News-Record.com

Here's an interesting piece, by ESPN.com's Chad Ford, on which underclassmen are likely to declare for the NBA draft. You can read the article as long as you're an ESPN Insider subscriber.

Ford's sort of the draft expert for ESPN, the guy who scours Europe and checks in with all the scouts and GMS. If his info is solid, then Duke and UNC fans can breath a little easier.

Duke fans I know have already started wondering if Shelden Williams and J.J. Redick will make the leap to the NBA and skip their senior seasons. Ford lists eight players likely to declare and 26 underclassmen who are sitting on the fence. Shelden Williams doesn't appear until No. 17 in the second group, which does seem to be put in some sort of order by Ford. That would make him No. 25, not including seniors and foreign players. According to Ford, Williams "doesn't have a lot of buzz."

Redick, meanwhile, isn't even among the 46 players listed.

As for UNC fans, they're fretting about McCants, Felton, May and Marvin Williams early, in addition to saying goodbye to seniors Jawad Williams, Jackie Manual and Melvin Scott.

Ford lists Felton as likely to declare and slots him in the first half of the first round. That doesn't bode well for the draft. But he seems to think that Marvin Williams who has scouts salivating, may well stay around for another year.

McCants has the talent, according to Ford's sources, but there are still questions about his attitude. That's why he's listed as going in the second half of the first round. The irony for Heels fans - if McCants plays a big role in March, that might change the opinions of scouts and thus seal his departure.

May, meanwhile, isn't listed until No. 25 of the on-the-fence group. In other words, a first-round selection doesn't seem likely.

So based on that, perhaps Duke only loses Daniel Ewing this season and UNC perhaps gets two of its four underclassmen back. If that's the case, then both should be national title contenders in 2006.