Rutgers fans had hoped Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey would play for the Scarlet Knights. Now that hope has become a reality, will they figure in Steve Pikiell’s quest to elevate his basketball program from respectability to March contender?
Expectations are high for Rutgers and its two stars, and the #25 preseason ranking explains why.
Things started in the right direction on Wednesday night in a home game with the Wagner Seahawks. Rutgers won 75-52, and Harper scored 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting in his Rutgers debut–the most points in a debut by a Rutgers freshman since Charles Jones scored 19 against Manhattan in 1993. On the flip side, Bailey’s journey will have to wait; he suffered an undisclosed injury on Monday in practice.
Harper (2) and Bailey (4), photo courtesy Rutgers Athletics
Wagner is the first in a series of what some analysts call “cupcake” opponents–Saint Peter’s, Monmouth, Merrimack, and Kennesaw St. Then, Rutgers will face its first stiff competition of the season against Notre Dame and Alabama in the Players Era First Tournament on Thanksgiving Week in La Vagas. That’s when we’ll better understand how (and how much) Harper and Bailey will contribute. Ohio State in Columbus follows on December 7, with Penn State and Seton Hall scheduled through mid-December.
For now, it’s good that Harper received his first taste of live basketball, and the sooner he and Bailey work together, the better they and Rutgers will be. But here’s the thing. While everybody I know seems to think Harper and Bailey will elevate Rutgers to great heights (I’m hearing Sweet 16 predictions), I’m more cautious in my assessment.
While scouts and general managers are high on them, I’ve never seen them compete at this level. I also know that predictions guarantee nothing. We have seen programs flop with incoming prized players. Remember O.J. Mayo and USC in 2007, and how Kris Humphries and the Gophers underachieved in 2003-04?
I think Rutgers should be okay, but it needs to be more than that. I’d like to see the Scarlet Knights get to the second weekend in March. If not this year, then when? The problem with Harper and Bailey is that time is not on Rutgers’ side. I have a hard time seeing them in Piscataway for more than a season before they declare for the NBA Draft. That means I don’t want to hear about needing time to jell or have fans banter about “chemistry.” This team has to be buzzing by January with an identity to challenge in the always-rugged Big Ten.
To Harper’s and Bailey’s credit, they embrace high expectations and have the right coach to leap into the collegiate basketball stratosphere.
So, what do I think about Rutgers men’s basketball 2024-25? It’s going to be great or not. I don’t see gray.
