"What a waste": Fans get ruthless with Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper following first-round exit vs USC in Big 10 conference tournament

Rutgers Scarlett Knights guards Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper may have had their collegiate stints come to an end. On Wednesday, the 11th-seeded team went up against the No. 14-seeded USC Trojans for the 2025 Big Ten conference tournament first round and lost 97-89.

This eliminates the Bailey-Harper tandem and the rest of the Steve Pikiell-coached team from the conference's postseason play and the national tournament later this month. The first-year stars finish the 2024-25 campaign with a 15-17 overall record.

With both Harper and Bailey's expected one-and-done seasons of college basketball coming to a disappointing end, fans didn't hold back on X.

"What a waste. Gotta make scouts wonder if they are winners or not, but both will go top 5, maybe 2 and 3," one fan claimed.

"You need an actual team to compete and win consistently in college hoops confirmed," another user asserted.

"How u have two generational talents and don’t even come close to the dance," another wrote with crying emojis.

"Rutgers team around them failed big time. They were doubled so much and still did what they did. Ace Bailey shoots some crazy NBA type of shots and sometimes makes you wonder how they ever go in. Definitely feel he's got that pure scorer in him at the NBA level," a user pointed out.

Other fans simply appreciated the talent displayed by both freshman sensations in the college basketball landscape this year.

"Those stats scream ‘we balled out,’ even if the W’s didn’t show up," one user said.

"Its a shame we didn’t see them in the tournament. The game needed them," another user shared.

"They fr had good seasons. It’s just they're freshman and the team around them wasn’t that great. If they stayed all 4 years, I think they could develop into a championship contender but obviously they’re gonna leave this season," a user posted.

For their final performances of the season, Harper dropped 27 points with an 8-for-8 line from the charity stripe, eight boards, eight dimes, two swipes and two swats. Bailey tallied 17 markers on 7-of-13 overall shooting, seven rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block.

Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey named to the 2025 Big Ten All Freshman and All Third Team

For their play throughout the season for the Scarlet Knights, both Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey were named to the Big Ten All Freshman Team and All Third Team. Both standouts are poised to be top picks in this year's NBA draft should they forego their college eligibility.

On the campaign, Harper averaged 19.2 markers, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 dimes and 1.4 steals a game. Bailey posted 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 dimes and 1.3 swats per contest, as the duo shared the lead of the team's five major statistical categories.