1. Depth could be a problem in the NCAA Tournament.
2. So could a quicker opponent.
3. The Cardinal can't cruise in Saturday's Pac-10 Conference finale against Arizona State.

First, the depth issue. Until three weeks ago, it seemed a huge plus. Now, suddenly, Stanford is vulnerable up front because of injuries to Justin Davis and Curtis Borchardt.

Davis, a springy, 6-foot-8, 230-pound redshirt freshman, can play center and forward but has an ankle sprain, didn't get off the bench against the Wildcats and probably won't Saturday, with coach Mike Montgomery hoping to rest him for the NCAA Tournament.

Borchardt, at 7-0 a prolific shot-blocker and capable outside shooter, had foot surgery Tuesday and is out for the season.

This leaves Montgomery with only one reserve banger -- true freshman Teyo Johnson -- who doubles as a third-string quarterback on the football team and would prefer playing guard. A burly 6-7, 240-pounder, Johnson is explosive and probably the fastest player on the team, but he's raw and mistake-prone.

On the other hand, little was expected of him this year, and he has given Montgomery valuable minutes, especially in the first half against Arizona, when center Jason Collins collected three early fouls and sat out 15 minutes.

Athletic, fleet-footed opponents have always given the Cardinal problems, although backup point guard Julius Barnes has helped narrow the gap. Wildcats guard Gilbert Arenas burned Stanford All-America candidate Casey Jacobsen for a game-high 22 points, and slippery floor leader Jason Gardner gave Cardinal counterpart Mike McDonald fits.

Which is why Stanford could be pushed next week in the West Regional in San Diego or Boise, Idaho, where it is assured a No. 1 seed.

"I wouldn't say we learned anything about our team," Jacobsen said after the loss. "But this was a tournament-like game. So maybe what we learned tonight will manifest itself later. Maybe we can look back at this when we play a team as talented, or more, than Arizona. And you know that's going to happen. Only in the tournament, you pack your bags and go home."

Give Arizona credit. Twice, it rebounded from 10-point deficits in the first half. And besides, it's not as if the Wildcats haven't had success against the Cardinal. They won five of the seven previous meetings and two of three at Maples Pavilion, including a tight 68-65 triumph last year against the nation's top-ranked team.

Considering how limited his front court is, Montgomery would prefer to take it easy on Jarron and Jason Collins on Saturday to rest them for next week. Both have been averaging more than 35 minutes recently, although Jason was limited to 24 against Arizona.

But Montgomery might not have the luxury.

Fatigue might have been a factor against the Wildcats, as normally potent Stanford went 0-of-7 from 3-point range in the second half. Neither McDonald nor sharp-shooting senior forward Ryan Mendez scored from the field in the last 20 minutes, the latter attempting only one shot.

"Tired or not, tough teams have to suck it up," Jacobsen said. "That's just the way it goes."

Montgomery and his players couldn't care less about the No. 1 ranking at this point, but they do care about winning the outright conference championship for the second time in three years.

To accomplish that, the Cardinal must beat Arizona State or Arizona and UCLA must lose to Cal and Washington.

Stanford has defeated the Sun Devils six consecutive times, including a 94-77 rout in Tempe two months ago when all five starters reached double figures. Even if ASU pulls an upset, it's hard to imagine the Cardinal surrendering its No. 1 seed, but it's not the way they want to enter the tournament.

Maybe falling to Arizona was a wakeup call of sorts, but Montgomery has never been big on moral victories. The bottom line is winning, and Stanford had every chance at the end. An offensive foul on Jason Collins thwarted one possession and Jacobsen misfired badly on a 3-pointer to end another.

"We had a real opportunity and let it slip away," Montgomery said. "We just have to chalk it up to experience and learn from it."