That's because junior Greg Paulus, senior DeMarcus Nelson and freshman Kyle Singler successfully played quarterback on their high school football teams.

They retained the leadership skills, vision and yen for contact from their gridiron days, skills second-seeded Duke (28-5) needs in a second-round NCAA Tournament game against seventh-seeded West Virginia (25-10) at 2:10 p.m. today.

Singler, who has successfully run a few post patterns this season for scores, with Paulus tossing the basketball into his hands, says Division I basketball actually is much rougher than high school football, but he loves the contact.

"Definitely, yeah," said Singler, also a former high school linebacker and receiver. "I just wish we could hit people out there."

So who's the best?

"We joke a little bit about who's better, sometimes during fullcourt drills and hitting moving targets during last-second stuff," Paulus said. "That's the extent of it. It's more me and DeMarcus. Kyle isn't really included; he's just a freshman, you know."

Paulus, a four-time all-state selection, was the most successful, playing for Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, N.Y. The 2004 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year was also heavily recruited as a football player by Notre Dame, among others.

Paulus's five brothers all played Division I-A football, including younger brother Mike, who will be a redshirt freshman QB at North Carolina this year.

Paulus, who is 6-1, 185 pounds, jokes that he avoided contact at all costs at Christian Brothers. Former teammate Bruce Williams, who set records as Paulus's favorite target there, agreed.

"He'd run around until someone got open," said Williams, now a safety at Syracuse. "He was so smart with the ball. He knew when to get down. And he was never serious until the big game. ... He made it fun. He brought life to the game."

As Duke's point guard, Paulus directs traffic on the court like he did on the gridiron.

"[Football is] a competitive team sport," Paulus said. "Coming here it's the same thing. If one guy isn't in the right place or the defense isn't moving together, it just doesn't work."

Nelson was an All-America in 2001 as a high school sophomore, his last year of football, at Vallejo (Calif.) High.

You can see Nelson's football background in his broad shoulders and the way defenders, even taller and heavier ones, bounce off him as he attacks the hoop off the dribble.

"It's allowed me to play a lot stronger to create space and get my shot off around the bucket against bigger guys and opponents," Nelson said.

Nelson says he was a skinny child. Playing sports growing up, he finally grew tired of getting pushed around and began weight training as an eighth-grader.

Warner West, Nelson's best friend, helped Nelson set records as his favorite high school target at Vallejo. West said that physical strength enabled Nelson to evolve into a versatile, physical, Vince Young-type of QB.

"You know, I joke about it a lot that he sometimes puts his head down and just bulls his way for the basket," West said. "He goes like he has a helmet and shoulder pads on. He's a strong guy with a work ethic like no other."

Singler didn't play quarterback for long but, after earning all-state honors in his last year of football as a junior at South Medford (Ore.) High, he isn't shy about his skill. Ask him how far can he throw a football and he says, "80 yards on the fly."

Singler's Uncle Bill, the football coach at South Medford, said his nephew had the talent and hands to make a great tight end, but he needed Kyle at quarterback because he made things go.

"It was his presence and leadership that we missed most," Bill Singler said. "[What you see now at Duke] is his competitiveness and how he doesn't back down."

That's a family trait. Singler's mother, Kris, has four brothers -- John Brosterhous (Oregon football), Rick (Oregon basketball), B.G. (Texas basketball), and Greg (Oregon football) -- who all played Division I sports.

Both Kris and niece Ericka Brosterhous played basketball at Oregon State. Also Ed Singler, Kyle's father, played quarterback at Oregon State, and Bill was a receiver at Stanford.

Duke football coach David Cutcliffe, a molder of quarterbacks named Peyton and Eli Manning and most recently offensive coordinator at Tennessee, knows the basketball team has some big arms.

"We had our eye on [Paulus], but it was pretty evident basketball was the option he was going to take," Cutcliffe said. "I also talked to his brother [Mike] kind of late [at Tennessee]. ... I'm familiar with [the Pauluses]. He's a hard-nosed guy. ... Nelson is the same way; he's kind of got it."

Cutcliffe, however, won't be planning a late-night raid anytime soon.

"They could probably play [football]," Cutcliffe said. "But they are kind of busy right now. I don't think Coach K is interested in them putting on shoulder pads."

(Staff writer A.J. Carr contributed to this report.)