monday's game against UAB as they've been all season.

It's as though all of them - players, fans, even coach Seth Greenberg - forgot Tech's bitter exclusion from the NCAA tournament in favor of winning the school's third NIT championship. The Hokies haven't played in the tournament's Final Four since winning it in 1995. Since then, they've made just one NIT appearance.

Greenberg watched snippets of last weekend's NCAA tournament games, focusing instead on preparing for UAB. Senior forward Deron Washington tried to catch the games with ACC teams or teams whose players he knows. But he rarely sat and watched for long.

"It runs through my head, like, 'I'm not supposed to be in school right now. We're supposed to be on the road playing basketball,'" he said. "I don't watch it too much because it makes me a little upset knowing that we were that close to getting in there."

No selection committee will determine whether the Hokies return to the Garden. They control their own fate, which is a promising situation for them because they are playing some of their strongest - if not their best - basketball of the season.

They shot 65.4 percent from the floor against Morgan State, 47.4 against UAB. They were shooting 43.3 percent before the NIT.

"We're not hesitating to shoot," freshman guard Malcolm Delaney said.

Their best shooters, junior guard A.D. Vassallo and Delaney, have been stunningly accurate in the NIT. Vassallo is 17 of 23 from the floor, 7 of 12 from 3-point range, and has 45 points. Delaney's corresponding numbers: 11 of 16, 6 of 8, 30.

"We've got some guys seeing some very big baskets right now," Greenberg said. "If [Delaney] misses it, I think it's like Tiger Woods missing a putt. When Malcolm shoots the ball, I think it's going in every time."

Said Washington: "We've been having fun out there playing. When you're out there having fun playing and relaxed, it makes the game so much easier."