NCAA Tournament 2013: MaxPreps Top 100 players in the Sweet 16

The NCAA Tournament is the ultimate equalizer. While the big-conference schools generally sweep up the top recruits, during March we often see smaller schools with fewer top recruits knocking off heavy favorites.

Never was that more evident than when No. 15-seed Florida Gulf Coast, which has one player who was ranked in the MaxPreps Top 100 in high school, knocked off Georgetown and San Diego St., which have five Top 100 players each. Or when Wichita St., which doesn't have a single Top 100 recruit, beat Pittsburgh, which has four.

So while landing top recruits is important for top schools (Michigan St. leads the way with nine), it is certainly no guarantee of success. After all, this year Kentucky had four Top 100 recruits from the Class of 2012 alone (No. 1 Nerlens Noel, No. 7 Archie Goodwin, No. 12 Alex Poythress, No. 34 Willie Cauley-Stein), and the Wildcats failed to even make the tournament.

It also goes to show that players who aren't big recruits out of high school can be just as essential to their programs as those who were.

Here's a look at the remaining teams in the Sweet 16 of this year's NCAA Tournament, and which of their players were listed in the MaxPreps Top 100 in high school.

Click here to see the complete MaxPreps Top 100 High School Basketball Recruiting Lists

MaxPreps Top 100 Recruits in the 2013 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Michigan St. - 9
2009
Derrick Nix, Pershing (Detroit) - No. 49
2010
Keith Appling, Pershing (Detroit) - No. 22
Adreian Payne, Jefferson Township (Dayton, Ohio) - No. 27
Alex Gauna, Eaton Rapids (Mich.)  - No. 68
2011
Branden Dawson, Wallace (Gary, Ind.) - No. 32
2012
Gary Harris, Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.) - No. 13
Matt Costello, Bay City Western (Auburn, Mich.) - No. 60
Denzel Valentine, Sexton (Lansing, Mich.) - No. 79
Kenny Kaminski, Medina (Ohio) - No. 82

Arizona - 8
2009
Solomon Hill, Fairfax (Los Angeles) - No. 64
2010
Jordin Mayes, Westchester (Los Angeles) - No. 99
2011
Nick Johnson, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) - No. 25
Angelo Chol, Hoover (San Diego) - No. 38
2012
Kaleb Tarczewski, St. Mark's (Southborough, Mass.) - No. 10
Grant Jerrett, Lutheran (La Verne, Calif.) - No. 14
Brandon Ashley, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) - No. 17
Gabe York, Orange Lutheran (Calif.) - No. 27

Duke - 8
2009
Ryan Kelly, Ravenscroft (Raleigh, N.C.) - No. 11
Mason Plumlee, Christ School (Arden, N.C.) - No. 25
2010
Josh Hairston, Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) - No. 38
2011
Rodney Hood, Meridian (Miss.) - No. 26
Quinn Cook, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) - No. 27
Marshall Plumlee, Christ School (Arden, N.C.) - No. 63
2012
Amile Jefferson, Friends' Central (Wynnewoode, Pa.) - No. 16
Rasheed Sulaimon, Strake Jesuit (Houston) - No. 20

Indiana - 7
2009
Jordan Hulls, Bloomington South (Ind.) - No. 43
Christian Watford, Shades Valley (Birmingham, Ala.) - No. 61
Derek Elston, Tipton (Ind.) - No. 69
2011
Cody Zeller, Washington (Ind.) - No. 16
2012
Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell, Park Tudor (Indianapolis) - No. 33
Jeremy Hollowell, Lawrence Central (Indianapolis) - No. 48
Hanner Mosquera-Perea, La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) - No. 52

Kansas - 7
2009
Elijah Johnson, Cheyenne (North Las Vegas, Nev.) - No. 53
2011
Ben McLemore, Christian Life Center (Humble, Texas) - No. 57
Naadir Tharpe, Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) - No. 87
2012
Perry Ellis, Heights (Wichita, Kan.) - No. 36
Andrew White III, Miller (Charlottesville, Va.) - No. 47
Landen Lucas, Westview (Portland, Ore.) - No. 85
Rio Adams, Rainier Beach (Seattle) - No. 96

Florida - 6
2009
Kenny Boynton, American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) - No. 7
2010
Patric Young, Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.) - No. 26
Casey Prather, Jackson North Side (Jackson, Tenn.) - No. 72
2011
Dorian Finney-Smith, Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.) - No. 20
2012
Braxton Ogbueze, United Faith Christian Academy (Charlotte, N.C.) - No. 45
Michael Frazier II, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) - No. 76

Ohio St. - 6
2010
Deshaun Thomas, Bishop Luers (Fort Wayne, Ind.) - No. 12
Aaron Craft, Liberty-Benton (Findlay, Ohio) - No. 84
2011
LaQuinton Ross, Life Center Academy (Burlington, N.J.) - No. 13
Shannon Scott, Milton (Ga.) - No. 15
Amir Williams, Detroit Country Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.) - No. 18
Sam Thompson, Whitney Young (Chicago) - No. 79

Syracuse - 6
2009
Brandon Triche, Jamesville-DeWitt (DeWitt, N.Y.) - No. 22
2011
Michael Gbinije, Benedictine (Richmond, Va.) - No. 36
Michael Carter-Williams, St. Andrew's (Barrington, R.I.) - No. 42
Rakeem Christmas, Academy of the New Church (Bryn Athyn, Pa.) - No. 49
2012
Dajuan Coleman, Jamesville-DeWitt (DeWitt, N.Y.) - No. 8
Jerami Grant, DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) - No. 38

Michigan - 5
2011
Trey Burke, Northland (Columbus, Ohio) - No. 80
Max Bielfeldt, Notre Dame (Peoria, Ill.) - No. 100
2012
Mitch McGary, Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) - No. 15
Glenn Robinson III, Lake Central (St. John, Ind.) - No. 39
Nik Stauskas, St. Mark's (Southborough, Mass.) - No. 99

Louisville - 3
2009
Peyton Siva, Franklin (Seattle) - No. 14
2011
Wayne Blackshear, Morgan Park (Chicago) - No. 24
Chane Behanan, Bowling Green (Ohio) - No. 31

Marquette - 3
2009
Trent Lockett, Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) - No. 35
Jamil Wilson, Horlick (Racine, Wis.) - No. 41
2010
Vander Blue, Madison Memorial (Wis.) - No. 43

Miami - 2
2009
Durand Scott, Rice (Bronx, N.Y.) (closed) - No. 34
2011
Shane Larkin, Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.) - No. 68

Florida Gulf Coast - 1
2010
Jamail Jones, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) - No. 89

La Salle - 1
2010
Tyrone Garland, John Bartram (Philadelphia) - No. 96

Oregon - 1
2012
Dominic Artis, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) - No. 66

Wichita St. - 0