Rutgers’ Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey: Top NBA Prospects, Yet Facing the Wrong Side of March History

In this episode of the Locked On NBA Big Board Podcast, Rafael and James Barlowe dissect Rutgers’ underwhelming start to the season. Despite boasting arguably two of the top three NBA prospects in the 2025 draft class—Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper—the Scarlet Knights find themselves sitting at 8-8 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten play, putting both their NCAA and Big Ten tournament hopes in jeopardy. The Barlowes discuss how Rutgers’ struggles reflect on Harper and Bailey, questioning whether a top-five prospect can truly justify that status if he fails to elevate his team. They also consider the long-term ramifications of Rutgers' disappointing season, including the possibility of either prospect shutting down to protect their draft stock. With Harper and Bailey excelling individually but unable to translate their success into wins, the brothers weigh whether this disconnect should impact their draft positioning.

Timestamps:

3:00 - Rutgers struggles
4:15 - Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey vs Purdue
12:10 - Should their lack of team success impact draft status?
15:41 - Will Harper or Bailey shut it down if losses continue to pile up?
20:56 - Why they should continue to play instead of shutting in down