Greenberg sagely used the zone to compensate for his team's lack of size, to shield Allen from foul trouble and to con the Seminoles into launching 3-pointers. It worked on all counts.
"I can't recollect in 21 years playing 40 minutes of zone," Greenberg said. "I found my inner Jimmy Boeheim, I guess."
Boeheim is Syracuse's Hall of Fame coach, and no coach is wedded more to the 2-3. His Orange used it to win the 2003 national championship, and this season the 'Cuse is 16-0 and ranked fourth.
No one forecasts anything remotely similar for these Hokies. But Delaney, an All-ACC guard, won't have many 3-for-10 games like Saturday, and if Green continues to progress and Allen keeps his wits, this could be an intriguing squad.
A 6-7 senior, Allen is the only player to rank among the program's top five in career rebounds, steals and blocked shots. He's also on pace to crack the top 10 in scoring.
Greenberg calls Allen one of Tech's "all-time greats, statistically," emphasizing the qualifier. And indeed, Allen has tried his coach's patience with suspensions, petulance and inconsistency.
"Hiccups," Greenberg called them.
But during the Hokies' six-game winning streak, Allen has five double-doubles, and the exception was an 18-point, nine-rebound effort against St. Bonaventure. Never has he sustained excellence like this.
"Only God Can Judge Me," reads the tattoo on Allen's left bicep, and grand scheme, of course, he's right. But when you're an athlete, everyone judges.
"I think he understands," Greenberg said, "that this is his last (season) through those doors."
David Teel can be reached at 247-4636 or by e-mail at dteel@dailypress.com. For more from Teel, read his blog at dailypress.com/teeltime, and follow him at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP