Florida Gators

Julius Randle played out his recruiting until just about the 11th hour. And when the music finally stopped playing and Randle picked Kentucky on Wednesday, there were three schools left standing with broken hearts. Here’s a look at where those programs go from here.

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On Wednesday at 1:15 p.m. ET live on ESPNU, No. 3 overall recruit and No. 1 senior power forward Julius Randle (Dallas/Prestonwood Christian) will announce his college decision from a list of finalists that is comprised of Kansas, Texas, Kentucky and Florida.

Whichever school he chooses, his skills and athleticism will make him an instant-impact player and program-changing recruit from day one. Simply put, he has the talent to change the landscape of college basketball next season with his decision. Consider this: As historically good as Kentucky's 2013 class already is, Randle would immediately become the Wildcats' top-rated recruit. That's how special he is.

So before he finally ends the suspense and makes one college program very happy, let's break down what a commitment from Randle would mean for each of his four finalists.

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ESPN 100 No. 3 overall prospect Julius Randle (Dallas/Prestonwood Christian) has cut NC State and Oklahoma from his list of finalists, ESPN.com's Dave Telep has learned.

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It has been an eventful couple of weeks for ESPN 100 No. 3 overall prospect Julius Randle (Dallas/Prestonwood Christian). First, he returned to the court three weeks ago after being out since November with a fractured foot. Then on Monday he announced he would make his college decision March 20.

And on Wednesday, the McDonald's All American Games announced Randle has been added to the McDonald's roster as a 25th player. He will suit up for the East squad in the game, which will be played April 3 at the United Center in Chicago and televised live on ESPN at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The McDonald’s All American Games released the following statement: “Today, the McDonald’s All American Games Selection Committee is pleased to name Julius Randle of Prestonwood Christian Academy to the 2013 McDonald’s All American Team. As promised, we’ve been closely monitoring Randle’s play since his return to the court in February, and it’s been an inspiring return to watch. Randle has not only proven that he is capable of competing at the highest level, but truly deserving of the title McDonald’s All American.”

Why did this happen and what does it mean?

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The most important position on the basketball court when it comes to winning games is point guard. They come in all shapes and sizes with different talents, but the one common denominator is that a good point guard is a must in recruiting.

Here is a look at five of the nation’s top point guards in the Class of 2013, what each does better than anyone in the country and what they’ll bring to their college teams next season.

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SAN ANTONIO -- Wednesday was a day off for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl teams. Instead of working out and participating in drills, the players took in visits around the city -- including a stop at the Alamodome for photo opportunities and to see their game apparel -- and used the day to recover from two days of practice.

The teams will return to the fields on Thursday in arguably the most important practice of the week. Here are five things to keep an eye on for Thursday’s practice:

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Class of 2013 center Joel Embiid (Gainesville, Fla./The Rock School) announced his commitment to Kansas on Tuesday, ESPN.com has confirmed.

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Apparently, Florida didn’t get the memo. Huge recruiting weekends are supposed to happen around Midnight Madness. Billy Donovan is hosting a prospect party a week early, and he’s invited five five-star recruits. Seriously, you have to be a bona fide stud to be in Gainesville this weekend.

Here’s the ranking of the players the Gators have on campus: No. 3 2013, No. 8 2013, No. 9 2013, No. 4 2014 and No. 1 2015. Donovan already owns commitments from point guard Kasey Hill and power forward Chris Walker. If he can just land one other player from this visit, it would be an historic recruiting weekend.

Elsewhere, there are talented underclassmen on a number of campuses. Pay close attention to Duke and Texas, as they host high-profile big man targets.

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On Monday, power forward Julius Randle (Dallas/Prestonwood Academy) picked up the phone and called Baylor, Duke, North Carolina and Oklahoma State. Those four programs did not make the next round of cuts for the nation’s No. 3 overall prospect in the ESPN 100.

However, six programs did make it to the next round and remain in the mix to land Randle, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound power foward. Kentucky, NC State, Florida, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma remain.

This weekend, Randle will take his second official visit. The Florida Gators host him. Randle’s connection to Florida was crystalized last summer when Gators coach Billy Donovan had Randle on the United States' under-18 national squad.

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According to Sonny Parker, father of ESPN 100 No. 1 recruit Jabari Parker, the in-home visits for Jabari are going well with some elite programs coming in this week.

On Tuesday, North Carolina's Roy Williams is in the Windy City. Coach Williams has many accomplishments to discuss, but expect one topic of discussion to be how the Heels are planning to showcase Parker in the Carolina fast break.

Thursday, Michigan State's Tom Izzo will be in the Parker home. Coach Izzo will talk style of play and how the Spartans have been a mainstay in the Final Four. Don't be surprised if they also discuss a player by the name of Earvin "Magic" Johnson. That just might come up.

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More than 50 prospects in North Carolina signed with FBS programs in the 2012 class, and more than 60 already claim offers in the 2013 class. In this feature, RecruitingNation takes a look at the top five remaining uncommitted prospects in North Carolina.

Tyrone Crowder, OL, Rockingham (N.C.) Richmond, 6-foot-2, 325 pounds
No. 1 prospect in Nouth Carolina
Frontrunner: Clemson

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I just had a great conversation with Sonny Parker, father of Chicago Simeon small forward Jabari Parker, who said his son is excited about the home visits, which started Tuesday night when Florida coach Billy Donovan stopped by. They continue with DePaul coach Oliver Purnell visiting on Wednesday and Kansas coach Bill Self making the trip on Friday to the top-rated senior, while other programs are working on dates to visit the Parkers.

Once the in-home visits are complete, Sonny said that Jabari could be ready to trim his list of 10 -- Brigham Young, DePaul, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina and Stanford -- down to five.

"I am looking for how the coaches explain their style of play to Jabari," said Sonny, who was drafted No. 17 overall in the 1976 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. "I want to see how the coaches are going to set up a player of Jabari's size (6-foot-8, 220 pounds) and talent so he can handle the ball on the break and in the half court. Jabari needs to be allowed to make plays."

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