OSU Buckeyes

The nation's top-ranked Class of 2014 recruit, Jahlil Okafor, cut his list to eight schools Wednesday, with Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Illinois, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State and Ohio State remaining in the mix for the ridiculously talented center. But like every other great post, Okafor will be dependent on a player -- primarily the point guard -- to deliver the post feed or drop-off pass on time and on target for him to be in the best position to score.

Let’s take a look at how the eight finalists may sell Okafor on how he’ll receive the ball in their half-court sets.

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Last weekend in Minneapolis at the fourth and final session of the Nike EYBL, No. 1 junior Jahlil Okafor (Chicago/Whitney Young) spent a lot of his free time with two friends and fellow top-10 prospects in the 2014 class: Tyus Jones (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley) and Justise Winslow (Houston/St. John’s).

There has been a lot of talk that those three elite recruits could choose to play together in college. On Wednesday night, Okafor tweeted that his final eight consists of -- in no particular order -- Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Illinois, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State and Ohio State.

Why did he decide to narrow his list now? What were the factors in determining the finalists? Which programs were the toughest ones to leave off? How serious is the talk of a possible package deal with Jones and Winslow? And what exactly makes Okafor such a special, highly sought after prospect? Let’s examine.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Defensive end Derek Barnett (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood Academy) looked forward to a meeting this offseason with Drew Richmond (Memphis, Tenn./Memphis University School).

After all, Richmond’s team ended the season for Barnett last November with a one-point win the state-playoff semifinal round.

Barnett said he thought he earned a victory over Richmond on Sunday at the Nike Football Training Camp on the home turf of the coveted 2015 offensive tackle.

“I want to go up against the best,” Barnett said, “so I was like, ‘Come on, let’s battle.’ It went well. I got the best of him. He got me a few times, but I think I won that one.”

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This year’s NCAA tournament has been full of great stories, from Florida Gulf Coast’s Cinderella run to La Salle going from First Four to Sweet 16 to the Big Ten placing four teams in the final 16.

But what about the stories behind the stories -- the tales of how some of this year’s March Madness stars ended up at their eventual schools and helped shape this year’s tourney? To delve into those, this week’s top 10 looks at the 10 best recruiting stories from players and teams in the Sweet 16.

Top 10 Recruiting Stories From the Sweet 16

1. Trey Burke, Michigan
Mick Cronin is not going to want to hear this again, but it’s true. Burke was going to Cincinnati. It was nearly a done deal. But one last call to Michigan’s staff changed the fate of two programs. According to recruiting lore, Burke’s father called a final time asking Michigan if it was interested in Burke. If the answer was no, then Burke was going to Cincinnati. This was in late July of Burke’s pre-senior summer. Remember, it wasn’t like the now All-American was hot stuff then. He was good -- a late top-100 player -- but he wasn’t the player then that he has become. Ultimately, Michigan said it wanted Burke and the Wolverines landed him a few days later.

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When Ole Miss offered Watch List offensive lineman Quenton Nelson (Red Bank, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) on Monday, the Rebels became the 29th team to extend a scholarship. As of now, all of them are technically in contention for Nelson’s commitment.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- For most high school players, the end of practice means they get a break from the incessant nagging and ceaseless instruction of their coaches. They go home, eat dinner, study and enjoy the respite until the whistles start blowing next time. For ESPN Watch List safety Quincy Wilson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./University School), that is not the case.

Wilson’s father is the defensive coordinator and the defensive backs coach at the University School, so Wilson jokes that he gets no respite.

“Oh no, there’s no break, there’s no break,” Wilson said. “Monday through Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yeah, I get it at practice, before practice, after practice, in the car, at the dinner table ...”

The talented junior laughed about the nonstop instruction but he also credited his father with making him the player he is today -- one of the most coveted safeties in Florida.

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Recruiting is a tricky deal to figure out sometimes.

There’s Duke, which knew it had to replace seniors Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly with a stud frontcourt player in this recruiting class. But conversely, did the thought of potentially having to replace sophomore Shane Larkin even enter Jim Larranaga’s mind at the beginning of the season? I know Larkin is not likely going anywhere, but still, the point is that it can be hard to know exactly what you’re going to need to replace in recruiting.

To that point, Tom Crean knew Victor Oladipo was good, but no one saw this type of year coming from the now projected lottery pick.

Once the afterglow of this season wears off, many Wooden Award finalists will need replacing -- and that’s not an easy task. So while not every player on this list will turn pro, the point of this top 10 is to rate how well each team prepared for the contingency going forward in recruiting.

Top 10 Recruiting Replacements for Wooden Award Finalists

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It doesn’t matter if you’re a sophomore or senior. When you put up 2,050 all-purpose yards in a season, someone is going to notice you.

That’s the case with 2015 running back Traveon Samuel (Phenix City, Ala./Central), who has exploded onto the scene as of late.

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Jerome Baker (Cleveland/Benedictine) can’t remember what his stats were last season. He just knows they were good. Apparently, everyone else knows, too, as the sophomore earned the rare moniker of All-Ohioan as a 10th-grader.

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Todd Kelly Jr. made his latest college visit a family affair.

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There’s a shortage of offensive linemen in Columbus after the 2013 season. Urban Meyer knows it. That’s why the trenches are a point of interest for Ohio State in the 2014 recruiting class.

The Buckeyes offered their 19th offensive tackle from the junior class and their 21st offensive lineman overall.

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When Georgia lost defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner to Auburn, the worry amongst the Georgia fans was more focused on how his departure would impact recruiting so close to signing day rather than what would happen on the defensive front. But according to one ESPN Watch List standout, Garner’s replacement will do just fine.

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