Syracuse basketball 2022 class only trails Duke, UNC in ACC in SI ratings

The Syracuse basketball six-member 2022 class has scored another really strong national ranking from a recruiting service.

Sports Illustrated recently unveiled its final SI All-American team ratings for the 2022 cycle, and the Orange checked in at No. 14 across the country, which is pretty darn solid.

Within the Atlantic Coast Conference, only blue-bloods Duke and North Carolina are ranked higher than the ‘Cuse in 2022, according to Sports Illustrated.

The Blue Devils, whose 2022 class is just totally stacked, is No. 1 nationally. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, are No. 10.

The Orange coming in at No. 3 in the ACC absolutely works for me. Let’s face it. It will prove quite a challenge for the ‘Cuse to overtake Duke and UNC as far as recruiting efforts are concerned.

Oh, and the Blue Devils went to the Final Four earlier this month, while the Tar Heels advanced to the championship game of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Kansas.

Syracuse basketball has a top-shelf 2022 recruiting class.

In the final SI All-American team ratings for 2022, there are eight ACC groups included. Duke is No. 1, North Carolina is No. 10, Syracuse basketball is No. 14, Virginia is No. 16, Notre Dame (with Central New York native and five-star guard J.J. Starling headlining the Fighting Irish’s class) is No. 19, Miami is No. 20, Florida State is No. 21 and Clemson is No. 25.

The Orange’s 2022 signees are four-star guard Judah Mintz, four-star shooting guard/small forward Justin Taylor, four-star point guard Quadir Copeland, four-star small forward Chris Bunch, three-star power forward Maliq Brown, and three-star power forward/center Peter Carey.

Sports Illustrated recently released its final SI99 individual player rankings for the 2022 class, and Mintz is No. 33, Taylor is No. 81, and Bunch is No. 97.

Rivals.com is more bullish as far as the ‘Cuse 2022 team rating is concerned. When I penned this column, Rivals.com had the Syracuse basketball 2022 cycle at No. 7 nationwide.

Over on the 247Sports Web site, the Orange’s 2022 class, at the time of this writing, checked in at No. 16 overall, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

By and large, the 6-foot-3 Mintz is the highest-rated commit for Syracuse basketball in this cycle. The senior at the Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., is around No. 50 nationally in his class according to both the 247Sports Composite and the On3 Consensus.