Is Dylan Harper playing? Exploring Rutgers star's availability vs Wisconsin (Jan 6)

Dylan Harper has a healthy status going into tonight's game against the Wisconsin Badgers. He had an illness that held him out of Rutgers Scarlet Knights' previous contest against Iowa on Friday, but he is expected to be back for today's encounter. The confirmation of him taking part in the matchup will be known before the 7 p.m. ET tip-off.

Harper has showcased himself as a well-rounded player who can score the ball at will, allowing him to be a critical piece in the Scarlet Knights' offense as a freshman.

How Dylan Harper has played this season

As a freshman and one of the most coveted prospects in the class of 2024, Dylan Harper seems to have lived up to expectations as one of the best freshmen in college basketball.

After 13 games, Harper is averaging 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest. He is shooting 52.5% (37.3% from beyond the arc). In the last five games, four of them saw him score 20 or more points. In that stretch, he put up 21.2 points on shooting splits of 55.2% overall and 46.9% from downtown.

Despite being nationally ranked to start the season, Rutgers dropped some games as they now sit with an 8-6 record. With Harper as their leading scorer, they put together an offense of 79.3 points, beating opponents by a slim margin of 4.3 points per game.

Freshman Ace Bailey is the second-best scorer behind Harper on the Scarlet Knights' team, averaging 19.9 points per contest. Jeremiah Williams and Lathan Sommerville follow suit with 7.8 points each.

They face a Wisconsin squad that is 11-3 on the season, including an ongoing winning streak of three games. They average 83.9 points on 46.3% shooting (35.3% from the 3-point line), with John Tonje and John Blackwell being their leading scorers, combining for 34 points per game.

After this matchup, Dylan Harper and the Scarlet Knights will host the No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers at the Jersey Mike's Arena on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.