With star recruits Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, how did Rutgers miss March Madness?

I remember the conversation I had with northjersey.com’s Darren Cooper and Zach Miller this past June.

It was a few minutes before the start of the North Jersey High School Sports Awards show, and we were talking about Don Bosco’s Dylan Harper, who an hour or so later was named the show’s boys basketball player of the year.

“Is Rutgers going to the Final Four next year?” I asked. “It is going to compete for a national title?”

Mar 9, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) and Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

“I don’t know about that,” Cooper said. “But they should be pretty good.”

The speculation wasn’t just because Harper, the national’s No. 3 recruit according to 247 Sports, was committed to the Scarlet Knights. But because Ace Bailey, 247’s No. 2 ranked recruit (behind only Cooper Flagg) was committed to Rutgers as well.

Now, nine months later, I sit here looking at the ruins of a 15-17 team that finished 8-12 in the Big Ten and wonder what went wrong. On Sunday, even before the NCAA Tournament selections were announced, Rutgers said it would not play in the NIT or any other lesser postseason tournament, according to northjersey.com's Jerry Carino.

Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are the first Big Ten freshman duo to score 500+ in a season since Chris Webber and Jalen Rose 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SJkzV63vpA
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 5, 2025

The first thing to consider when looking at Rutgers' disappointing season is that freshmen-led teams have often struggled in recent years. It is one of the reasons that John Calipari left Kentucky for Arkansas last year, vowing to rethink his recruiting philosophy of bringing in superstar players who were often one and done.

Calipari had found that it often takes even the most talented freshmen players time to gel. And by that process is finally starting to percolate, those players are often gone to the next level.

Of the 15 players on the Rutgers roster this year, eight of them were freshmen. And while Harper and Bailey led the team in nearly every offensive category, the team’s games always felt more like a showcase of two great players than a cohesive team.

After a loss to USC, the college careers of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey have come to an end.

Harper — 19.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.9 APG
Bailey — 17.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.2 APG

Rutgers went 15-17.

Grade their seasons 👇 pic.twitter.com/VhVhCFxyZX
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 13, 2025

And really, after those two players there was quite a drop off in talent. Which was the second problem. While Harper led the team with 19.7 points per game and Bailey added 17.6, no other player had more than 8.2. Lathan Sommerville, a freshman from Peoria, Illinois, was third on the team with 4.1 rebounds a game -- a category led by Bailey’s 7.2 and Harper’s 4.6 – but no other player had more than 4.

And nobody on the team shot all that well from the outside. The team’s 3-point percentage was 32.9 percent and nobody made 40 percent or better.

And finally, the competition was tough. Despite not having a No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament, nine Big Ten teams made the Big Dance. The additions of UCLA and Oregon this year just made the league stronger. And Rutgers had a difficult time keeping pace.

And now, Harper and Bailey will more than likely be moving on to the NBA. Most mock drafts have them going Nos. 2-3 – behind Duke’s Flagg – leaving little behind besides memories of high hopes.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey not enough to elevate Rutgers basketball