So perhaps it is appropriate that its national title chances could hinge on the freshman on the mound tonight.

UNC right-hander Matt Harvey (7-2), who hasn't pitched since May 30 against Mount St. Mary's, will make his CWS debut in the elimination rematch with LSU at 7 p.m. The winner advances to play Fresno State, which it then must beat twice to advance to the championship series. The loser goes home.

"I've pitched all season, and I'm ready for this," Harvey, a 6-foot-4 freshman All-America, said Wednesday. "So if people have doubts, I'll have to go out there and prove them wrong."

It's that sort of confidence that earned the Tar Heels the best ERA (2.88) in the country this season, plus their third consecutive season with at least 50 wins.

Returning starters Alex White and Adam Warren were expected to throw plenty of strikes. But the emergence of sophomore Brian Moran and freshmen Colin Bates, Nate Striz, Logan Munson and Harvey -- all of whom could pitch tonight or in the coming days -- is what helped No. 2 UNC secure its highest seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The anchor of that group has been Harvey, who wasn't sure a year ago if he would be a Tar Heel. A third-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Angels last summer, he negotiated until the final minute of the Aug. 15 midnight deadline.

When the pro team couldn't meet his terms, he opted to put that dream on hold and try to achieve another one: playing at Rosenblatt Stadium. With all the experience returning from last year's postseason run, he knew the Tar Heels could do it again. And that he could help.

"This is what you pitch for -- either playing in the major leagues or pitching in the College World Series, a big game,'' he said.

He's been working for it all year, too. As the No. 3 starter, "he's had some great outings for us,'' coach Mike Fox said. "He's had some so-so ones too, which happens to young guys."

By honing his mechanics and concentrating on staying ahead of the count, for example, his best game of the season came in the ACC Tournament against Wake Forest, when he gave up no runs on two hits in eight innings. But it's the only time in his past four outings that he's pitched more than 3 2/3 innings.

"I just need to go out there and try to do as much as I can so I can give the team a chance to win -- whether it's five innings or eight innings, I'm just going to fight every inning,'' he said.

LSU (49-18-1), the No. 7 seed, overcame a 5-0 deficit on Tuesday to beat Rice 6-5. Harvey said he planned to consult with UNC ace Alex White, the starting pitcher when UNC beat the Tigers on Sunday, "to get as much information as I can from him and try to duplicate a little bit what he did."

Namely, a win.

"Matt's got good enough stuff to give us a chance, and I think he'll relish pitching in this environment,'' Fox said. "... Matt's just got to jump in the pool the first time, and he'll sink or swim. We'll see. I hope he floats."

If he does struggle, UNC (52-13) should have most of its bullpen available. Besides the bevy of young guys, senior Rob Wooten, who pitched 3 1/3 relief innings during Tuesday's loss to Fresno State, has said he will be ready to go. And pitching coach Scott Forbes said if the Tar Heels get in a bind, they would be willing to use White, the ACC Pitcher of the Year -- who they would prefer to start Friday, if they advance -- to close the game.

"We've got to win,'' Forbes said. "And my philosophy is, 'saving' somebody could backfire because if you don't win, they can't pitch,'' Forbes said. "We have to beat LSU. So if that means throwing every pitcher we have, we do what we'll have to do.

"We have enough depth where we could start somebody on Friday if we get there."

Thanks, again, to that group of young pitchers -- which helped the Tar Heels get here in the first place. And now hope to push them further.

"In the next couple days, we're going to have to use the young guys, and we're all ready for it,'' Harvey said. "We just have to go out and show what we have."