Editor's Note: ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas understands the demands of being No. 1. Bilas was the starting center for No. 1 ranked Duke in 1986, and an assistant coach for the No. 1 Blue Devils in back-to-back national championship seasons of 1991-1992.

If the ubiquitous preseason magazines are any indication, the voting for the preseason No. 1 team will be split among Arizona, Kansas and Oklahoma. What does it mean to be the preseason No. 1 team in America? The truth is, it means a lot, and it also means very little.

There are substantial benefits, and substantial drawbacks. It is a lot of fun to be ranked preseason No. 1, and it is also serious business. There's not so subtle pressure involved with being preseason No. 1, and how the coaches and players handle that pressure can determine whether the experience is a positive one or a negative one.

		Monday, Oct. 28 Arizona, Kansas and Oklahoma are each worthy of being ranked No. 1, but Arizona has everything at the start of the season but the trophy. Jason Gardner is one of the top five point guards in America, and will play fewer minutes and score fewer points in his senior season. That is a good thing. Gardner, by necessity, was a high-scoring iron man, playing 40 minutes in every key game and having to take big shot after big shot. This year, Gardner can concentrate on running the team and putting pressure on the ball and keep it out of operating areas, knowing that he can get a blow when he needs one. Salim Stoudamire is just scratching the surface of how good he is going to be. Stoudamire is a great shooter with spectacular footwork on the perimeter, and can be a top-notch defender. Will Bynum is vastly improved and has learned the value of economy of motion. There are few guards that can match Bynum's strength and explosiveness. Luke Walton is the best passing big man in the nation, period, and has the versatility to play anywhere in the frontcourt. Ricky Anderson has a great feel and is one of the best offensive rebounders in the Pac-10. Channing Frye is stronger and more efficient in the post; Isaiah Fox is better conditioned and has great hands; and Dennis Lattimore is lighter on his feet and very solid on the glass. Freshmen Hassaan Adams and Andre Iguodala are spectacular athletes and defenders, and will allow Olson to press, extend his defense and sit back and watch his Wildcats roll over most opponents. Adams is the best offensive rebounder I saw last season, and Iguodala can run the floor and guard anybody.

In general, the weekly national rankings throughout the season are supposed to reflect which teams are the best in the nation as of right now, not projected out into the future. That's why you see teams rise or fall precipitously in the polls after a good or bad week of W's and L's. But preseason picks are different, especially the first four picks.

To me, the first four teams ranked in a preseason poll reflect the four teams that I believe will be in the Final Four, and the No. 1 slot is reserved for the team that I believe has the best chance to win the national championship in April. Last season, teams such as Duke (lost to Indiana in the Sweet 16) and Illinois (lost to Kansas in the Sweet 16) were preseason No. 1 teams, and Arizona was nary in the Top 20 of any major poll or preseason magazine.

Preseason polls and prognostications are fun for the fans and for the voters. They generate interest and discussion, but they are truly meaningless in a competitive sense. Rarely does a team ranked No. 1 in the preseason go on to win the national championship. While the rankings are meaningless in a competitive sense (because a ranking doesn't help a team win), a national ranking, especially No. 1, is certainly not meaningless. A ranked team gets more coverage, feels more pressure and clearly had better be able to shoulder added responsibility, or the ranking will feel like an anchor tied around the team's neck.

How do Arizona, Kansas and Oklahoma compare in regards to being ready for the label of "No. 1'?

Instant Attention
Rankings mean increased coverage, and the top 25 is the dividing line between the perception of thriving and simply existing. Teams ranked in the top 25 get their game highlights and scores on SportsCenter, which is watched by every kid that program hopes to recruit, as well as mention on every local news broadcast around the country. These teams' games are featured in capsule reviews in almost every newspaper, instead of just having the score listed on the back page by region (which is about as fun easy to peruse as the New York Stock Exchange listings in the Wall Street Journal).

Rankings mean coverage, coverage means interest, and interest means recruiting advantages and dollars.

Coverage of the preseason No. 1 team is even more magnified.The national media horde hounds the coaches and players of the No. 1 team with a fervor that does not exist for the teams ranked No. 2 or below. The coverage of No. 1 is based solely on the number, not the team or how it is playing, and lasts only as long as the team keeps the No. 1 ranking. The preseason No. 1 team will be featured on magazine covers, which are put over comprehensive feature stories, which need to be accompanied by clever photos that are staged as it Annie Lebowitz is taking them for Rolling Stone or Vanity Fair.

What does that coverage mean for the No. 1 team? Sure, it's nice, but it means more demands upon the time of the players and coaches, and more distractions. There are more interviews requested that have to be set up and attended; more phone calls that have to be fielded; and there has to be more understanding. The players have to better manage their time to cope with the increased attention. They have to make certain that they are not too thin-skinned when they inevitably read or hear an opinion they don't agree with. And, they players must be mature enough to disallow jealousy or hurt feelings from distracting them if the media horde tramples by them to get to someone else.

