Ace Bailey Sees Best Game Yet for Rutgers

Rutgers forward Ace Bailey has long been thought of to be one of the best and most exciting players in the 2025 NBA Draft class. At around 6-foot-10 with a lengthy frame, solid athleticism and a picture-perfect jumper, he has some of the highest potential in a prospect we’ve seen in some time.

Bailey’s certainly seen his fare share of head-turning performances, too, pouring on 39 points against Indiana, and a 15-15 game in a win over Penn State. But none popped more than Monday night.

In a 80-72 loss to Penn State, Bailey poured on 30 points on a blistering 13-for-15 shots, hitting four of his five attempts 3-pointers and adding seven rebounds and a steal.

It was his magnum opus as a scorer and jump-shooter. He finished at the rim with authority, hit floaters in the lane, slashed for a highlight-worthy poster dunk, and of course hit a variety of pretty high-rising jumpers.

His only two missed of the night came on his first couple shots, missing the mark on a spot-up 3-pointer and a tightly contested mid-range turnaround.

Per an earlier scouting report from NBA Draft on SI regarding Bailey: “A creative shot-maker, Bailey has the ability to generate looks for himself in isolation and known down very advanced shots. His jumper is fluid and projects to translate moving forward, even as the 3-point line continues to get deeper.” On the season, Bailey has scored 19.3 points, grabbed 7.9 rebounds and dished 1.0 assists per game while shooting 46% overall and 37% from beyond the arc. His advanced metrics weren’t bright early in the season, but have been steadily climbing, along with his splits.

While Bailey had a career-night, his counterpart in five-star guard Dylan Harper saw another tougher performance after a white-hot start to his season. He scored just seven points on 3-for-11 shooting, hitting only one of his five attempted 3-pointesr. He was able to add four rebounds, three assists and two steals, but otherwise saw one of his lesser scoring outputs on the year.

Bailey’s been regarded as an essential top-three prospect all season long, only consistently behind the likes of Duke’s Cooper Flagg and his teammate in Harper. Though it seems his best collegiate basketball is certainly still ahead of him, as he’s improved greatly even in just the last few weeks.

While both Harper and Bailey have been phenomenal so far this season, the impact hasn't necessarily carried over to wins yet for the Scarlet Knights. The team sits at just 10-9 on the season, and has been clawing to rise up the Big Ten ranks.

They'll next take on No. 8 Michigan State on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 12:30 p.m., which should be a good test for both squads. Bailey will look to continue his hot streak against a fellow 2025 Draft hopeful in guard Jase Richardson.

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