With Dylan Harper sidelined by a sprained ankle, it fell to Ace Bailey to carry the load for Rutgers basketball at Northwestern Wednesday.
Did he ever.
The freshman wing racked up 37 points on 13-of-20 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots as the Scarlet Knights posted a 79-72 triumph — under the circumstances, their most impressive win of the season.
Bailey’s performance tracked eerily similar to the last game Harper missed, a 39-point outburst at Indiana Jan. 2. That’s still the highest-scoring effort by any player in a Big Ten game this season.
The difference? Rutgers prevailed this time.
The Scarlet Knights (11-10 overall, 4-6 Big Ten) now own two road victories and two Quad 1 triumphs heading into a high-profile homestand against Michigan (15-5, 7-2) Saturday (3:30 p.m. Fox) and 18th-ranked Illinois (14-6, 6-4) on Feb. 5.
The show by Bailey, who leads the Big Ten in conference-only scoring at 22.1 points per game, marked a 180-degree turn from Saturday’s 4-for-17 clunker against Michigan State and served as a reminder that when he’s hot, there’s not much an opposing defense can do.
“They gave me the ball when it was time to give me the ball,” he said. “And I went to work.”
“Ace, what can you say?” head coach Steve Pikiell said during his postgame radio interview. “Just special.”
Here’s a statement stat: Bailey is the first Division I freshman to log multiple 35-point games on the road since Trae Young in 2017-18.
Here are the most points scored by a Rutgers freshman in a season. Bailey is on pace to easily top this list:
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Mike Rosario (08-09): 517
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Phil Sellers (72-73): 506
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Corey Sanders (15-16): 430
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Quincy Douby (03-04): 412
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Hollis Copeland (74-75): 395
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Ace Bailey (24-25): 394
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Geo Baker (17-18): 358
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Ricky Shields (01-02): 355
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Dylan Harper (24-25): 354
3 THOUGHTS
1. Acuff, Davis deliver
Bailey deserves the headline, but postgrad guard Tyson Acuff responded to his demotion from the starting lineup with an outstanding all-around performance, tallying 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, three boards and four assists while committing no turnovers.
Sophomore guard Jamichael Davis filled in for Harper as primary ball-handler and played a pass-first game, handing out a career-high eight assists to go along with seven points and three steals. Davis committed just one turnover and led the team in plus/minus at plus-19.
All told, the Scarlet Knights took great care of the rock (just eight turnovers) against a squad that averages eight steals per game. Rutgers has been a solid ball-security team much of the season, but under the circumstances this was probably its cleanest 40 minutes.
No player wins a college basketball game alone. On this night Acuff and Davis were capable wingmen whose contributions proved decisive.
2. Old-school physicality
The Scarlet Knights have been pushed around at times this season, but against Northwestern they did the manhandling, wearing the Wildcats down in the second half (they shot just 34 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes) while committing just 16 fouls on the night.
This was as connected a defensive performance as Rutgers has turned in all season.
3. A confidence builder?
There is extra intangible value in pulling off a road win without Harper. Rutgers came into the night 3-1 in Big Ten games with Harper at or close to full speed — and 0-3 with him sidelined or limited.
To prevail at a place where Northwestern (12-9, 3-7) was 10-1 this season and 25-3 over the past two years has to instill believe in a young group that has been riding a wild roller-coaster.
For the record: Rutgers is now 8-2 in the past 10 games against the Wildcats. Pikiell has owned Chris Collins.
3 QUOTES
Ace Bailey on Dylan Harper being out: “Even when he’s not playing, he’s still helping us, he’s telling everybody that they’re running (Northwestern)…Players were stepping up and playing their roles like Bryce (Dortch) – he stepped up and showed out and got us big rebounds when we needed it.”
Tyson Acuff on the defense: “When we string together stops like that, I think we had eight or nine in a row, we’re unstoppable. We know we can score.”
Steve Pikiell: “Great team win. I’m happy for five minutes.”
Dylan Harper sits out
Harper tried to play through an ankle sprain in Rutgers basketball’s last two games, and the result was bad for all parties: The Scarlet Knights lost, and the star point guard wasn’t able to heal properly.
Now he’s taking a different route.
Harper made the trip but with a walking boot. His status moving forward is game-to-game.
The freshman is averaging 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists, but he was limited after spraining an ankle during Rutgers’ Jan. 20 loss at Penn State. He went through a full practice Friday before reinjuring the ankle Saturday prior to the Scarlet Knights’ loss to Michigan State at Madison Square Garden.
More: Rutgers basketball squanders Madison Square Garden stage as ‘team beats players’
Harper’s snakebitten season includes missing one game and struggling through two others due to a bad strain of the flu. The Scarlet Knights also are missing 6-foot-10 center Manny Ogbole, who is out for the season with a knee injury.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers basketball: Ace Bailey sparks win at Northwestern; Harper sits