By ROBBI PICKERAL, Raleigh News & Observer

ATLANTA -- After losing in last season's Final Four, North Carolina coach Roy Williams waited more than 10 weeks to know for sure whether four of his top six scorers would return.

If the Atlantic Coast Conference has its way, he would have to wait only 10 days.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- When Sean May was a star forward at North Carolina, he often could be found slouched in the back of his classes, just trying to get through his seminars and to the next Tar Heels practice.

But now that he's a millionaire player for the Charlotte Bobcats, he sits front and center at UNC each summer --- eyes fixed on his professor, another goal in sight.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina's men's basketball team on Tuesday had what a team official called an extraordinary chance to play basketball with presidential candidate Barack Obama.

So extraordinary that an NCAA rule appears to have been broken -- and the NCAA is apparently going to ignore it.

One NBA Draft analyst said Monday that North Carolina basketball players Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington likely won't be lottery picks if they choose to declare early and make themselves a part of the NBA Draft.

Shortly after North Carolina's 84-66 loss to Kansas in the Final four last Saturday, Tar Heels forward Tyler Hansbrough reiterated that "it's every college basketball player's dream to win a national championship."

But will following that dream be enough to make him and teammates Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson return to Chapel Hill for another season?

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- When North Carolina coach Roy Williams told 6-foot-5 wing Marcus Ginyard to switch to power forward late in Sunday's ACC championship game, the junior barely blinked. "I'm really hoping Coach will let me guard a 5-man (center) one time, just so I can go on the record of playing every spot out there," Ginyard quipped Monday.