“It’s really simple Coop better than all of them”: Hoops fans take their pick between freshmen Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper

Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper have lived up to the hype in their freshman seasons, posting stellar numbers during the 2024-25 NCAA campaign. College basketball fans picked their favorite between the three young stars after an Instagram page shared a post about each of their biggest strengths on Tuesday.

The Instagram page RecruitsNews shared a description of the trio from the X account Hoop Herald, which listed Flagg as the best player and Harper as having the best offensive skill set. However, Bailey was deemed to have the highest upside after posting his highlights from Rutgers' game against Penn State.

Basketball fans took to Instagram to share their thoughts about the teen stars. Some agreed with the account's assessment of Bailey, while others backed Flagg and Harper as having the most significant upside.

College hoops fans react to Instagram post describing Ace Bailey as having the highest upside compared to Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. Source: Instagram/@recruitsnews

"It's really simple, Coop better than all of em," one fan noted.

"Accurate! I'm kind [of] 50/50 with better upside for Bailey! Feel like that could be Cooper too," one fan wrote.

"I think Dylan Harper has the biggest upside because of the all-around ability to do literally everything at the 1," one fan claimed.

"You felt uncomfortable listing Coop 3 times?" one fan asked.

"All 3 will be superstars," one fan noted.

"Ace Bailey better than Dylan," one fan commented.

Comparing Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper's numbers this 2024-25 NCAA season

Cooper Flagg is the main reason second-ranked Duke has started the season 16-2, leading the Blue Devils in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.

He ranks 27th in the nation in scoring, averaging 19.2 points through 18 games. Flagg is coming off a 28-point performance in Duke's 88-63 win over Boston College on Saturday night.

Ace Bailey has also been playing stellar basketball for Rutgers. He leads the Scarlet Knights in scoring and rebounding, averaging 19.9 ppg and 7.9 rebounds per game through 17 games.

Bailey played one of the best games of his young college career on Monday night, scoring 30 points in Rutgers' 80-72 loss to Penn State at Bryce Jordan Center. He was efficient on the offensive end, shooting 13-for-15, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed seven rebounds in 30 minutes of action.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights star Ace Bailey (#4) dunks the ball during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Photo: Imagn

Bailey didn't get much help from Dylan Harper, who struggled against the Nittany Lions. Harper scored just seven points on 3-for-11 shooting. He had trouble finding his stroke from the perimeter, missing four of his five 3-point attempts.

Harper, who is averaging 19.3 ppg and 4.3 assists per game this season, has failed to score in double figures in three of the Scarlet Knights' last five games.