"Absolute masterclass": College hoops fans show love to Dylan Harper as Rutgers star makes loud comeback from injury

Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper was able to return to top form on Wednesday in the 82-73 win over the Illinois Fighting Illini at home. The freshman standout dropped a game-high 28 points on 7-for-15 shooting, being the only player to reach the 20-point mark, along with six rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block in 34 minutes of action.

This was Harper's return from injury, as he has missed the last two Rutgers fixtures due to a high ankle sprain he suffered during the Steve Pikiell-coached squad's 80-72 loss to the Penn State Nitanny Lions on Jan. 20. The 6'6'' star did try to play in the Jan. 25 Big Ten conference fixture against the Michigan State Spartans, but was only able to log 13 minutes total.

With Harper playing at a high level once again, leading the Scarlet Knights to their fifth conference victory of the 2024-2025 season, 12th overall, college basketball fans and spectators everywhere on X marvelled at one of this year's best rookies giving another awe-inspiring performance from a setback — particularly on his ability to overcome his matchup over Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis.

"Absolute masterclass tonight in the matchup against Kasparas Jakucionis, showcasing his all around guard play. Finally healthy and back to form," @nbadraftpoint on X captioned.

"Can’t believe people had Kasparas over him," another user replied.

"I love Kasparas Jakucionis and think he is an unbelievable talent, but you can see the gap between a Dylan Harper and himself. People who wonder the difference between a foundational player and a lottery pick in the NBA are seeing it," another detailed.

Apart from his Wednesday matchup, Harper's stock has also been boosted to some fans with regards to other potential one-and-done players, including his own teammate Ace Bailey.

"Harper is the real deal! He deserves some attention bc his game is better than Flagg. @espn overkill with Duke and Flagg. Harper is ready from day 1. His game is complete," one fan wrote.

"Don’t shoot the messenger, but Dylan Harper is better than Ace Bailey and I’ll die on that hill," another user claimed.

"Dylan Harper is a dawg. That is all," a user posted.

Harper's remarkable outing on Wednesday comes after putting up single figures in points in his last two performances, seven points against Penn State and six markers versus Michigan State — which is a welcome sight for things to come for the spitfire scorer.

Dylan Harper wins the matchup against Lithuanian Kasparas Jakucionis

Heading into their conference game against Illinois, there was a highly touted matchup between two first-year sensations in Dylan Harper and Kasparas Jakucionis. With the former's dominating outing against the Fighting Illini, it's clear that the latter could not keep up with his matchup — as he merely put up seven markers on 2-for-8 shooting, two boards, two dimes and a steal.

On the campaign, Harper is posting 18.6 points, 4.8 caroms, 4.1 assists and 1.2 swipes per contest for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights while Jakucionis is averaging 15.6 markers, 5.7 rebounds, 5.5 dimes and 1.1 steals a game for his squad.