4-star Kiyan Anthony is down to 3 schools. Why I like Syracuse basketball to prevail.

Buckle up, my Syracuse basketball friends, because this next month could prove a little nerve-wracking as it pertains to the recruitment of 2025 four-star shooting guard and top-30 national prospect Kiyan Anthony from New York City.

The 6-foot-5 Anthony said via social media on Tuesday night that he's down to three finalists: the Orange, Big Ten Conference member Southern California and Auburn out of the Southeastern Conference.

Anthony, whose dad, long-time NBA star and future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, guided the 'Cuse to the program's only national championship in 2003, recently took an official visit to USC. He went on his official visit to the Orange in late October of last year.

Kiyan Anthony told top 247Sports national analyst Dushawn London that he's aiming to make his college decision known in early November, and he hopes to take an official visit to Auburn before making his commitment announcement.

Up until Tuesday evening, Anthony had a top six that also included Ohio State, Rutgers and Florida State. Previous media reports had indicated that he was eyeing an official visit to Rutgers this coming weekend but that won't be happening with the Scarlet Knights no longer in contention.

Last fall, in addition to his official visit to the Hill, Anthony went on an official visit to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Florida State.

Why I think Syracuse basketball will win out for 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony.

Anthony did say to London, "I'm actually open to my three. I'm extremely open and I have a couple more weeks to make my decision."

For a while now, some Orange fans have assumed that Anthony is a lock to ultimately don a Syracuse basketball uniform. I've never been in that camp, because he's maintained over and over again that he's keeping his options open.

That being said, I thought maybe Rutgers would be a threat to the 'Cuse, given its geographic proximity to Anthony, who is a senior at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y. The Scarlet Knights also hauled in two five-star, top-five national prospects within their 2024 cycle.

Given that Anthony has said he's got a strong relationship with the FSU staff, and he's taken an official visit to Florida State, I figured maybe the Seminoles would be in this thing until the end, but they're not.

Candidly, I was never too concerned about Ohio State. This leaves us with Anthony's two other finalists, Southern California and Auburn. He has officially visited USC, which is new to the Big Ten.

For the upcoming season, the Trojans have a new head coach in former Arkansas boss Eric Musselman. He's had success in some recent NCAA Tournaments, and Musselman can flat out recruit at a high level.

Plus, as I've noted before, Bronny James last season was a freshman at Southern Cal before getting selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. James is the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, who is dear friends with Anthony's dad.

Additionally, USC is located in one of the country's biggest media markets, Los Angeles. There are celebrities galore out there. Even though he's only a teen-ager, Anthony already has an established brand, and LA might prove appealing to him amid the name, image and likeness evolution in college sports.

This leads us to Auburn, which went to the 2019 Final Four and has been one of the better SEC basketball programs in recent seasons under head coach Bruce Pearl, who is also an excellent recruiter.

I'll say this. If Anthony ends up taking an official visit to the Tigers, that's one thing. But if he doesn't make a trip to Auburn before announcing his college decision, I see Anthony's recruitment boiling down to Syracuse basketball and USC.

The Orange coaching staff has recruited Anthony for much longer than Southern Cal. He landed a 'Cuse scholarship offer in November of 2022. Musselman and his staff offered Anthony in mid-July of this year.

As far as I can tell, Syracuse basketball coaches have shown Anthony that he's a high priority for them in the 2025 class for a long, long time. The Orange staff has been in attendance for him numerous times on the AAU circuit when Anthony suited up for Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike's EYBL league.

In early September, at the start of the fall recruiting period, Anthony conducted an in-home visit with 'Cuse coaches, as London first reported last month.

When discussing his three finalists, Anthony said of the Syracuse basketball staff to London, "The coaches were on me the earliest and they've been recruiting me since day one. They really believe in me. My guy (Sadiq White Jr.) is already going there and they're trying to get a few more players for 2025. I feel like they're really building something there and if I were to go there I could be a part of that."

White, a 2025 five-star forward and top-15 national prospect from Charlotte, N.C., verbally committed to the Orange in late May. Earlier this week, 2025 three-star wing Aaron Womack from the Milwaukee area also verbally pledged to the 'Cuse.

Will Kiyan Anthony join them? I don't think it's a guarantee. Not by any means. At the same time, I do feel pretty good that Syracuse basketball will be the college program to prevail in Anthony's recruitment.