The Rutgers basketball team has had an up and down start to its highly-anticipated season, but its two freshmen have not disappointed. Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper — two projected top-five picks in the 2025 NBA Draft — have carried a massive burden for the Scarlet Knights as they navigate a very difficult non-conference schedule.

That schedule ramped up this week when Rutgers traveled to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival. Late on Tuesday night, Rutgers pulled out a dramatic 85-84 overtime win against Notre Dame to advance in the tournament. The Scarlet Knights put up a stiff fight on Wednesday night against No. 9-ranked Alabama, but the Crimson Tide edged them out 95-90.

Harper was masterful in both games and has been the best player on the court for Rutgers or any other team this week in Las Vegas. He scored 36 points and added six rebounds and six assists in the win over Notre Dame before dropping 37 points against Alabama.

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Harper's excellence for Rutgers left fans in awe and had them clamoring for him to potentially be picked No. 1 in the NBA Draft over Duke star Cooper Flagg.

“Are we sure Cooper Flagg is the number 1 pick ? Dylan Harper has 30 pts against a top 10 Alabama team as a true freshman,” one fan posted on X, formerly Twitter. Another added, “They all over Harper in the postgame show & honestly I don’t blame them. I’d take him at 1 right now before Flagg.”

Harper is still likely behind Flagg in most mock drafts, but that gap may continue to close if the Rutgers star continues to put up these kinds of numbers.

Harper's scoring efficiency is what is most impressive about these two outings. Harper shot 23-for-41 from the field and 25-for-30 from the free throw line on his way to 73 points in two games. He constantly puts pressure on the rim and gets to the foul line, applying pressure to the opposing defense at all times.

Harper isn't just resting on the defensive end of the floor either. He was tasked with guarding Alabama star Mark Sears for parts of this game and did an admirable job. Overall, Harper carries a ton of responsibility on this Rutgers basketball team. So far, he has shown that he can handle it.