COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES : They Could Be in for a Devil of a Time : Men: Depth of Arkansas could make it tough on Duke in the championship game.

Before returning home to Gainesville and sparing America the Southeastern Conference Tournament--The Sequel, the Florida Gators issued a warning to Duke, the team that sent them packing.

Nothing personal, they said of tonight’s NCAA championship game between the Blue Devils and Arkansas, but be afraid. Be very afraid.

“It’s 40 minutes of hell and believe me, I know,” said Gator guard Dan Cross, whose team lost to Duke in Saturday’s semifinals by five points and to the Razorbacks by 12 in mid-February. “They rotate a lot of people out on the floor. Once one player gets tired, another player comes in. Once he gets tired, another player comes in. I think (the Blue Devils) will have their hands full.”

Imagine that, Duke an underdog. The team that has advanced to the title game four of the last five seasons--and won two NCAA championships in the process--now finds itself a victim of role reversal.

Even with a lineup that includes gifted swingman Grant Hill, whom Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski says is the best player he’s ever coached, the Blue Devils generally are considered pregame second-bests to Arkansas. In fact, one of the pro-Razorback testimonials came from Krzyzewski himself.

“I think Arkansas is a better team than us,” he said, quick to add that better doesn’t always guarantee a victory.

Making matters worse for Duke is news that center Cherokee Parks suffered a strained left knee and possibly a slight cartilage tear during the victory against Florida. Krzyzewski said Parks, who is the team’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, definitely will play tonight, but who knows for how long or at what level.

Arkansas has no such problems. With the exception of guard Corey Beck, who missed Sunday’s press conferences because of a slight allergy attack, the Razorbacks are healthy, confident and anxious.

Even more impressive is that Richardson and his players show no signs of weakening under the weight of the industrial-sized chips on their shoulders. To a man, the Razorbacks are convinced that they don’t receive the proper respect or national acclaim befitting of their accomplishments.

Arkansas ended the regular season No. 1 in the coaches’ poll and spent nine weeks atop the Associated Press poll before North Carolina slipped past it in the final writers’ ballot. The Razorbacks also were seeded No. 1 in the Midwest Regional and are followed by President Bill Clinton, who is scheduled to watch tonight’s game from a Charlotte Coliseum luxury box. And Richardson, who is leading the ‘we-get-no-recognition’ charge, recently was named coach of the year by separate organizations.

So go figure.

“We’re only one stop from the outhouse,” Richardson said Sunday. “Right now, I’m in the penthouse. But I can see it: ‘Can’t Win The Big One’ headlines.”

Said a slightly perplexed Krzyzewski, who can’t understand what all the fuss is about: “All I know is that they’ve been No. 1 for most of the year. I know in the (coaching) profession, they are very, very highly respected.”

And, if you ask Florida, a team also to be feared.

As usual, Richardson is employing his Cecil B. DeMille Theory of Coaching--that is, star forward Corliss Williamson and seemingly a cast of thousands.

All Williamson has done in this year’s tournament is make 45 of 65 shots (69.2%), run like a guard and, as he did during the regular season, lead the Razorbacks in scoring and rebounding. No wonder both Richardson and Krzyzewski call him one of the top five players in the country.

“The big men for Duke will have their hands full,” said Gator guard Craig Brown.

Or course, Brown said this before Parks woke up Sunday with a swollen knee. Just think what might happen if Parks’ injury significantly hampers his play. That means backup Erik Meeks and Meeks’ backup, seldom-used freshman Greg Newton, will be pressed into extensive duty.

Williamson isn’t the only worry. There is Scotty Thurman, Al Dillard, Clint McDaniel, Darnell Robinson, Dwight Stewart, Beck and whoever else Richardson wants to send into the game. In this case, senior forward Ken Biley, who averages less than 2.9 minutes per game, gets a going-away start from the Razorback coach.

In all, eight Arkansas players average at least 18 minutes. Two others average 12.2 and 9.7.

Duke doesn’t have that luxury. Newspaper presses stop when Hill plays less than 35 minutes. So do the Blue Devils.

If nothing else, though, Duke does have lots of Final Four experience. The game is being played in Duke-friendly Charlotte and the Blue Devils have performed well this season when they weren’t favored to win. Someone Sunday even mentioned the 1991 national semifinal victory against powerful Nevada Las Vegas.

Hill shot down that idea.

“I felt better playing against Vegas than I do against Arkansas,” he said. “We had a week to prepare. Coach K had us really believing we could beat UNLV. We were confident and, plus, they weren’t as deep as Arkansas. They were very tough, very experienced--great players on a great team, but they were pretty much a five-man team.

“Whereas Arkansas, it seems like they bring cheerleaders out there, managers, fans. They have so many guys out there on the court and they have no slippage at all. A lot like North Carolina.”

Duke’s record vs. the taller and deeper Tar Heels this season: 0-2, with North Carolina’s average margin of victory 10.5 points.