"What?! No. 2?" Montgomery blurts into the phone. "Who's No. 1? What the hell's going on here?!"

The grin behind these words is so broad, the folks from USA Today/CNN can see it from a continent away. Indignance isn't really Montgomery's style. Like an ordinary kid in a Fifth Avenue fashion shop, he just has to try it on for a second, just so he can laugh at himself in the mirror.

Isn't this nutty? You have to admit. Stanford is surveying the college basketball world from the very tippy-top now, camped right there at the North Pole with the Dukes, UConns and Kentuckys. Talk about your panoramic views.

Isn't this preposterous? The Cardinal has a Final Four in its hip pocket, a 30-win season on its most immediate rsum, and there is every reason to think that the team hasn't reached its potential yet. You return your top eight players, 94.8 percent of your scoring and 92 percent of your rebounding, and people are going to figure this out.

Isn't this giggly silly now? In a conference roundly being rated the best in the country, the Cardinal is a landslide pick to bring home the Pac-10 title -- something Stanford hasn't done in 36 years, back when Indians still roamed the campus.

"The expectations are way off the chart," junior swingman David Moseley says. "People are talking like we won't lose a game. Last year, we were expected to lose games."

Of course they were. Brevin Knight was gone, and Stanford was back to its old self: no stars, lots of role players, not much speed, and a team GPA that hovered somewhere near Saturn.

And then the Cardinal lads were suddenly 18-0 out of the gate. And then they were blowing through Charleston and Western Michigan and Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. And then forward Mark Madsen was howling for all the nation to see after the go-ahead basket against Rhode Island, quaking as though he had a seismic epicenter near his spleen.

And then they were in San Antonio, pushing eventual national champion Kentucky in the NCAA semifinals, losing by a single point in overtime. And then people started looking at the roster and realized that, in 1998-99, Stanford had every ... player ... back.

"We're still growing. That's the thing you realize," senior forward Peter Sauer says.

Isn't this a kooky walk on the wild side? Ranked No. 3 in the country by the Associated Press, the Cardinal is suddenly in high demand. Montgomery has been besieged with so many interview requests the last few months, he's had to set aside an hour a day to accommodate them.

He is one of the sought-after voices of college basketball now, asked to comment on every national issue or trend that comes along. He can't imagine how hectic it might be when the season actually gets under way, beginning Saturday night against visiting UC Davis.

That game is sold out. So is every game at 7,391-seat Maples Pavilion, including a visit by unheard-of Elon College on Dec. 21. There has been talk of building a new arena, with 10,000-12,000 seats. Stanford salespeople say they could have sold 10,000 season tickets, easy.

"Actually, not every seat is sold out," basketball sports information director Bob Vasquez says. "If you don't have a date, there's some single tickets. If you don't mind sitting by yourself in Row Z, you might have a chance."

The whole world wants Montgomery's team to come play: The preseason NIT later this month, where Stanford is guaranteed two home games before moving on to Madison Square Garden. An ABC tilt against sixth-ranked Maryland in Washington on Dec. 6. A meeting with seventh-ranked Temple at the Newell Classic in Oakland on Dec. 29. An ABC showdown with second-ranked Connecticut at Stanford on Feb. 6.

"I wouldn't want to play this schedule every year," Montgomery says. "But I think occasionally you can do this, if you feel like you can handle it."

Isn't this a wonderfully embarrassing place for a coach to be? Montgomery's biggest concern is finding playing time for all his deserving players.

Moseley and Ryan Mendez and Michael McDonald were terrific at different points last season, igniting runs and saving games. They still have to wait for their turn in the backcourt rotation behind Arthur Lee and Kris Weems.

Madsen, a 6-foot-9 warrior inside, has trimmed off his baby fat and come back with a more sculpted frame. Sauer has added more quickness to his game. Center Tim Young could finish this year as one of the top five rebounders in Pac-10 history. And still Montgomery has to find frontcourt time for senior stalwart Mark Seaton and the blossoming Collins twins, Jaron and Jason.

"I've got 11 or 12 guys thinking minutes, and in some ways can justify it," Montgomery says.

The coach can't even seriously worry about complacency. Nobody who knows the Cardinal players would buy it. This team's maturity vibes are so pronounced, they resonate through every practice and every syllable.

"With our veteran team, the expectations shouldn't be too much of a problem," Sauer says. "I don't think it's the type of team that's going to go out and under-perform."

Stanford, addressing the issue of complacency.