Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was trying to explain to a British reporter how tough it is to win a national championship in college basketball. Sitting in a spacious interview room at the Crystal Palace Sports Complex in suburban London in mid-October, Krzyzewski spelled out the need for experienced, veteran leaders to win the title.

Maryland had it last April. Duke the previous spring. Michigan State prior to the Blue Devils and Connecticut before the Spartans ... and on and on.

National Toughness Survey

During ESPN.com's 2002-03 Season Preview, the results of a national survey of Division I coaches and players will reveal the toughest aspects in college basketball: Monday, Oct. 28 Toughest Team Tuesday, Oct. 29 Toughest Players Toughest Guards Toughest Big Men Toughest Defenders Wednesday, Oct. 30 Toughest Fans/Expectations Toughest Coaching Jobs Thursday, Oct. 31 Toughest Players to Replace Toughest Rivalries Friday, Nov. 1 Toughest Mid-Major Programs Toughest Mid-Major Players Monday, Nov. 4 Toughest Duos Tuesday, Nov. 6 Toughest Practices Places to Play

Krzyzewski was referring to the toughness required to win it all. And we're not just talking about who looks good flexing in a weight room. This is about mental toughness, especially from a lead guard. It's about having a mind set tough enough to swallow a loss in say a Final Four, or a few rounds prior, and use it as the driving force to get back to the top. It's turning disappointment into the determination to win the last game the following season.

"Toughness becomes a big factor on nights you don't play well," Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson said. "I think toughness and discipline are synonymous. You can't be tough if you're not disciplined. And toughness comes into play in road games. Teams have to learn to compete outside their comfort zone. Teams that can't emerge from that comfort zone have a difficult time winning away from home."

The toughness comes in many forms, and it usually starts with the tough, driven head coach who is determined to win the title and implores it on his players. The lead guard takes the baton from the coach, but there has to be someone else, preferably a partner inside to be the physical one to give the team balance. Getting through a tough schedule, whether it's in the non-conference and then the league is a necessity. As close as teams from the WAC, MWC, WCC and MAC have come to the Final Four, or in the case of Utah in 1998 even getting to the title game, it's still hard to get to that point without going through a grueling conference season (see: Big Six conference advantage).

Krzyzewski's tutorial on winning a title for the press across the pond is sometimes lost on those stateside. Too often, the talent blinds us, the sheer athleticism that is, seems like the obvious precursor to the title. But the best players still have to be tough enough in the tournament.

"Toughness is probably as important as any factor," Kansas' Nick Collison said. "You have to be tough enough to execute your game plan as well as getting over all the different adversity that happens during a game or the season."

So, the question facing us two-plus weeks from the beginning of the season is which team is the toughest, or at least, who has some of the toughest components to win the title? And, when looking through certain criteria that runs through past champions, the Big Three of Arizona, Kansas and Oklahoma stand out.

	Can Gardner will lead Arizona all the way?

Point Guard
Who has a Juan Dixon? A Khalid El-Amin? A Tyus Edney?

Potentially, eight teams have someone who could be considered at least capable of being the lead guard for a title team, just like Dixon was for Maryland last season and nearly every national champion has possessed in the past two decades. But the list starts with the point guards that call Tucson, Lawrence and Norman home. Arizona has Jason Gardner, the point guard who was told he wasn't good enough for the NBA two seasons ago. He was the only starter of five that returned last season and he's even more humble as he tries to lead a mostly freshmen and sophomore crew to the title. But his defensive lapses make it hard to equate him to Dixon, who could change the game at both ends of the court.

Kansas has Kirk Hinrich. He's not a true point and will likely give most of those duties up to Aaron Miles. But like Dixon, he's a combo guard who doesn't seem to ever get rattled. He's as tough at both ends of the court. Teammates love playing with Hinrich, but he's probably not as vocal as he needs to be at times.

Oklahoma's Hollis Price might be the toughest of all points in 2002-03. Price has battled the most severe injuries over the past few seasons, from his elbow to his ankle, and yet he's still standing, making shots, defending and never backing down. He's extremely verbal, and doesn't shy away from making the big play. And he's clearly an extension of Sampson.

Other candidates: Texas' T.J. Ford, Pitt's Brandin Knight, Xavier's Romain Sato, Florida's Brett Nelson and Alabama's Mo Williams.

Inside Help
Ah, but who has a Lonny Baxter? A Corliss Williamson? A Larry Johnson? A Pervis Ellison?

Baxter was a beast on the boards for Maryland, but he wasn't just a back-to-the-basket scorer. He was someone who the Terps could rely on in case Dixon wasn't scoring. He was another option, a backup to ensure the Terps had the leadership coming from somewhere on the court.

