Sophomore DeMarcus Nelson and freshman Josh McRoberts took center stage during Duke's brief comeback run against LSU in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.

The Blue Devils trailed by five to a tough, more athletic team and urgently needed their best athletes to counter what the Tigers were dishing out.

Nelson grabbed several rebounds and hit a 3-pointer, while McRoberts battled inside to score twice and give the Devils a chance. Duke (32-4) lost the Atlanta Regional semifinal game at the Georgia Dome, but Nelson and McRoberts showed why they should be a big part of the program's immediate future.

That's assuming Nelson can avoid injury -- something he hasn't been able to do in two seasons -- and that McRoberts doesn't bolt to the NBA.

Nelson and McRoberts will have to help fill the scoring and rebounding voids left by the departure of 2005 and 2006 Rupp Award winner J.J. Redick and All-America Shelden Williams.

Along with point guard Greg Paulus, they have to fill the leadership vacuum left by a departing four-man senior class that included team captains Sean Dockery and Lee Melchionni.

The Devils, who won their seventh ACC title in eight years this season, will welcome three top-35 recruits -- 6-foot-5 shooting guards Gerald Henderson Jr. and Jonathan Scheyer and 7-foot center Brian Zoubek.

Henderson, an athletic wing player out of Philadelphia's Episcopal Academy, was a high school teammate of North Carolina recruit Wayne Ellington so he knows how to share a backcourt.

Scheyer, reputed to be an excellent shooter, played at Glenbrook North in Northbrook, Ill.

Zoubek is Duke's first 7-footer since 7-1 George Burgin (1987-89).

Duke will be young, with the three incoming freshmen, one junior in Nelson, a redshirt sophomore in David McClure and five sophomores in McRoberts, Paulus, Eric Boateng, Jamal Boykin and Martynas Pocius.

McRoberts is the player that gets the blood churning, both for Duke fans and NBA scouts, because of the way he played in the final month of the season. McRoberts said he will consider his options.

Still, Nelson's health could be just as crucial to the success of the 2006-07 team as McRoberts' decision on the NBA.

Nelson's season stalled when he fractured a bone in his right ankle on Nov. 23. He missed nine games, then bruised a bone in the same foot in his second game back. All told, Nelson missed 12 games and Duke was on a constant lookout for a consistent third scorer without him.

The Devils of 2005-06 were an experienced, resilient team that could play fast or slow when they played tight defense.

The Devils of 2006-07 could have the talent to play above the rim and at a faster pace.

Nelson and McRoberts put on a high-flying, up-tempo, above-the-rim showcase during exhibition games this season. That's what the team will hope to look like with a big game-tested Paulus running the show along with Nelson, Henderson and Scheyer in the backcourt and McRoberts leading the way inside.

McRoberts will have more freedom to both face the basket and post up opponents. Potential rebounding and defensive workhorses Boykin, Boateng and McClure could spark that up-tempo style with their work inside.

The key is how quickly the freshmen can learn Duke's approach to defense, which is heavy on helping and denying the passing lanes and takes time to learn.

The entire rising sophomore class can vouch for that.