Rutgers basketball’s loss in the Big Ten conference tournament signaled the end for Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. The two star freshmen were the talk of college basketball. While the two are projected to forego an additional year and enter the NBA Draft,

The students at Jersey Mike’s Arena chanted “ONE MORE YEAR” at Dylan Harper but had to settle for five extra minutes. Maybe, given how his one rocky season of college basketball had unfolded, that was fitting.

Harper led Rutgers against USC with 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a losing effort. He put the team on his back in both overtime periods with star teammate Ace Bailey fouling out at the end of regulation. The first-round defeat dropped the Scarlet Knights to 15-17 on the year, far outside of the 2025 March Madness pool.

With Rutgers' loss to USC in the first round of the 2025 Big 10 tournament, the collegiate careers of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey have presumably come to a close. As two of the top prospects of the 2025 NBA Draft, Harper and Bailey have yet to make an official announcement but are expected to declare in the coming weeks.

Dylan Harper scored 22 points and made several key plays down the stretch for Rutgers to pull out a 75-67 overtime victory over Minnesota on Sunday in Piscataway, N.J.