Depth is a deep-seated need for shorthanded Duke.

Among the six young men who actually play for Duke and don't merely wear the uniforms and fly on the team plane, depth is not an issue. "A part of you says, `I don't care if we're deep,'" says sophomore wing Mike Dunleavy. "That just means you get to play more."

The man who coaches this sextet also insists depth is not a concern, though his other players were good for a combined 24 minutes of relief in the Blue Devils' three most difficult games this season. "Would we like to have more people ready to play at this level? Absolutely," Mike Krzyzewski says. "But that won't be the determining factor of how far we go."

It is tough to argue with Coach K. He has been to so many Final Fours we don't even feel silly calling him Coach K. And Duke's success a year ago reinforces his argument. The Devils earned the ACC championship with a 15-1 record despite getting only 21 minutes per game from outside their top six. So a lack of depth won't derail Duke's pursuit of a third national championship under Krzyzewski. Unless it does.

There is so little in the way of weakness on this team, but the one that exists is glaring. Outside of the six former McDonald's All-Americans who make up the Duke rotation-big men Shane Battier and Carlos Boozer and perimeter players Jason Williams, Nate James, Chris Duhon and Dunleavy-Krzyzewski has not been able to rely on anyone for even basic sustenance.

The coach still does not believe the Blue Devils were undone in their pre-Christmas loss to Stanford on account of their shortage of able bodies. Krzyzewski cites a series of four missed dunks as the difference. Mathematically, he has a point. Had any one of those shots connected, the Devils would have been a point better than the Cardinal.

If math is to be the determinant, though, should we ignore the affects of subtracting Battier and Boozer? Each reached the five-foul limit in the closing minutes, which sent Krzyzewski far deeper into his bench than comfort permits. As Battier and Boozer sat, their teammates were overwhelmed inside by twin towers Jason and Jarron Collins.

This picture might have unsettled Blue Devils fans but was far from their most-feared scenario. It was only a regular-season game. A reprisal of last season's NCAA Tournament could be devastating and is not inconceivable. Entering the week, Duke had lost only two of its previous 20 games. Boozer was disqualified from both. In six losses dating to the start of last season, at least one Devil finished with four personals.