By Beth Harris
The Associated Press

Arizona coach Lute Olson had plenty of concerns a year ago. After losing four top players to the NBA, Olson was left with five freshmen to play a brutal schedule.

The Wildcats weren't intimidated. They beat eventual national champion Maryland, won the Pacific-10 Conference tournament title, advanced to the final 16 of the NCAA tournament and finished 24-10.

This season, Arizona expects nothing less than a national title.

"I feel much more comfortable than I did last year," said Olson, inducted into the Hall of Fame in September. "This year, the three seniors are doing a great job of leadership. Our sophomores had to play a lot last year, so we know what we have. The four freshmen are working very hard. From an athletic standpoint, we've never been this deep."

The Wildcats were No. 1 in The Associated Press preseason poll.

Oregon, featuring the talented backcourt of Luke Jackson and Luke Ridnour, was ranked 11th, and UCLA, bolstered by the return of sharpshooter Jason Kapono, was No. 14.

The Pac-10 got six teams into the NCAA tournament last season, with Oregon, which won the league's regular-season title, making the final eight.

"The league is going to be tough from top to bottom," Olson said. "There are no gimmes, particularly on the road."

While the Wildcats have all their top players back, other teams had key losses. Stanford lost Casey Jacobsen, Southern California lost conference player of the year Sam Clancy, Oregon is missing Frederick Jones, and UCLA lost Matt Barnes and Dan Gadzuric.

"We're going to get everybody's best shot," Olson said.

Arizona guard Jason Gardner is among the top seniors in the country. His 20.4-point average led the conference last season. Senior Luke Walton averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists.

Gardner provided bulletin board material by saying the Wildcats could go undefeated in conference play.

"That's youthful exuberance," Olson said.

Insisting he didn't mean to create a controversy, Gardner said, "Most likely it won't happen. I wish it could happen."

Kapono will be the leader of a young UCLA team, and sophomores Cedric Bozeman and Ryan Walcott will be tested at point guard.

The Mountain West Conference enjoyed a resurgence last season, with San Diego State, Utah and Wyoming earning NCAA tournament berths. The Cowboys upset Gonzaga in the first round and challenged Arizona before losing 68-60.

Wyoming figures to lead the way among eight teams that comprise the strongest Mountain West lineup since the league began in 1999.

The Cowboys have depth on the frontline and in the backcourt. Senior center Uche Nsonwu-Amadi, a three-year starter from Nigeria, led the conference in rebounding. Guard-forward Marcus Bailey, another three-year starter, averaged 14.6 points and shot 49 percent from the field.

UNLV is back in contention under coach Charlie Spoonhour, who led the Runnin' Rebels to a 21-11 record, an NIT berth and a spot in the conference tournament title game after coming out of retirement.

The cream of the West Coast Conference will be Gonzaga - again. Winners of four consecutive conference tournament titles, the Zags lost point guard Dan Dickau and Casey Calvary, but they do get back three starters from last season's top 10 team: Blake Stepp, Zach Gourde and Cory Violette.

Pepperdine returns its top five scorers to make a run at knocking off Gonzaga. Coach Paul Westphal guided the Waves to the NCAA tournament in his first season.

There's a change in the West Coast's tournament format this season that rewards teams for doing well in the regular season. The top two seeds will receive byes to the semifinals; the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds earn byes to the quarterfinals; while the fifth- through eighth-seeded teams have to play opening-round games.

The Western Athletic Conference lost its best-known personality when Jerry Tarkanian retired. Tarkanian, who coached Fresno State to postseason play in all seven seasons at his alma mater, was replaced by Oklahoma assistant Ray Lopes.

The Bulldogs are in a rebuilding mode after losing the conference's top two players in two-time WAC MVP Melvin Ely and forward Chris Jeffries, both first-round NBA draft picks.

Hawaii and Tulsa tied for the conference title last season and the race figures to come down to the same teams. Hawaii seeks a third consecutive NCAA tournament berth under coach Riley Wallace.

Tulsa brings back seniors Kevin Johnson, Charlie Davis, Antonio Reed and Dante Swanson, who upset Marquette and scared Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.

UC Santa Barbara and Utah State could have breakout seasons in the Big West Conference. The Gauchos return four starters and several key reserves who won the school's first-ever tournament title last season. Utah State is seeking its fourth consecutive 20-win season and fourth straight postseason appearance under coach Stew Morrill.

In the Big Sky Conference, Eastern Washington should lead the way. The Eagles came within a victory of reaching the NCAA tournament the last two years.