Associated Press

Virginia's Tech coach Seth Greenberg (right) shown with Hokies reserve Terrance Vinson, did not see much that he liked in the Hokies' 25-point loss to Duke last Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

BLACKSBURG -- For the second straight year, a lopsided Virginia Tech loss on Tobacco Road has been followed by contract talk.

No, Hokies coach Seth Greenberg hasn't been given another extension. It's his players who signed a contract this week.

Adopting a tactic he used last season, Greenberg has asked his players to commit to his "core beliefs." The move came in the wake of Sunday's 69-44 loss at Duke -- a defeat in which the Hokies mustered just 13 second-half points. Tech forward Jeff Allen has said that Duke played harder than the Hokies in the second half, and that his team "gave up."

Greenberg said Thursday he didn't like the team's "competitive spirit" in the second half at Duke. He said the contract reminds the players "of the essence of the culture of the program" and makes sure they don't "compromise" that culture.

"I've done a contract almost every single year I've been here at different times," he said. "I'm taking measures to help us get better."

Greenberg also used the contract approach after last February's 92-53 loss at North Carolina. Point guard Malcolm Delaney said after that game that the Hokies "gave up." The Hokies won four straight after signing the contract.

Players said this year's version of the contract covers everything from playing hard and playing up to one's potential in games to not talking back to coaches in practice to not using cellphones during team dinners.

"It's just stuff on and off the court, the stuff that we [were] kind of letting go, and it was kind of affecting the team," Delaney said. "He won't tolerate some of the small stuff he was tolerating.

"A lot of the contract is ... [about] effort in practice."

The Hokies plan to display better effort in Saturday's home game with Virginia.

"We need to take our anger out on somebody," Delaney said. "We didn't play hard [at Duke]. I just feel as though everybody is looking forward to another game where we can come out and play hard."

Greenberg has run practice differently this week. The regulars have been squaring off against each other instead of the walk-ons, and there has been more full-court play.

"Coach is starting to see what people he can count on," Delaney said. "Instead of having to play everybody in the rotation, he wants to play whoever would play the hardest. Everybody's just competing more for spots."

Sunday's game was a "wake-up call" for the team, said Allen.

A.D. Vassallo, who entered Sunday's game averaging 19 points, was held to seven points -- all in the first half. Greenberg sat him down for the final 6:22 of the game. Greenberg said Thursday that Vassallo didn't play with enough of "a sense of urgency."

The 44 points Sunday were the fewest Tech has scored since a 49-41 loss to Massachusetts in January 2000.

"Coach was really disappointed with our effort," guard Dorenzo Hudson said. "He said we gave up and we didn't play too hard. So I'm thinking on Saturday we'll come out and give it all we've got."

Hudson was 0-of-4 from the field Sunday, dropping his field-goal percentage to 28.1 percent.

"I'm rushing my shot," he said.

Allen was 1-of-4 from the field Sunday after going 2-of-6 from the field at Charleston Southern.

He is shooting 49.6 percent from the field, and has not been the consistent finisher offensively that Tech needs him to be.

Allen said it has nothing to do with the 18 pounds he lost in the offseason. He said he just needs to "go up stronger" to the basket instead of "going up lazy."