KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat UA head coach Lute Olson was voted Pac-10 co-Coach of the Year yesterday for the seventh time. Stanford's Mike Montgomery shared the award.

Even with the nation's No. 1 ranking and Pac-10 Conference co-Coach of the Year Lute Olson ÷ Olson and Stanford's head man Mike Montgomery shared the honor yesterday ÷ nothing is a lock.

Despite UA's record of dominating the Pac-10 tournament, which starts in two days in Los Angeles, a tournament victory is not definite.

Here are five questions UA has to answer if it's going to bring home its second straight championship: (Go to the Cat Poll at the Wildcat online at www.wildcat.arizona.edu to weigh in on the questions yourself).

Do the Wildcats care enough to really win it?

After Saturday's game against Oregon, UA sophomore guard Salim Stoudamire said he is excited for the NCAA Tournament but really not to pumped about the Pac-10. However, he also did say that it doesn't mean Arizona won't be up for its games. The Wildcats have been known to play down to their opponents at times this season, but if the road to the conference tournament title plays out the way it could, that shouldn't be a problem. Barring an embarrassing defeat by UCLA Thursday, UA will likely play either Oregon or Arizona State in the second round and finish with either Stanford or California. The Wildcats haven't taken any of those teams lightly all season, and there is no reason for it to happen in front of a national audience, just days before the "real" tournament begins. Remember also that as much as UA head coach Lute Olson hates the conference tournament, he holds a 12-1 all-time record.

Which team poses the biggest threat to the defending champions?

No team has played Arizona better all season than Stanford ÷ the Cardinal is the only Pac-10 team to defeat the Wildcats. Stanford has been able to

control the tempo against the more athletic UA team in their previous two games, and there is no reason anything different should happen if they meet a third time. Unlike the hostile environment the Wildcats just escaped from two weeks ago in Stanford, the Staples Center crowd will likely be in Arizona's favor. The Cardinal is a lock for a good seed in the NCAA Tournament, but a win over UA could propel Stanford into a third seed for the big dance.

How important is Stoudamire to the Wildcats' success?

The left-hander has been benched twice by Olson this season but has bounced back nicely in the next game. After getting benched Thursday against Oregon State, Stoudamire said he learned his lesson. Stoudamire responded with a 17-point second half performance against the Ducks Saturday and even played a new role in the offense. He brought the ball up the court, penetrated to the basket and kicked the ball out to Jason Gardner. Stoudamire is better suited to break down a defense than Gardner is, and it worked well against the Ducks' backcourt duo, Luke Ridnour and James Davis.

Are the three freshmen ÷ Andre Iguodala, Hassan Adams and Chris Rodgers ÷ ready for the challenge of tournament play?

After logging a total of 1,297 minutes during the regular season, Olson is hoping his three freshmen are ready for tournament play. At the start of the season, all the talk was about their offense, but the three freshmen have become more important defensively. Each has covered the opponent's best player at some time this season, with Iguodala getting that assignment in nearly every game. Iguodala will get a lot of minutes against UCLA's Jason Kapono on Thursday after nearly shutting him out in the teams' earlier meetings.

Can the athleticism off the bench complement the Wildcats' lack of depth under the basket?

Backup center Isaiah Fox has not played more than seven minutes since the Arizona blowout of UCLA seven games ago. With Dennis Latimore gone, the Wildcats have gone with more Channing Frye and varying smaller lineups. It has worked well for UA so far, but what about in the NCAA Tournament? Olson would love to find that out this week in the Pac-10 Tournament, but no conference team has the size or strength of a Kansas or Oklahoma. If Frye gets in foul trouble, Fox will have to come off the bench and log minutes. The athleticism of Iguodala and Adams is nice, but when a team like Kansas brings Jeff Graves off the bench, UA will need Fox's size. Expect to see more minutes from Fox in Los Angeles.