All things considered, this is a bit of a surprising development.

I just got off the phone with St. Anthony associate head coach Ben Gamble and here’s the deal: Wake Forest , Tennessee and UConn have been eliminated from Cheek’s list.

He plans to visit Kansas, Memphis, Indiana, Villanova and Pittsburgh, and Seton Hall and Rutgers are still in the mix for potential unofficial visits.

Pitt never seemed to be a major contender for Cheek, and it would still be quite a battle to get him. That said, this is a very good sign. Even if Pitt doesn’t get Cheek, you have to believe that Brandin Knight is going to excel as a recruiter for Pitt. He helped make the in-home pitch to Cheek.

Wake Forest was one of the earliest to recruit him and an early favorite with Kansas and Villanova. Pitt staying in there while UConn, Tennessee and Wake are all off-the-board.