Everybody loves Raymond.

Not the TV show, but Raymond Felton and five other freshmen brought in to resurrect the once proud University of North Carolina menâÂÂs basketball program.

âÂÂWeâÂÂre not average freshmen,â said Rashad McCants, a 6-foot-4 freshman guard from Asheville, N.C., who – like the 6-foot-1 Felton and 6-8 Sean May – played in the McDonaldâÂÂs All-America game last April.

âÂÂWe played at the highest level of competition you can play at, against the best players in the country. Freshmen is just a label to us. WeâÂÂre talented basketball players. ThatâÂÂs it.âÂÂ

Those three freshmen – Felton hails from Latta, S.C., and May from Bloomington, Ind. – will be joined by super sophs Jawad Williams and Jackie Manuel in the starting lineup for tonightâÂÂs Preseason NIT semifinal between UNC and Kansas.

Tipoff is approximately 8:30 p.m., or 30 minutes after a 6 p.m. semifinal between Stanford and Florida, with a live telecast on ESPN2.

KU counters CarolinaâÂÂs freshman group with its superlative sophomore trio of Aaron Miles, Wayne Simien and Keith Langford.

âÂÂIf they turn it into a freshman-sophomores battle I think theyâÂÂll lose because theyâÂÂll still have to worry about the seniors battle – Kirk (Hinrich) and Nick (Collison),â Langford said. âÂÂYou have to worry about everybody. ItâÂÂs not going to be a 3-on-3 matchup.âÂÂ

Still, the Jayhawks are wary of UNCâÂÂs fabulous freshmen.

âÂÂMost people that evaluate and rate those kind of things would think they are three of the top 10 to 12 players in the country,â KU coach Roy Williams said. âÂÂI know I personally thought in that class Raymond was the best point guard and Rashad the best two-man in the entire country, and I always thought Sean May was an outstanding player. They are awfully gifted.âÂÂ

âÂÂThey are obviously very good,â said Collison. âÂÂThey will be excited playing in New York. It will be their first huge game, I think. They will be ready to go. TheyâÂÂve been impressive.âÂÂ

Felton, who averages 6.7 points and 8.0 assists per game, was named ACC Preseason rookie of the year and second-team preseason all-league.

FeltonâÂÂs only weakness so far has been shooting. HeâÂÂs hit just eight of 26 shots for 30.8 percent, icing two of eight threes.

âÂÂI have never seen a young man come into the University of North Carolina with expectations like these,â said former UNC point guard Phil Ford said, who works in fund raising at the university. âÂÂNever.âÂÂ

UNC fans have compared Felton to Ford.

âÂÂHe adds an ability to our team that we havenâÂÂt had,â coach Matt Doherty said. âÂÂHe can find people. HeâÂÂs quick enough and strong enough to get into gaps and deliver the basketball. Raymond can score, too. He looks to set up teammates first, but if you give him an opening, he will look to finish.âÂÂ

McCants averages 21.0 points per game off 67.6 percent shooting, while May, the 272-pound son of former Indiana great Scott May, averages 17.3 points off 59.5 percent shooting and 8.7 boards while battling some nagging early season injuries.

The other freshmen expected to contribute are David Noel, 6-6 from Durham, N.C., and Damion Grant, 6-11 from Jamaica, who this week was cleared to play after suffering some heart problems.

The freshmen have helped the Heels to a 3-0 start with wins over Penn State, Rutgers and Old Dominion – not bad considering UNC went 0-3 to open the 2001-02 campaign.

âÂÂAge is nothing but a number to us,â said McCants. âÂÂWe are young, but we are talented and we all know how to play.âÂÂ

Many are wondering how the rookies will respond to Madison Square Garden, New YorkâÂÂs biggest stage.

âÂÂWe donâÂÂt get nervous,â said Felton. âÂÂWeâÂÂre more confident than anything. A lot of people think weâÂÂre cocky. WeâÂÂre not cocky. WeâÂÂre confident.âÂÂ

âÂÂThey may be young,â KUâÂÂs Wayne Simien noted, âÂÂbut their young guys are stepping up and playing real hard.âÂÂ

NOTES

⢠Simien said the Jayhawks would like to win for Carolina grad Williams, who is 14-0 in NIT games.

âÂÂI think this game means a little extra to coach Williams and his ties to Carolina and he did have to make the decision between the two schools,â Simien said. âÂÂWeâÂÂre definitely going to try to do it for him and for ourselves. ItâÂÂll be a tough battle, but I think weâÂÂll be ready.

âÂÂWeâÂÂre real excited. Coach Williams is undefeated, as of now, in the Preseason NIT. WeâÂÂre definitely pretty excited about the big game against Carolina. ItâÂÂs a hyped-up game.âÂÂ

⢠McCants on CarolinaâÂÂs 8-20 campaign of a year ago.

âÂÂThey had a bad season. So what? This is not a rebuilding year,â McCants said. âÂÂLast year is a reminder. We know we can do better than that.âÂÂ

⢠KUâÂÂs Simien on UNC coach and former KU assistant Doherty.

âÂÂCoach Doherty and I are good friends. He started recruiting me first. We had a good relationship. At the time when coach Williams was thinking about going to North Carolina, I was thinking about going to Notre Dame because coach Doherty was up there.âÂÂ