MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Virginia Tech's Dorenzo Hudson (right, with coach Seth Greenberg) made the All-ACC third team.

BLACKSBURG -- Malcolm Delaney is still going to play with a chip on his shoulder, but has one less reason to do so.

The Virginia Tech point guard was one of three unanimous picks for the All-ACC first team Monday. Delaney, who averages a league-high 20.9 points, was a first-team pick by all 53 voters from the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Making the first team "was definitely in my mind, and I just knew that ... us winning games and me playing as hard as I could and giving everything I got, then that would come true," Delaney, a third-team pick last year, said Monday. "I just did whatever I had to do for the team to win.

"I'm going to work hard to achieve every one of my goals that I want to accomplish, and I'm not really going to stop working till I do it."

Sylven Landesberg (17.3 ppg), who on Saturday was suspended from Virginia's team for the rest of the season for academic reasons, made the second team. Virginia Tech's Dorenzo Hudson was a third-team pick.

Delaney has led the Hokies (23-7, 10-6) to a tie for third place and a likely at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. He is the first Tech junior to make an all-conference first team since Ace Custis made the All-Atlantic 10 first team in 1996.

Custis also made the first team as a senior. Will Delaney be back for his senior year?

"Yeah. I love Virginia Tech," Delaney said with a smile. "Right now, it's 100 percent that I'm coming back, because I haven't thought about" turning pro.

But after the season, Delaney said, he will consider whether he should enter the NBA Draft this year.

"I'm going to find out what people say. If he's a first-round draft choice, ... he should go," coach Seth Greenberg said.

Forward Jeff Allen has said he plans to return for his senior year, so if Delaney returns, Tech will lose only senior reserve Lewis Witcher. And Tech will gain the services of Florida transfer Allan Chaney, who is sitting out this season.

"I wouldn't put myself out there ... and make a dumb decision when I know we've got a great team, especially because I want to play with Allan next year," Delaney said. "When I sit down and think about that type of [NBA] stuff, I'm going to talk to some people on the team.

"Whatever decision I make, it's going to be the best decision for me, Virginia Tech and my family, not just for me."

The other unanimous picks on the first team were Duke senior Jon Scheyer and Maryland senior Greivis Vasquez, who like Delaney got 159 points.

Vasquez, or perhaps Scheyer, is likely to be named ACC player of the year today. Delaney said he would have voted for himself if he had a ballot.

If Delaney returns, he would be a favorite to be ACC player of the year next year, and might even generate some All-America buzz. That is another reason he would opt for returning.

"That's just a new goal to work harder for in the summer," said Delaney, who was also named the ACC player of the week on Monday.

With his knack for drawing fouls, Delaney would likely inherit from Vasquez the mantle of the player most despised by ACC fans.

Not that he would mind.

"I like that type of stuff," he said with a grin.

Delaney picked up two bloody elbows from the physical play in last weekend's win at Georgia Tech.

"That's not flopping," Delaney said Saturday as he showed his elbows.

TV analyst and former Wake Forest coach Dave Odom said Delaney is tougher than he was last season.

"He's added that element to his game, and obviously he's got as much speed with the ball as anybody in the league," said Odom, the father of Tech assistant Ryan Odom. "He shoots the ball with range as well as anybody in the league. He gets to the free-throw line better than anybody in the league."

Delaney worked hard in the offseason to improve his mid-range jumper, his point-guard skills and his ability to read defenses. He attended LeBron James' camp, got tips from ex-NBA coach John Lucas at Deron Williams' camp, and worked out with fellow Baltimore native Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets.

"He has demonstrated that he not only can put points on the board but he can make others better by his presence," ESPN analyst Len Elmore said.

Hudson averages 14.4 points, up from 4.6 last season.

"His leadership almost overshadows what he's done [as a scorer]," Greenberg said. "His work ethic's unbelievable."