SPLIT TIMES COLLINS TWINS KNOW HOOP DAYS TOGETHER ARE SHORT.

Byline: Steve Dilbeck Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - They know the time is coming, coming soon now. Still, they try not to dwell on it, try not to let it interfere with the immediate goal.

Jason and Jarron Collins are one victory away from helping lead Stanford to the Final Four.

And one defeat from playing their final game together.

In tournament play, it's one loss and you're out. For the Collins twins, it would be one loss and the end of playing together since they were 6 years old.

Before each tournament game, Jason admits the possibility flashes through him that it could be the last time he'll play alongside his brother.

``A little bit, then you go out there and do whatever it takes to make sure it isn't the last time that I step on the court in a Stanford uniform with my brother,'' Jason said.

Jarron is a senior and will graduate this summer; Jason has sophomore eligibility after injuries ended his first two seasons - he was given a redshirt, then an additional medical-redshirt season.

Today at 1:40 p.m., top-seeded Stanford (31-2) will take on third-seeded Maryland (24-10) at the Pond in the final of the West Region, a berth in the Final Four awaiting the victor.

Jason, the 7-foot center, has emerged as the Cardinal's dominating player inside, and could join Jarron, the 6-foot-11 forward, in leaving Stanford if he declares early for the NBA draft. Certainly, Jason has done nothing to damage his NBA standing during Stanford's first three tournament victories.

``I haven't given a lot of thought to what I'm going to do next year,'' Jason said. ``Regardless, I know the next time we lose will probably be the last time I play a game with my brother.''

They would prefer the last time they play together ends in victory, one earning Stanford its second NCAA championship; its only other came in 1942.

The Collins know well that how they play individually could impact their immediate NBA standing.

``Right now, I'm just thinking about my team,'' Jarron said. ``I'm going out there to win. This is my last time to play with my brother. I'm just trying to experience that and trying to play well. If the NBA's there, it's there.''

The suspicion is, if Jason is convinced he will be a lottery pick, he'll come out early. If not, he'll return to Stanford to play for the first time without his sibling.

The two have been linked together so long - primarily since they burst upon the national scene at Studio City's Harvard-Westlake High - it's difficult for most to think of one without the other. It's almost as if they are one.

``We're sort of used to it,'' Jason said. ``After the game, they'll say the Collins twins combined for 35 points and 20 rebounds, even if I had 33 of the points or vice versa. It doesn't matter. We've basically had that happen to us all the way through high school, where we're always thought of as brothers.''

It's been four impressive years for Stanford with the Collins twins. The Cardinal has made the NCAA Tournament each season, including the Final Four three years ago.

``We were talking this morning in the coaches' meeting a little about the significance of having Jarron and Jason here the last four years,'' Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. ``Just how much they've meant to the program - their stability, their talent, their leadership, their skills.

``I can't honestly tell you I had any knowledge to the significance when we first signed them. It's only when you look back and at the numbers, you realize how much they've truly meant.''

This season, Jason has averaged 14.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game; Jarron has averaged 12.9 points and 6.9 rebounds.

``Jason has just been dominant this year,'' Jarron said. ``He's put up big numbers at times this year. He's playing the way I've always known him to play. When we were little kids, he used to just dominate games.''

If they both make the NBA, the day could be coming when they would have to play against each other. The only time that's ever happened was during a summer-league game last year in L.A.

Who got the better of the other?

Said Jason: ``He's going to say he did, because his team won.''

Said Jarron: ``I beat him.''

Told Jason said he would say that because his team won, Jarron said: ``No-no-no - I beat him.''

Today they'll step on the court together, trying to imagine it's not the final time but knowing the time is coming.

``It will be a little sad,'' Jarron said. ``You try not to think about it. It's like the NBA, those are things that are on the periphery. We have to focus on our team goals right now. You can't really think about the other things.''

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: Twins Jason, left, and Jarron Collins have played together since they were 6 years old. But Stanford's next loss would most likely end that streak.

Paul Sakuma/Associated Press

Box: NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP