“Better than Flagg”, “Free throw merchant”: Hoops fans react to Rutgers’ Dylan Harper netting 73 points in 24 hours

Rutgers freshman phenom Dylan Harper is making quite the impression on the college basketball community. Over a 24-hour span, Harper scored 73 points across two games in the Players Era Festival Impact Tournament.

The 6-foot-6 guard began his points explosion on Tuesday night when he dropped 36 points on 12-of-22 shooting to lead the Scarlet Knights to an 85-84 overtime win over Notre Dame.

Dylan Harper followed that up on Wednesday, pouring in 37 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field and 15-of-16 shooting from the free throw line in Rutgers' 90-95 loss to No. 9 Alabama.

"Dylan Harper is actually ridiculous. Does he have a case for best freshman in the country?" College Basketball Report asked hoops fans on X.

The scoring outburst caught the attention of many fans, who flooded the comments on the post.

Here are some of the reactions:

"He’s better than Flagg," one fan said, comparing Harper to Duke freshman Cooper Flagg, also a projected top pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

"Free throw merchant😬," another fan wrote.

"Not a case...he is the best freshman in the country," one user replied.

Here are a few more reactions:

"Dylan is cooking so much in back to back games," a fan commented.

"His control of the pace creates such a soothing playstyle to watch," another one added.

"Best freshman? He’s the best player in the country right now I’d say. He is so calm with the ball. There is a case that Ace is the 2nd best. I hope Flagg surpasses them both, right now however, it’s not close between him and Harper," one user claimed.

"This kid is gonna be a phenomenal player," one more chimed in.

Dylan Harper is leading Rutgers in scoring

Dylan Harper joined Steve Pikiell's team as the third-highest-ranked recruit in the Class of 2024. Seven games into his college career, he is leading the Scarlet Knights in scoring at 24.6 points per game, which is also the third-highest scoring average in the nation.

The New Jersey native is also contributing 4.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 55.0% from the field. He has been a key factor in Rutgers' 5-2 start to the season and is making a strong case for his NBA draft stock to rise further.

The 37-point performance in Wednesday's loss to Alabama is also his career high. The Scarlet Knights will take on Texas A&M on Saturday.