Duke lost just one scholarship player from last season's team, and that was seemingly offset by one of the best recruiting classes in the nation.

With the defection of Josh McRoberts to the NBA, the 2007-08 Blue Devils are without their leading rebounder and shot-blocker, their second-best scorer and their most reliable inside presence from a season ago. Duke has only three true frontcourt players, and 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek is the only one who projects to play exclusively in the post.

Without a definitive low-post scorer, the Blue Devils plan to play a more up-tempo style, and they will rely on several players to rebound and fill the roles traditionally associated with inside players.

"It's a different team," Greg Paulus said. "With [McRoberts] leaving, we're a little bit smaller. We've had three freshmen come in, and they obviously bring something different to the table."

One of those rookies will play a key part in the Duke frontcourt. Kyle Singler, who has started and led Duke in scoring in both exhibition games, has the ability to play both inside and outside. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 25 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the preseason, indicating that he could fill McRoberts' role in the paint.

"[Singler and McRoberts] both understand how to play the game," Paulus said. "They're both really good passers and they're unselfish. Kyle's a little bit smaller, but he can do a little bit more on the perimeter."

Sophomore Lance Thomas, also 6-foot-8, will have an increased role as well. Thomas averaged 4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last year but was plagued by foul trouble. By being more confident and slowing down, he said he expects to be able to stay in the game longer and help the team.

Although Singler and Thomas are among the Blue Devils' tallest players, they will not play exclusively in the paint. Singler's outside game and Thomas' unique ability to defend all five positions mean that they will both be moved to different situations around the court and will not be traditional post presences.

"I don't call them inside players, except for Zoubek," Krzyzewski said. "What is your skill set?... That determines your role, not your height and weight and the way we're doing things. And that determines what kind of player you're going to be."

Duke will specifically rely on 6-foot-4 wings Gerald Henderson and DeMarcus Nelson to help shoulder the burden. Since Singler and Thomas will not always be in the post, Henderson and Nelson will be expected to chip in on the glass. Krzyzewski said their athleticism will make up for their lack of size and allow them to fill the hole left behind by McRoberts.

With Zoubek still recovering from an injury, contributions from Duke's smaller players will be even more important. Zoubek, who Krzyzewski said had been improving in the offseason, broke his foot July 9 and had surgery to insert a pin in his fifth metatarsal-an operation from which former Blue Devils Elton Brand and Carlos Boozer have successfully recovered. Although Zoubek's foot has healed, he is still playing catch-up with conditioning and adapting to Duke's faster-paced offense.

"He was out for more than two months, which for a big guy, that's not a good thing," Krzyzewski said. "It's not a good thing for anybody, but for a big guy I think you lose more than a perimeter guy."

Even if Zoubek is not back in shape yet, Krzyzewski is not concerned about his team's frontcourt. Duke does not have two or three players who would fit the traditional mold of a post player, but it has several who can play there some of the time, which is fine with the Blue Devils.

"This is my 28th year," Krzyzewski said. "There have been a number of times we haven't had a post presence, but we have a post presence on our team-on this team-so we're not going into this season with that."