Four-star guard Acaden Lewis has narrowed his list to include eight programs and intends to share his fall visit schedule in the coming weeks. But while North Carolina, Duke, Connecticut, Kentucky, Syracuse, Michigan, Tennessee and Auburn are all technically alive in the race to land his commitment, it feels as though only half those programs have a realistic chance come decision day.
Today, Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy takes a deep dive into Lewis' finalists and handicaps the race to land his letter of intent.
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THE MAJOR PLAYERS: UConn and Syracuse
The main buzz surrounding Lewis at this juncture concerns Syracuse and UConn. Both programs feel near-locks to get official visits from the four-star guard when he releases his travel agenda in the coming weeks. What happens from there, however, is anyone’s guess.
UConn is still alive in the hunt to land five-star guard Meleek Thomas but could quickly pivot to pouring all its resources into the pursuit of Lewis at any moment – especially if the Huskies ultimately decide to cut bait with Thomas, who seems to be in no hurry to make a decision.
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.
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STILL VERY MUCH IN PLAY: Kentucky and Tennessee
The Wildcats are certified players for Lewis and will likely become more of one should they miss out or cut bait with in-state guard Jasper Johnson, a five-star in the the class of 2025.
It seems somewhat likely that both Kentucky and Tennessee will get Lewis on campus this fall and will have every chance to emerge as front-runners after doing so. The two programs are worth closely monitoring, as either could make a quick move down the stretch. Both programs should be seen as serious players until proven otherwise.
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THE WILD CARD: Duke
Lewis gave his recent unofficial visit to Duke rave reviews, and talked at length about the ability of the Blue Devils' brand to get players to the NBA. It seems as though Duke is running in a close third for the time being, but that could change quickly should Lewis take an official visit to Durham and things go particularly well.
That’s all to say it would be extremely unwise to count out Jon Scheyer and company, even if they don’t seem to be among the power players at this early moment. Successful late pushes are part of the luxury that comes with recruiting to Duke, and this could turn into one of those situations.
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PROBABLY NOT: Auburn, Michigan, North Carolina
Stranger things have happened, but the Wolverines, Tar Heels and Tigers have some work to do if any of the three hopes to land Lewis’ commitment on decision day. The good news is there’s plenty of time to do so. The bad news is, it doesn’t seem likely at this point.
