Chelsea Shine received a perfect birthday present from her teammates: the basketball.

There was reason to believe Wake Forest would take charge in the second half last night against High Point of the Big South Conference, so the most pressing questions for the crowd of 9,344 at Joel Coliseum were when and how.

North Carolina will face a double dose of stress today in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic semifinals at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Averett senior linebacker and former Tunstall High standout Mario Huffman was selected to the USA South All-Conference football first team for the second consecutive year, leading 11 Averett players on the all-conference teams after the Cougars finished second in the USA South with a 7-3 record.

CHARLOTTESVILLE — The bowl representatives have quit visiting, but Virginia’s football complex is still a hot spot for NFL scouts.

TAMPA - Tony Bennett pursed his lips, leaned back in his court-side seat and let out a big sigh.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Disappointment doesn’t linger long with Virginia Tech’s football team.

Representatives from the Champs Sports Bowl sat in motionless fashion to listen on as Virginia coach Al Groh met with reporters following the Cavaliers’ 14-10 loss to Boston College.

Averett (7-2, 5-1 USA South) enters today’s contest against N.C. Wesleyan on a four-game winning streak and a victory would give the Cougars their second co-USA South Conference championship and would ensure Averett of its first trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Heading into Saturday’s game against Boston College, the Cavaliers (3-6, 2-3 ACC) rank among the worst in the ACC in numerous categories.

Two straight seasons of narrowly missing the NCAA tournament prompted major changes this preseason for Virginia Tech’s men’s basketball team.

A little more than a month ago, the images of the grass-stained gold jerseys showed the beating that Tunde Ogun and Christopher Newport laid on Averett. It was deflating for a team that was on a three-game winning streak, and the first USA South Conference loss of the young season stung pretty hard.

Wake Forest’s 2008-09 season was like the meal with the mouth-watering appetizer followed by a main course so unpalatable that it was difficult, if not impossible, to keep down.

Former Reidsville coach Jimmy Teague and son Erik Teague faced off Saturday in Greensboro

Ryan Taylor is still having difficulty recovering from a knee injury and will likely take medical redshirt status this season at North Carolina, Coach Butch Davis said yesterday.

Averett held off Ferrum 28-24 in three overtimes on Saturday to earn the right to play for the USA South Conference championship and an NCAA berth next weekend.

GREENVILLE, N.C. — Virginia Tech got back to its winning ways Thursday night, style points be darned.

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage says a decision on Al Groh’s future as the school’s football coach will come at the end of the season.

Numerous Averett players honored by the conference

BLACKSBURG — The center must be one of the sharpest players on a football field. He has to spot the middle linebacker, scan the defense’s alignment and notify the other offensive linemen if he sees something that might portend a blitz — all in a few seconds before he snaps the ball.

Coach Jim Grobe of Wake Forest sees redshirt freshman Joey Ehrmann as the kind of player who will grow on you.

Averett’s first time hosting a USA South Conference tournament game was a memorable one, as the fourth-seeded Cougars rolled to a 6-2 shellacking of fifth-seeded Greensboro at the Cougar Den in Danville, securing the first ever victory for Averett in the USA South Conference tournament.

The Averett defense was able to force an incomplete pass on a late Shenandoah two-point conversion and held on to a 24-22 USA South Conference victory Saturday at the Cougar Den in Danville.

One thing is very clear when you talk to Virginia freshman Tristan Spurlock - he’s not some shy, timid kid who’s just hoping to make an impact on the program someday in the future.

Is it a sign of how far Virginia has fallen?

BLACKSBURG — Ryan Williams sat dejected on Virginia Tech’s bench as North Carolina’s players celebrated wildly on the Lane Stadium field.

Is it a sign of how far Virginia has fallen?

T.J. Yates was walking off the field at Kenan Stadium last Thursday night when something flew out of the stands and hit him in the helmet. It was thrown by a disgruntled North Carolina fan, upset by the loss to Florida State. Yates said he thought it was a pen, but he didn’t stop to find out.

BLACKSBURG - Eight games into last season, Virginia Tech’s offense needed a jolt as the Hokies prepared for their first Thursday night game of the year, against Maryland.

For better or worse, Virginia’s football players are given a game plan for their upcoming contest on a weekly basis. At no point, however, have the back-to-back plans been of greater variety as what Virginia will face in transitioning from Georgia Tech to Saturday’s tilt with Duke at Scott Stadium.