There's an ongoing debate within the sport about whether schools can truly compete for national championships and other things that matter with teams led by multiple freshmen. One argument against it is the fact that no team has made the Final Four with two freshmen as its leading scorers since Kentucky in 2014.
(Shouts to Julius Randle and James Young!)
Obviously, Duke is trying to snap that trend this season with a team led by five-star freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. With less fanfare, Rutgers is also attempting the same thing behind Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, the two five-star freshmen who combined for 37 points, 18 rebounds and seven assists in Wednesday's 74-63 win over Merrimack.
Harper took 12 shots, made five of them and finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Bailey took 15 shots, made nine of them and finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds while showing, possession after possession, why he's likely the biggest threat to replace Flagg at the top of big boards for the 2025 NBA Draft.
Asked about the players he models his game after, Bailey, a 6-foot-10 guard, said some predictable names. "Kevin Durant, Paul George and Jayson Tatum," Bailey told the assembled media late Wednesday, providing a list of long wings who are comfortable with creating shots from the perimeter, which is among Bailey's biggest strengths. "And I'd say [Tracy McGrady], too. T-Mac. ... They create shots and put their teammates in situations that they know they can succeed in -- and they [know how to] step up and be a leader."
Bailey's highlights pass the eye-test.
2 minutes of Ace Bailey Highlights 📺
— Rutgers Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@RutgersMBB) November 21, 2024
23 points, 10 rebounds, 9-15 from the field.#TheKnighthood🛡️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/6GIU32ejXX
Bailey is now averaging a team-high 20.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game. Harper is second on the team at 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 31.0 minutes per game. The Scarlet Knights remain No. 24 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Their next game is Sunday against Kennesaw State.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Dajuan Harris finished with 17 points and six assists in Tuesday's 84-66 win over UNC Wilmington. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Duke. | -- | 5-0 |
| 2 |  | Johni Broome finished with 30 points and 17 rebounds in Monday's 102-69 win over North Alabama. The Tigers' next game is Monday against Iowa State. | -- | 4-0 |
| 3 |  | Elliot Cadeau finished with 18 points and eight assists in Friday's 107-55 win over American. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday at Hawaii. | -- | 2-1 |
| 4 |  | Solo Ball finished with 12 points and two rebounds in Tuesday's 81-46 win over East Texas A&M. The Huskies' next game is Monday against Memphis. | -- | 4-0 |
| 5 |  | Curtis Jones finished with 20 points and six rebounds in Monday's 87-52 win over IU Indy. The Cyclones' next game is Monday against Auburn. | -- | 3-0 |
| 6 |  | Graham Ike finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 84-41 win over Long Beach State. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against West Virginia. | -- | 5-0 |
| 7 |  | Milos Uzan finished with 13 points and five assists in Wednesday's 91-45 win over Louisiana. The Cougars' next game is Friday against Hofstra. | -- | 2-1 |
| 8 |  | Stevie Mitchell finished with 21 points and four steals in Tuesday's 76-58 win over Purdue. The Golden Eagles' next game is Saturday against Georgia. | -- | 5-0 |
| 9 |  | Purdue committed 15 turnovers in Tuesday's 76-58 loss at Marquette. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Marshall. | -- | 4-1 |
| 10 |  | Grant Nelson finished with 23 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 100-87 win over Illinois. The Crimson Tide's next game is Tuesday against Houston. | -- | 4-1 |
| 11 |  | Igor Milicic Jr. finished with 23 points and nine rebounds in Sunday's 103-68 win over Austin PeayThe Vols' next game is Thursday against Virginia. | -- | 4-0 |
| 12 |  | Jaxson Robinson finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 97-68 win over Lipscomb. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Jackson State. | -- | 4-0 |
| 13 |  | Tyrese Proctor finished with 15 points and two assists in Saturday's 86-35 win over Wofford. The Blue Devils' next game is Friday at Arizona. | -- | 3-1 |
| 14 |  | Myles Rice finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 87-71 wn over South Carolina. The Hoosiers' next game is Thursday against UNC Greensboro. | -- | 3-0 |
| 15 |  | VJ Edgecombe finished with 17 points and four steals in Sunday's 104-41 win over Tarleton State. The Bears' next game is Thursday against St. John's. | -- | 3-1 |
| 16 |  | Adou Thiero finished with 23 points and four steals in Monday's 91-72 win over Pacific. The Razorbacks' next game is Friday against Little Rock. | -- | 3-1 |
| 17 |  | John Blackwell finished with 30 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 87-84 win over UT Rio Grande Valley. The Badgers' next game is Friday against UCF. | -- | 5-0 |
| 18 |  | Caleb Love missed 11 of the 13 shots he took in Friday's 103-88 loss at Wisconsin. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Duke. | -- | 2-1 |
| 19 |  | Wade Taylor IV finished with 17 points and six assists in Wednesday's 71-54 win over Southern. The Aggies' next game is Tuesday against Oregon. | -- | 4-1 |
| 20 |  | Aaron Bradshaw missed seven of the 10 shots he took in Friday's 78-64 loss at Texas A&M. The Buckeyes' next game is Tuesday against Evansville. | -- | 3-1 |
| 21 |  | Arthur Kaluma finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 89-43 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Longhorns' next game is Thursday against Syracuse. | -- | 3-1 |
| 22 |  | Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 79-56 win over Kansas City. The Bluejays' next game is Friday against Nebraska. | -- | 4-0 |
| 23 |  | Will Richard finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 84-60 win over Florida A&M. The Gators' next game is Friday against Southern Illinois. | -- | 5-0 |
| 24 |  | Ace Bailey finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 74-63 win over Merrimack. The Scarlet Knights' next game is Wednesday against Merrimack. | -- | 4-0 |
| 25 |  | Simas Lukosius finished with 18 points and three assists in Tuesday's 76-60 win at Northern Kentucky. The Bearcats' next game is Saturday against Georgia Tech. | -- | 4-0 |
| 26 |  | Jaylen Murray finished with 16 points and six assists in Saturday's 84-69 win over Colorado State. The Rebels' next game is Thursday against Oral Roberts. | -- | 4-0 |
