Ron Harper leaves no holds barred in honest Dylan Harper Rutgers take following crucial loss

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have started the college basketball season with high expectations after landing five-star recruits Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. The Scarlet Knights opened their season with a 4-0 record but are just 3-5 over their last eight games.

After back-to-back wins over Penn State and Seton Hall, Rutgers was looking to start a winning streak with a matchup versus Princeton on Saturday night. After entering the contest as a 6.5-point underdog, Princeton upset the Knights 83-82 despite strong performances from Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. Following the loss, Rutgers insider Steve Politi went in on the team.

"Wow. @briannnnf excoriates Steve Pikiell after the Princeton loss, and you'd have to be watching with your eyes closed to disagree. I'll add one item to the list: How does he not make Bailey the focus of the offense and get him some better looks?"

Dylan's father, NBA champion Ron Harper, had strong words for Politi in his response.

"All you couch coaches, go get a job on someone's bench," Harper responded. "The facts are, we miss a ton of free throws this season that cost us games. All players."

Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey lead Rutgers despite tough loss

Princeton topped Rutgers in the 'Never Forget Tribute Classic' despite heroic efforts from Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. Caden Pierce and Xaivian Lee led the way for Princeton, scoring 21 points apiece. Pierce grabbed 14 rebounds in a double-double performance.

Harper scored a game-high 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting in the loss. He also grabbed five rebounds, dished out two assists and forced two steals on the defensive end. Bailey finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, along with two blocks and two assists.

Rutgers will look to bounce back on Dec. 30 with a matchup versus Columbia before a four-game stretch versus Big Ten Conference opponents. That will include two matchups versus ranked opponents in Purdue and UCLA.