Syracuse basketball is major contender for 4-star DMV guard Acaden Lewis, experts say

Syracuse basketball is currently seen as a key player in the recruitment of 2025 four-star guard and top-40 national prospect Acaden Lewis from Washington, D.C., according to a top national analyst and several insiders I've spoken with in recent days.

The fast-rising Lewis, earlier this summer, revealed a top eight of the Orange, Kentucky, two-time defending national champion UConn, North Carolina, Duke, Tennessee, Michigan and Auburn.

The 6-foot-3 Lewis has taken unofficial visits to several schools, including the 'Cuse on August 1. Recent media reports indicate that he will soon disclose his official-visit schedule.

Naturally, if Syracuse basketball hopes to prevail for Lewis, the Orange staff will likely need to get him on the Hill for an official visit at some point. He is a standout rising senior at the nationally ranked Sidwell Friends School in D.C. and played quite well this spring and summer for the 17U squad of the Oxon Hill, Md.-based Team Durant in Nike's EYBL league.

Syracuse basketball appears to be in a solid spot with 2025 four-star guard Acaden Lewis.

Earlier this week, Rivals.com national analyst Rob Cassidy examined Lewis' recruitment at this juncture. Cassidy labeled the 'Cuse and UConn as "major players" for Lewis, noting that "both programs feel near-locks to get official visits from the four-star guard when he releases his travel agenda in the coming weeks."

To be fair, Cassidy also says that other suitors in Lewis' top eight certainly have a shot at prevailing for the DMV product. One important facet to monitor here is what happens with other 2025 guard targets who are being pursued by those teams in Lewis' top eight.

For example, UConn is in the hunt for five-star shooting guard Meleek Thomas. Five-star shooting guard Jasper Johnson has a top five that includes Kentucky and North Carolina, and reports state that he plans to make his college decision known next week.

Additionally, in recent days, 247Sports national analyst Travis Branham said that Duke, along with Miami and Florida, are in the thick of things for five-star point guard Cayden Boozer.

We'll have to see how all of this shakes out, but one thing is clear: ever since Syracuse basketball coaches offered a scholarship to Lewis back in late April of this year, they've shown him that he's a top priority for the the Orange in the 2025 cycle.

To that end, Cassidy wrote in part, "Syracuse, which recently hosted Lewis for an unofficial visit, has made the talented guard an extremely high priority since offering back in April. Head coach Adrian Autry will need to get him back on campus for an official this fall in order to seal the deal. Most believe that sort of visit is in the cards, and what happens if it does could determine the direction of Lewis’ process."

In recent days, I caught up with a couple of recruiting insiders who are closely following Lewis' process. While they cautioned that things can ebb and flow in his recruitment, these experts told me that they're hearing the 'Cuse is in good spot with Lewis, which is encouraging.

At this point, there aren't any analyst predictions for Lewis on the 247Sports Web site, Rivals.com and the On3 Web site. More clarity should arrive as his official-visit calendar is announced.

You never know how these recruitments will ultimately pan out. That being said, Autry and his assistants - who have deep recruiting ties in the D.C. market - have put in the work with Lewis, and that could pay off when it's time for him to make a commitment announcement.