Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are top-5 picks, but Rutgers could cost them their NBA Draft selection

Rutgers was able to convince two of the top three players from the class of 2024 to sign with them. For as exciting of a duo as Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper have been, it’s a shame they won’t get to play on the biggest stage in college basketball. What's worse: With Rutgers likely to miss the NCAA tournament, others can stand to benefit from added tourney minutes.

Bailey and Harper are not just considered two of the top freshmen this year, but they are also potential top five picks in the 2025 NBA draft. Will they be in the top five by the time June rolls around? 

While they’ll be at home, there will be a few other players who will ultimately get the platform to improve their draft stock. Harper and Bailey won’t get the chance to do that — Rutgers would need more than a miracle to reach the NCAA Tournament. 

This season, Harper and Bailey are the two leading scorers for the Scarlet Knights. Bailey is averaging 19.1 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. Harper is averaging 18.8 points per game. It’s a shame we won’t get to see them on the national stage. And unfortunately for them, it could end up hurting their chances to be a top 5 pick. 

With Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper likely to miss NCAA Tournament, who could benefit most from extra exposure?

While two of the top three projected picks are expected to miss the NCAA Tournament, there’s at least three players that could benefit from playing the extra games in the national spotlight. Right now, Baylor is projected to be a No. 9 seed, per Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology. 

With that, V.J. Edgecombe is likely to get more exposure, especially if they’re seeded on the same side as Duke. Based on Lunardi’s latest predictions, Baylor and Duke would play each other in the second round. 

It would end up being the projected No. 1 pick versus a lottery pick. This year, Edgecombe is the second leading scorer on the team, averaging 15 points per game. If Baylor goes on a playoff run, it could be to his benefit. 

Another player that could benefit is Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis. Jakucionis, per FanSided’s Mock NBA Draft, is slated to go to the Washington Wizards at No. 5. The Fighting Illini are currently a No. 6 seed per Lunardi in the south region. 

They won’t have an easy road, but if the Illini could string together a weekend or two of wins and Jakucionis plays well, he could push himself ahead of Bailey or Harper and sneak higher into the top 5.

Two other players that could benefit from long NCAA Tournament runs as well, include Cooper Flagg’s teammate, Khaman Maluach and Michigan State’s Jase Richardson. Maluach was always going to be in the shadows of Flagg, but is still considered one of the top prospects in this upcoming draft. As for Richardson, he’s strung together some solid games as of lately and helped the Spartans remain one of the top teams in the Big Ten. 

Richardson is just inside the top 10. If the Spartans go on a conference tournament run and NCAA Tournament run, it could be enough to push him close to the top five.