This is where Oklahoma will miss Aaron McGhee. They'll need to get it from Ebi Ere, albeit from the perimeter. Ere is a slashing, shooting wing, who will have to compliment Price. That's why Kansas' Collison and Arizona's Luke Walton have the edge in this category. They are tough inside, the kind of players who will take the hit and look for the foul later. But they're also move diverse to take their games further from the basket. Walton is more of a face-up shooter than Collison, who is probably the best scorer around the basket and big man on the break in the nation.

But there are others who could push their teams to the title, guys like Florida's Matt Bonner, Xavier's David West, Alabama's Erwin Dudley and Texas' James Thomas.

Physically Ready
Who'll play physical when it matters most? Oklahoma and Kansas, with the Sooners probably getting a slight edge.

Get a tape of Oklahoma against Arizona in the NCAAs and you'll see Quannas White forearm Walton out of bounds simply when he was running the baseline. The Sooners want to bang and get in your grill when they play defense. It's a toughness that Sampson instills from Day One, a mentality mimicked by a veteran crew led by Price.

"Toughness is more mental than physical," Sampson said. "Everybody is physical. Everybody lifts weights and conditions. I'm not sure we're better than anyone else in that department. But we've been mentally a tough team over the years and I think that separates the great teams from the good teams."

Certainly, Roy Williams' teams have been tougher of late. The Jayhawks had to be tough to get through the Big 12 undusted and win at places like Arizona.

"Mental toughness is the most important aspect, because when the physical aspects like fatigue or someone pushing you around (starts), then it's the mental toughness that lets you deal with those things," Collison said. "You have to be tough enough in your head to tell yourself not to give in. We're tough enough because we have a lot of experience and we've been through situations like playing on the road and coming from behind. Coach Williams preaches execution so much that we'll be tough enough to execute in those situations."

Walton said the Wildcats had toughness last season, but didn't know how to show it in games, largely because of their inexperience. The Wildcats, while a year wiser in some ways, could wind up just as young this season if freshmen like Hassan Adams and Andre Iguodala get major minutes.

"Any time you have freshmen contributing like we are, they're not going to be used to the intensity that is needed," Arizona coach Lute Olson said. "But Hassan Adams would be the exception because he played in a system in high school that was full-court pressure and was played with great intensity."

	Kelvin Sampson says toughness starts in the mind.

Seasoned for March
Which conference will get its contenders best prepared for March? The Big 12, which leads back to Kansas and Oklahoma.

The Big 12, from 1 to 8, could be the toughest league in the country. The big six within the Big 12: Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech should all be back in the NCAAs. But don't think Baylor and Iowa State are going to be pushovers. These two could make a run at the sixth spot.

Arizona will get pushed by Oregon and UCLA, but has a few more dog games than Kansas or Oklahoma. And don't forget about the SEC East, which will end up being the toughest division within a conference. Five of the six teams have a legit shot to get to the NCAAs.

But what about outside conference play? Who figures to be tested more than any other team?

Kansas is in the Preseason NIT where the Jayhawks could meet up with Florida in the final. A brutal road swing to Oregon and Tulsa awaits as well, not to mention games against UCLA at home, Cal in Oakland and Arizona in January. Oklahoma opens with Alabama in New York; plays Mississippi State in New Orleans; and Michigan State and Connecticut within three days in state in early January. Arizona won't be able to coast against Western Kentucky in its opener, and beating San Diego State on the road isn't a walk. But the Wildcats' real tests come against Texas at home, at LSU and ultimately at Kansas.

Hungry For More
Walton and Gardner still talk about getting so close, no not last year, but in 2001 when Arizona was a few shots away from beat Duke and winning the title in Minnesota. Olson knows this team has the talent to get to New Orleans, but he's waiting to see how driven it is to make it happen over the next three months.

Kansas' Collison and Hinrich returned to Lawrence for their senior season when they could have easily split for the NBA, something that wasn't lost on teammates Aaron Miles, Keith Langford and Wayne Simien when the three joined Collison at a summer workout at the Nike camp in Indianapolis. The Jayhawks have tasted the Final Four and anything short of returning will be deemed a major disappointment.

Oklahoma got a sniff of the trophy, too, by reaching the 2002 Final Four in Atlanta. And winning the league title first might come down to the one and only KU-OU game this season, and it's in Norman (Feb. 23). Like Kansas, Oklahoma feels cheated that it was denied a title-game appearance by not playing as well as it could in the national semifinals.

Neither Kansas or Oklahoma was tough enough, on March 30, 2002, as Indiana or Maryland.

"Toughness is important, but I think there is also a large degree of luck involved," Sampson said. "Injuries can play a key role and players might step up and have big games that you might not expect. The key is for our best players to have their best games."

And to do that, of course, players have to be mentally tough. And using these defining elements to past champions, Oklahoma, by a slight edge over Kansas, might be the toughest.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.