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DURHAM -- Mike Krzyzewski saw some empty seats during last week's exhibition basketball game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, and he expressed his dismay at the absentees. He wants the place packed and the base deep and wide.

Perhaps that's the same vision he has for his 2008-09 Blue Devils, who hope to widen the scope of their bench in the name of freshness in March.

"We have good depth," Krzyzewski said, "if we're healthy. We're a really good basketball team, and we want to be a great basketball team."

It has been customary for seven Blue Devils to average 10 or more minutes per ACC game, and it's hard to argue with the results. (With tireless All-Americans J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams occupying their spots three years ago, there wasn't a crying need for replacements.)

In 2008, however, Krzyzewski felt constrained. By season's end, 7-foot-1 center Brian Zoubek was still playing with a metal shank in a shoe to buttress a nagging foot injury, and swingman Marty Pocius was lost for the season after four games with an ankle injury. Lacking a consistent offensive threat in the low post, Duke would have loved to get 15 minutes per game out of Zoubek, but that wasn't feasible.

The Devils lost to the motion offense of West Virginia in the NCAA tournament's second round.

"I basically had a cast in my shoe last year," Zoubek said. "Kind of hard to run on that. Having more mobility on the court has helped me improve. I want to start stringing better games together."

That's critical, because Duke needs Zoubek's jump-hook or another post move; Lance Thomas, at 6-8, isn't a major offensive option. Only twice in the season's final 12 games did Thomas attempt more than three shots from the field, and he finished as a 52 percent free-throw shooter.

The other frontcourt changes will come from freshman Miles Plumlee, who started the exhibition game and who at 6-10 has the length -- if not yet the strength -- to fight for offensive rebounds.

ACC Rookie of the Year Kyle Singler, who had to shoulder a disproportionate amount of low-post work last season, has reworked his body through offseason conditioning based on muscle mass. He should be among the league's most versatile players.

"I don't feel like I'm slow, by any means," Singler said.

Duke can count on a solid season from Gerald Henderson, whose strength off the dribble makes him play bigger in the lane than his 6-4 height suggests. Henderson's not a 3-point threat, but he doesn't have to be. When people back off him, he's often smart enough to get past them and hang in the lane.

Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer probably won't be substantially deterred by the new and more challenging 3-point distance of 20 feet, 9 inches (as opposed to 19-9).

From a purely numerical standpoint, look at it this way: Duke lost guard DeMarcus Nelson (graduation) and swingman Taylor King (transfer) off last season's team, which never really had Zoubek or Pocius. Put the latter two back into the mix and add Plumlee and long off-guard Elliot Williams and you have considerable options.

In terms of seniority, the Devils had three upperclassmen of consequence in 2007-08: Nelson, point guard Greg Paulus and the seemingly injury-cursed David McClure. Now they could have seven -- Paulus, McClure, Zoubek, Henderson, Scheyer, Thomas and Pocius.

They can't all play at once, of course, but even in an era of three-minute CBS commercials during the NCAA tournament, depth isn't a bad thing. In 2007, the Devils later admitted they were tired in March. Last season, they swore things were different, but they escaped a second straight first-round exit only when Henderson made a court-length drive against Belmont for the winning hoop in the final seconds.

As for Krzyzewski, he appears especially feisty. Of the Cameron vacancies the other night, he said, "If you're not going to come, let us know and we'll sell the seats. I know I can sell 'em.

"I'll go hawk it, man. Look, I'm hungry. I think our team is hungry. Let's get after it by getting a good atmosphere."

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com