It’s the ultimate measure of Dylan Harper’s value to Rutgers basketball: The Scarlet Knights couldn’t beat Indiana, the program they’ve trained repeatedly over the past seven years, without him freshman point guard Thursday.
Harper was scratched because he “wasn’t feeling good,” head coach Steve Pikiell said, and Rutgers lost 84-74 at Bloomington.
“He didn’t practice, he didn’t go to our shootaround today,” Pikiell said during his pre-match radio interview. “I hope he comes back soon.”
Fellow freshman Ace Bailey did everything humanly possible to make up for Harper’s absence, posting an incredible career-best 39 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. It’s the most points scored in a game by a Rutgers player since great Quincy Douby set a Carrier Dome record with 41 points at Syracuse in 2006. It’s a program record for a student first year.
But ultimately, Rutgers couldn’t do it without the Don Bosco Prep graduate, who is averaging 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game and playing at an All-America level.
The Scarlet Knights (8-6 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) are still looking for a Quad 1 victory for a resume that looks increasingly risky. They entered the night having won 9 of the last 11 games against Indiana (11-3, 2-1) dating back to 2018.
It should be noted that Indiana’s roster also took a big hit as 6-foot-9 forward Malik Reneau (15.0 ppg, 6.3 ppg) was lost two minutes after the early action due to knee injury and did not return.
THREE THOUGHTS
1. Ace Bailey, take a bow
Harper’s absence reminds us that if you don’t have a point guard, you don’t really have an offense. Rutgers dished out just seven assists total as Bailey did all the work, making incredibly difficult shots while shooting 16 of 29 from the field and committing no turnovers in 38 minutes. This tape will make NBA scouts salivate. Sophomore guard Jamichael Davis took the reins at that point, but he’s more of a combo guard. The secondary players, including and especially the veterans brought in by Pikiell via the transfer portal, were not up to par. In all honesty, no one was going to replace Harper there (or anywhere else, for that matter).
2. Bouncing on a Killer
One of the hallmarks of the Rutgers Indiana property is its superior physical quality, and nowhere was that more clearly manifested than on the glass. Even last year, when the Scarlet Knights were battling a losing season, they outscored the Hoosiers by 11 in their only meeting, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds en route to a 66-57 victory in Piscataway.
This time it was different – very different. Indiana was battered as the final rebounding statistics were breathtaking: an 18-7 advantage on the offensive glass led to a 34-8 differential in second-chance points.
Part of that is the absence of Harper, who at 6-foot-7 is a solid rebounding guard, but that doesn’t explain this kind of disparity. Rutgers is simply weak inside and doesn’t get enough paint protection from starting center Manny Ogbole, who has the size and bulk to be a better enforcer in the paint.
3. A critical homestand awaits you
For only the second time since joining the Big Ten in 2014, Rutgers plays three conference home games (the other in 2017). This time, some bold names are coming to Piscataway: Wisconsin (10-3) on Monday, January 6, No. 20 Purdue (10-4) on January 9 and No. 15 UCLA (11-2) on January. 13.
These are all serious resume-building opportunities, and Rutgers needs to win two out of three to start turning its resume around. The first order of business, obviously, is for Harper to recover and re-enter the lineup.
3 QUOTES
From Steve Pikiell’s post-game radio interview with Jerry Recco:
“I played hard…but we gave up 18 offensive rebounds. They’re a very good rebounding team…I have to do a better job than that on the boards. Obviously 84 points is a lot of points, so we need to be more consistent in that area.
“The guys fought, appreciated their efforts, also did a lot of good things. I never gave up, I just kept moving all the way down the stretch… But we need to figure out this sign thing.
On Ace Bailey: “Spectacular. I couldn’t take him out of the game either. He made some incredible shots. He’s got his rhythm going, it’s just fantastic for a freshman to come in there and be ready to go, and he trains like that too, a nod to Ace. To have an evening like this here, it had to be a historic evening at Assembly Hall.
Read more about Harper’s absence
Harper was not listed on the Big Ten’s official injury report released three hours before tipoff.
The Don Bosco Prep graduate, who is averaging 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game and playing at an All-America level, recorded the program’s first triple-double since 1983 on Monday with 16 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds during a Colombian delirium.
Rutgers’ starting lineup for the game consisted of Jamichael Davis and Jeremiah Williams in the backcourt, Ace Bailey at wing, Zach Martini at power forward and Manny Ogbole at center. Martini has moved into the position created by Harper, although Davis and Williams will run the offense from the start.
Indiana 7-footer Oumar Ballo (12.4 ppg, 9.2 apg) is not included in the report after missing Sunday’s win over Winthrop. Ballo’s absence was not explained by Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson, although it occurred after he was photographed at a local bar around midnight the day before the contest.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and college basketball since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article was originally published on the Asbury Park Press: Rutgers basketball: Dylan Harper sits, Bailey plays in Indiana loss