Arizona was a preseason No. 1 team in 2000, and the hype of the ranking and expectations clearly affected those Wildcats early in the season. A couple of players were interested in their NBA stock, and from my vantage point, it appeared at times if the 2000-01 Wildcats were trying to win the national title in December, instead of building toward winning it in March. Sadly, the 2000-01 team had far more distractions to deal with, with minor NCAA suspensions, injuries, and the tragic passing of Bobbi Olson. Arizona rallied and had, by any standard, a magnificent season in reaching the 2001 Final Four. But it could have been even better. Several members of that team are on this year's team, and all are winners that understand the process. Still, they will need to be reminded of it daily by Lute Olson and his staff.

Kansas has been No. 1 before, and after his time at North Carolina and Kansas, Roy Williams is not likely to be seduced by the lure of the media spotlight or overlook the current state of his team. Williams and his players understand that a high level of play can slip easily even while winning, and also understand that a couple of losses in the Big 12 doesn't mean that you don't have the best team. Oklahoma is the newest member to the "High Expectations Club", but Kelvin Sampson is one smart coach, and he has mature players on his team that can navigate being a "defending" Final Four team.

Advantage: PUSH

Pressure and Responsibility
Every team wants to be ranked No. 1, or at least, everybody thinks they want to be ranked No. 1. But, the pressure of being No. 1 causes some strange side effects. Sometimes, teams and players tend to try to protect a ranking, instead of pursuing what is ahead of them.

For example, Kansas and Oklahoma both advanced to the Final Four last season, and are expected to do so again. Both won Big 12 titles, Kansas the regular season title and Oklahoma the tournament title, and are expected to win again. However, neither team is "defending" their Final Four spots or their Big 12 titles. Those banners are already hanging in their arenas and belong solely to them. They don't need to be defended, but many teams and players play as if they are already champions and fear losing their grip on that title.

Instead, these teams need to pursue championships and Final Fours this year with abandon, to go out and take things without playing to protect anything. It is impossible to protect a No. 1 ranking, but some players try to do it anyway. A ranking doesn't exist, but championships do, on the conference and national levels. The only way to win them is to play without fear of losing what you have, because in reality, you don't have anything.

Still, I see this all the time, teams that strut along with a ranking, believing that all is well with the world and their games as long as they continue to win and keep pace with the ranking they have established. Instead of objectively evaluating where they really are and how they really are playing, it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that everything is all right as long as you are winning and as long as you keep your ranking. Well, that is not a reality. Teams that fall into this trap awaken to their house on fire when they are finally hit with a loss.

How often do you hear a coach use the phrase " a win is a win" after his team has played below its capabilities and squeaked by an inferior opponent? Not very often, but fans and media members say it all of the time. The voters in the polls don't always see the teams they're ranking actually play, so they can sometimes only evaluate a team's place in the college basketball world based upon scores, and whether the team won. Well, a win is not a win to a true No. 1 team.

The measure for a good team is how the team and players are playing right now, and whether they are getting better and progressing toward being a championship caliber team. "A win is a win" is a rationalization, and nobody committed to pursuing excellence uses that phrase (unless its use is for the purpose of getting alumni uneducated in the game to pipe down and let the coaches and players work).

Being No. 1 carries with it a very real responsibility, and it can be tough to handle. Every opponent gives its best shot at No. 1, and the team carrying the responsibility of No. 1 cannot afford the luxury of being off on a given night.

I don't see Arizona, Kansas or Oklahoma allowing the pressure or responsibility of being highly ranked affect how it goes about its daily business of preparing to play, and playing to win.

Advantage: PUSH

The Final Product: Talent, Depth and Experience
Arizona has the best personnel from one through 10, and are so talented and deep that Lute Olson may have to redshirt two very talented freshmen because they may not get enough playing time. The Wildcats can shoot it, have one of the best passing frontcourts in the nation, boast a very good inside game, and will be able to play 40 minutes of up tempo, high-pressure defense. Arizona is experienced and hungry to win a national title. In short, this team has everything one would want in a team.

Kansas has the best inside-outside duo in the nation in Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison, and is as good as anyone in the country from one through five. After the starting unit, Kansas has mostly question marks on its unproven bench, which is unusual for Roy Williams. However, with Aaron Miles, Keith Langford and Wayne Simeon joining Collison and Hinrich, five may be enough to get to New Orleans. Remember, North Carolina had the best team in the country in 1998 playing only five guys.

Oklahoma is deep and strong. Sampson has a team that is built upon defense and rebounding. The Sooners will deny opponents the ability to run consistent offense, and will take away strengths, as they did against Kansas in the Big 12 tournament title game. When a shot goes up, Oklahoma goes after it like their lives depend upon it. Hollis Price, Ebi Ere and Quannas White are Sampson's leaders and form one of the best backcourts in the country, and the Sooners have shotblocking and solid newcomers in Kevin Bookout, a shot put, discus and home run champion, and DeAngelo Alexander. Oklahoma has been there before, and the experience made them want to take it further.

Advantage: ARIZONA

The good news is, every team and every player in America gets to prove the voters wrong. Everybody has an opinion, but not everybody has the chops to win the national championship.

Arizona, Kansas and Oklahoma can win it all, but so can Pittsburgh, Oregon, Florida, Michigan State, Texas, Duke, Missouri, Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Xavier and Gonzaga. We'll have a better feel for it in January, but we won't really know until March. And that's what makes college basketball the best game.