Going into the 2024-2025 college basketball season, Rutgers were expected to compete for a Big Ten Conference crown. With a preseason Top 25 ranking for just the second time since 1979, the Scarlet Knights were primed for success as they welcomed in top recruits Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey to Piscataway. The sky was the limit for a team that picked up two blue-chip players for a one-and-done scenario for the two prospects.
Instead of a dream season, Rutgers struggled throughout the campaign, ending the regular season at 15-16 with no hope of a postseason appearance. While Harper and Bailey excelled at times, the team was just not good enough to compete in the stacked Big Ten, as it seemed that the Scarlet Knights were overmatched night in and night out. The point where everyone knew the season was in shambles was during the Never Forget Tribute Classic against Princeton in December.
Princeton defeated Rutgers last season, so it wasn’t a complete fever dream to believe that the Tigers could take down the Scarlet Knights. The matchup this season at Prudential Center started well as Harper scored 17 points in the first half and Rutgers led by two at the half. The second half was a disaster as Harper was held to five points, and Bailey was non-existent with the rest of the team as they fell to Princeton in front of a pro-Rutgers crowd.
From there, Rutgers went 8-11 for the remainder of the season, with six losses by more than 10 points. Harper and Bailey have not seen their draft stock fall, as they are still seen as probable Top 10 picks. Harper scored 19 points and shot 49 percent from the field, while Bailey posted 18 points and seven rebounds per game. They likely played their last game for RU, a win against Minnesota on Sunday.
While receiving commitments from Harper and Bailey put Rutgers in the front of the minds of college basketball pundits, Rutgers seemed to only focus on those players in recruiting, whether from high school or the transfer portal. Fellow recruit Lathan Sommerville and Princeton transfer Zach Martini could not match the impact, especially on the defensive end, of Clifford Omoruyi, who transferred to Alabama after last season.
Offensively, besides Harper and Bailey, the team was stagnant during the season. If Harper and Bialey were not having good games, like in the second half against Princeton, the hope was that someone else would step up. That did not happen, as there would be long stretches where the Scarlet Knights would go scoreless and lose their grip on the game. Of the four recruits that have signed with Rutgers in 2025, only shooting guard Kaden Powers looks to have the ability to score on demand, which will be needed as Rutgers will essentially be starting over once Bailey and Harper leave school.
The problem with what Rutgers did and what is happening all over college basketball is that schools are sacrificing the long game for instant gratification. Steve Pikiell has built something special down in Piscataway. It has taken years for the school to get to the point of being relevant in college basketball. The last time I cared about Rutgers basketball was watching Donnell Lumpkin playing for Bob Wenzel in the early 1990’s.
But the problem is that you had these two top players interested in coming to your school for one season, and with that type of interest, what do you do? Do you not take two top recruits and roll the dice for their only year in school? Or do you say no and find recruits that fit your system and will stay for multiple years to develop so the team has some continuity?
In this case, you must think long-term and continue the build because Rutgers is not yet where they want to be. This year was a waste, and for intents and purposes, nothing was accomplished. I also want to clarify this: this is by no means an indictment of Harper and Bailey’s integrity and effort, particularly Harper, who has played on a bad ankle for months now. They selected Rutgers and played to the best of their ability, but the team as a whole did not work, and that is not on them; that’s on Pikiell and his coaching/recruiting staff.
I’m not saying they can’t recover and get back to where they were. But to essentially push their chips to the middle of the table and lose it all like Matt Damon at the beginning of “Rounders” sets the program back. Five-star recruits are nice, but the long-term health of your program is worth a lot more.
