Rutgers Duo Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey Struggle Against Purdue

Rutgers superstar duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper struggled on Thursday night.

Jan 9, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) dribbles up court during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Two five-star freshmen signed on to play with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights this season, and both have lived up to the hype mid-way through.

Through 16 games, the two had combined for over 40 points, 12 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, with plenty of head-turning plays throughout. With that came white-hot draft stock for both, with the absolute floor for both likely being the top-five.

But on Thursday night, the two struggled in an inter-conference bout with No. 20 Purdue.

Harper saw what was likely his worst game of the season, scoring just six points on 2-for-9 shooting, failing to hit a triple on three tries. He did manage to still pad his box with six rebounds, three assists and a block, but saw well below his scoring output.

Bailey was more productive, scoring 17 points and nabbing seven rebounds, but shot just 5-for-15 from the field, again registering a negative assist-to-turnover ratio.

The end result was an 18-point blowout in favor of the Boilermakers, which moved to four straight for the black and gold.

There’s little doubt the duo can return to its winning ways — even as soon as its next game against No. 22 UCLA. Harper has been not just one of the top freshman, but one of the best players in the entire country. And Bailey has shown significant improvement in just a short time on top of an already high-ceiling skillset.

Rutgers now sits at 8-8 on the season, and while it’s put a small damper on the two’s stock, it likely won’t keep any NBA decision-maker away.

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