• UNC, Duke, Wake Forest preview

The ACC lost one underclassman to the NBA Draft. That's the fewest since the parade of juniors started to leave the college ranks 25 years ago.

Theoretically, that means the ACC is poised for a great season with, at the very least, a chance to send more than four teams to the NCAA Tournament, which it did in 2008 despite being the No. 1-rated conference by the RPI.

The league will certainly have a national power to fly the flag in UNC, the prohibitive favorite to win the national title in Detroit on April 6, 2009. And the face of college basketball in UNC senior Tyler Hansbrough, who'll become the conference's all-time leading scorer and UNC's leading rebounder before the tournament begins.

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The 2009 Final Four will be held April 4-6 at Detroit's Ford Field.

UNC fans will need this information because Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green are returning to Chapel Hill, according to a report by Fox Sports.

The Tar Heel trio tested their NBA Draft potential but did not hire an agent, allowing them to return UNC. The Tar Heels, who won a school-record 36 games and made the Final Four last season, return their entire starting lineup plus Green and add three McDonald's All-Americans to the roster.

UPDATE: The school confirmed the trio's return at 4:42 p.m.

The waiting is almost over for North Carolina basketball fans.

An announcement on the NBA Draft status of UNC underclassmen Danny Green, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson is expected shortly, according the school's sports information department.

There will be no news conference, only a press release, when the players' decisions are made known. Players have until 5 p.m. today to withdraw and keep their college eligibility.

— Caulton Tudor

OMAHA, Neb. — Unseeded Fresno State will not have its No. 2 starting pitcher available for Tuesday's College World Series game against North Carolina, the Fresno Bee reported.

Clayton Allison has not thrown in a week and at best, might be able to throw and inning Tuesday, he told the Bee.

The Bulldogs were already without their top ace, Tanner Scheppers, who suffered a shoulder injury and hasn't pitched since May 4.

Fresno State is expected to turn to either Justin Miller (6-4, 4.88 ERA) or Holden Sprague (5-2, 3.62) to start.

OMAHA, Neb. — Much has been made of North Carolina's nation-leading ERA (2.84) this season. But with 17 hits — the most they've ever belted in a College World Series game — during their 8-4 victory over LSU on Sunday, the Tar Heels showed another reason why they're a team to be reckoned with.

"We singled them to death,'' coach Mike Fox said.

No. 2 UNC will play unseeded Fresno State in the winner's bracket at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

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OMAHA, Neb. — North Carolina starter Alex White gave up two home runs, but the Tar Heels still beat LSU 8-4 after in their first game of the College World Series.

No. 2 UNC, which is trying to make it to the CWS championship series for the third straight season, will play unseeded Fresno State on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The No. 7 Tigers, who have won five national baseball championships, will play No. 6 Rice at 2 p.m. in the loser’s bracket of the double-elimination round.

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UNC's Danny Green said Sunday afternoon that he will wait until Monday before making a decision about his status in the June 26 NBA Draft.

Green, who would be a senior, originally intended to reach a decision today but a meeting with UNC coach Roy Williams, which had been tentatively schedule for Sunday, is now off until Monday.

“After that, I’ll decide,” Green said Sunday. “I still can’t say which way I’ll go.”

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Phil Steele's annual college football tome — all 328 pages in single-space, six-point type — is available for consumption. If you don't want to leave your house, you can order one at PhilSteele.com.

The magazine maestro talked with ACC Now on Saturday about his ACC predictions and his choice to win the BCS national title.

ACC predictions — Atlantic: Clemson; Coastal: Virginia Tech. Overall champ: Clemson

BCS champ: Florida

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OMAHA, Neb. — It took LSU coach Paul Mainieri until Friday night to name junior Ryan Verdugo the starter for Sunday's College World Series opener against North Carolina because he hadn’t had a chance to talk to his pitching coach, Terry Rooney, who was hired by Central Florida this week. Rooney will switch jobs after the CWS.

Verdugo, a left-hander, has been the Tigers' first-day pitcher for most of the season, posing a 9-3 record and 3.90 ERA.

Right-hander Alex White, 2-0 in the NCAA Tournament this season, will start for UNC.

The first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Rosenblatt Stadium.

OMAHA, Neb. — North Carolina last two trips to the College World Series have ended on the losing end of the championship series.

So it wasn't surprising that this question came up during Friday's coaches press conference at Rosenblatt Stadium: Does UNC need a national championship to cement its status as the best in the country?

And the answer from coach Mike Fox wasn't surprising.

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Shortly after completing a workout with the San Antonio Spurs, North Carolina basketball player Danny Green said Friday night that he has not made a decision about withdrawing from the NBA Draft pool.

"It's still very much up in the air," Green said by telephone from the airport in San Antonio. "I know there are some reports going around that I've made the decision to go back to school for next season, but that's not really the case as things stand right now.

"I'm not going to make that decision until after I have a meeting with Coach [Roy] Williams later this weekend. I think I'll make that decision after we talk."

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OMAHA, Neb. — As has been his custom the past few years, UNC coach Mike Fox spent several moments videotaping his players signing autographs after their College World Series practice on today.

Saturday, he’ll have another sentimental use for his camera.

After the opening ceremonies at Rosenblatt Stadium, Fox plans to hop a private plane back to Chapel Hill so that he can attend the high school graduation of his daughter, Morgan, at the Smith Center at 9 a.m. He’ll hop another private plane back to Omaha on Saturday night.

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Here's an article from SI.com for the UNC trio to think about while they decide where to play basketball next year.

One more college season worked out for both Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush — not to mention Kansas, you know the national champs — who knows what it would do for the Heels?

Even if you don't like UNC, or the Oakland Raiders, you should root for Ronald Curry. The former UNC quarterback/point guard has been injured just about every year of his college and professional career but he keeps coming back.

Knee, foot, shoulder, heel — you name it — the guy's got more scar tissue than Joan Rivers. The AP caught up with Curry, who led the Raiders with 55 receptions in 2007 despite a bone spur in his left foot which required offseason surgery.

Curry, who was considered the best prospect in both football and basketball coming out of Hampton, Va. in 1998, has found a home with the Raiders, despite missing parts of the 2005 and 2006 seasons with an Achilles' tendon injury.

A Duke alum, not a golfer from that West Coast private school, leads the U.S. Open after 18 holes. Kevin Streelman shot a 3-under 68 at Torrey Pines on Friday to share the top of the leaderboard with fellow unknown, Justin Hicks.

Ol' Whatshisname from Stanford shot a 72, one shot over par and four off the first-day lead.

Streelman had a chance to take the clubhouse lead by himself but bogeyed his last hole, the ninth. He'll tee off with the second group today at 10:11 a.m. from the first tee.

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