"I laugh at anyone who says Luke Walton is a role player." - Billy Donovan, Florida head coach, after his team's 75-71 loss to Arizona in the IKON Coaches vs. Cancer Classic earlier this season.

In the game against Florida, Walton's line read eight points, eight rebounds and five assists. It would be interesting to see what Donovan would have said after last night's game, where Walton's line was 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. It was only the 15th triple-double in Pacific 10 Conference history, and the sixth ever for UA.

There were a lot of reasons UA beat the Trojans so handily. But none were as big as Walton's classic performance.

"Luke's game (last night) and the triple-double (Damon) Stoudamire had (in 1995 against Oregon) were probably the two best individual games I've ever seen," said associate head coach Jim Rosborough. "Especially under the circumstances, against the team at the top of the Pac-10. He's had his game face on since yesterday."

Here's Walton's M.O. for his career - great passer, sees the court better than most point guards, steady ball handler, not too quick, not the greatest shooter and for the most part, a laid-back guy. Yeah, that description screams "role player."

That tag held true until Walton returned for the Washington State game from an Achilles injury that kept him out of the lineup for three games.

Suddenly, Walton doesn't seem to be living up to his reputation. He's much more expressive on the court - so much so, he got a technical during the Washington game without saying a word. While his numbers weren't necessarily eye-catching, his effect on the team was incredible. Everyone thought Walton's biggest influence on this team were his passes, but the last three games have proven that when Walton's on the floor, the entire team passes better.

"I think Luke is a great player to play with. He sees the floor well and tonight was his night," said junior point guard Jason Gardner, who's had his lion's share of great games this season.

In the pivotal first half of last night's game, it was Walton leading the charge. He manned the point position in the floating 3-2 defense that the Wildcats employed to stunt the Trojan offense. He was scoring points in a flurry of layups, some drawing enough contact to send him to the ground, giving him the opportunity to make eight free throws. He was the team leader in almost every conceivable offensive category, and more importantly, there wasn't anyone on the court who was going to stop him. Twenty points, seven boards, five assists, three steals and two blocks going into the locker room. And don't forget the partridge in a pear tree.

Letting him play the second half could have been considered cruel and unusual punishment.

"With the amount of minutes I'm playing now, I should be getting rebounds and points every game, and the assists are going to be there some games more than others," Walton said.

So, in truth the label of "role player" is fitting. Walton's role is to do everything.