TUCSON, Ariz. -- Luke Walton and Jason Gardner play well together. It's not a mystery as to why. They just do.

Each are also close friends with former Arizona teammate and rising New Jersey Nets star Richard Jefferson. He's the third musketeer who left early after the Wildcats came within a victory of winning it all in 2001.

	Luke Walton and Jason Gardner are two reasons Arizona is a favorite to win it all.

Both Gardner and Walton could have tried to join him in the NBA. But they knew better. Gardner flirted with the NBA draft after his sophomore season, got humbled into withdrawing and is still no lock for The League. Walton wouldn't dare cross his father Bill and jump to the NBA without being ready.

They are simply two fellas who love to play college basketball. They got their taste of the Final Four in 2001 and were within a few minutes of winning the title before Duke snatched it. Now, as their senior seasons arrive along with one of the top newcomer classes in the country, they are primed for one last run -- together -- toward another Final Four.

"We've accomplished a lot here, winning a preseason tournament in New York, getting to the Final Four and the title game," Gardner said. "But we haven't gone undefeated in the Pac-10 and we still haven't won the national championship."

Too lofty? Not for this pair. Not with this much talent around two preseason Wooden Award candidates in the desert.

Lute Olson said Gardner and Walton are as competitive as any two players he has coached. They're also winners. Gardner, a four-year starter, and Walton, who blossomed into the best all-around big man in the country last season, enter the 2002-03 season 21 wins shy of the century mark for their careers (79-25).

Regardless of what happens after college, they can celebrate that they are simply sensational college players. That might not translate into the NBA, but it's something they can be proud of during their tenure at Arizona.

Gardner makes money shots at the point. Walton is a scrappy inside-out player who continues to be one of the best passing forwards in the game.

And they are in concert constantly.

Walton seems to know where to be on the break, how to come off a screen at the exact moment that Gardner will feed him for a jumper. They don't have to speak much; they just sense where the other should be on the court.

"We've played with each other for four years so I automatically know where Jason is going to be," Walton said. "We're both so competitive and we do a great job of leading the team."

As two of only three seniors on Arizona's roster -- starting forward Rick Andersen is the third -- the duo faces its toughest task this season in making sure a loaded team doesn't get distracted by selfish desires. There won't be enough minutes to go around, so squawking is out of the question. Walton and Gardner will have to raise their voice at times to ensure that their teammates understand the need to mesh as one to finish No. 1.

And both have to be tougher, not physically but mentally, when the game gets tight, especially on the road.

"We had it last year, but we didn't show it all of the time because we didn't know how to respond," Walton said. "This year's team, the three leaders of me, Jason and Ricky have been ranked No. 1 before. The talent from players one through 11 is loaded with all-Americans. But we've bonded early and if we keep this up we won't have any problems.

"Coach O knows how to handle a team like this. There will be young guys who might get left out if someone else is hot, so we all have to handle it."

And the unselfishness goes both ways. Don't expect Walton and Gardner to gripe if they don't have the numbers to win the Wooden Award.

"All I care about is winning a national championship," Walton said. "My stats and Jason's stats aren't going to be as good because we've got more talent around us."

But they still stand out, enough so to be one of the five toughest duos in the county. The other four?

Kirk Hinrich/Nick Collison, Kansas: Roy Williams plucked this tandem from Iowa at a time when the Hawkeyes program was going through a transition in the waning days of the Tom Davis era. The recruiting coup continues to pay dividends for the Jayhawks with an undefeated Big 12 and Final Four season in 2001-02. They could win any argument as the best at their respective positions. Hinrich is a tough matchup because he can put the ball on the floor, is deceptively quick, has deep range and is a deft defender. He's not as vocal, but he doesn't back down to anyone. And he proved last season that he could play through pain during the NCAA Tournament when an ankle injury hobbled him. Collison is a rugged big man who torched Oregon in the Elite Eight. He gave up some touches to Drew Gooden, but he'll be taking them back now that Gooden has departed for the NBA. Hinrich and Collison aren't your a traditional inside-out combo because they both have a little bit of each other's game in them. Collison has range and can put the ball on the floor and drive to the hole. Hinrich can be physical and spin on a guard to post up and get to the basket. Like the other four twosomes, both start the season with a legitimate claim on the national player of the year award, let alone the Big 12 honor.

Luke Ridnour/Luke Jackson, Oregon: These two love the game. There is a rhythm to them that is unmatched by any other pair of players. Ridnour and Jackson are also extremely close friends, which helps cancel out any jealousy if either one is getting more touches. And they honestly help each other's game by critiquing and working with each other on perimeter jumpers, creating off the dribble and driving to the hole. Their toughness comes from their competitiveness; neither takes losing kindly. A year ago they fit the mold of guard/foward duo, but this season the 6-7 Jackson could see more time in the backcourt as a shooting guard and make the Ducks' backcourt arguably the best in the country.

Romain Sato/David West, Xavier: This pair is by far the most underrated duo in the country. Sato isn't as nifty with the ball but he can shoot it, making 41.5 percent of 3s and averaging 16 points a game last season. Doubling down on West, perhaps the toughest inside scorer in the country (18.3 ppg), is a mistake. Sato is too quick to get shots off to leave him alone or have someone slack off of him. West gets the pub individually, but Sato doesn't hear boo from any national awards. But for Xavier to make noise in the NCAAs, the Musketeers will need this pair to create havoc. No team in the Atlantic 10 can keep up with the tandem that alone can carry Xavier to the league title. Sato needs to improve his driving skills, and if he does he'll create even more scoring chances for West, let alone for himself. While the common fan doesn't know much about Sato yet, the NBA is hot on his trail.

Maurice Williams/Erwin Dudley, Alabama: Quick, who was the SEC player of the year? Tayshaun Prince? No. Jarvis Hayes? Nope. Matt Bonner? Not even close. Dudley was and few have noticed. He was a house inside for the Tide, and the word is he's even stronger around the glass now. The early reports on Williams is that he's turning the ball over less, making better decisions and enjoys feeding the monster in the middle. The Tide has matured after getting bounced early by Kent State, and the Williams-Dudley outside-in combination is the best in the SEC. Williams' driving-and-dish game plays right into Dudley, who loves to feed off of garbage buckets. He has extended his game out to decent mid-range jumper range. Coach Mark Gottfried will probably get them even more touches if complimentary players like Kenny Walker make themselves factors, forcing defenses to pay attention to them, too.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.