Ace Bailey Sparks wins at Northwestern; Harper is sitting

On By Littum

game

With Dylan Harper, sidelined by a sprained ankle, it fell to Ace Bailey to carry the load to Rutgers Basketball on Northwestern on Wednesday.

He ever did.

Freshman Wing got 37 points on 13-of-20 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots as Scarlet Knights released a 79-72 triumph-under the circumstances their most impressive victory of the season.

Bailey’s performance is traced creepy similar to the last game that Harper missed, a 39-point outbreak on Indiana January 2nd. It’s still the highest scored effort from 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 wins and two quad 1 triumphs on their way into a high-profile home against Michigan (15-5, 7-2) Saturday (3:30 Fox) and 18Th-Ranked Illinois (14-6, 6-4) on February 5th.

The show by Bailey, who leads the Big Ten in only scoring at 22.1 points per Match, marked a 180-degree trip from Saturday’s 4-for-17 clunker against Michigan State and served as a reminder that when he is hot, there is not much opposite 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 radio interview after -play. “Just special.”

Here’s a Statement State: Bailey is the first Division I-Nypynder to log several 35-point games along the way since Trae Young in 2017-18.

Here are the most points scored by a rutgers new joints in one season. Bailey is at Tempo To Easy To Top This List:

  1. Mike Rosario (08-09): 517
  2. Phil Sellers (72-73): 506
  3. Corey Sanders (15-16): 430
  4. Quincy Douby (03-04): 412
  5. Hollis Copeland (74-75): 395
  6. Ace Bailey (24-25): 394
  7. Geo Baker (17-18): 358
  8. Ricky Shields (01-02): 355
  9. Dylan Harper (24-25): 354

3 thoughts

1. Acuff, Davis supplies

Bailey deserves the headline, but the post-degree guard Tyson Acuff responded to his dampening from the starting lineup without an excellent performance that arises 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, three boards and four assists while not committing any revenue.

Sophomore guard Jamichael Davis filled in for Harper as the primary ball trading and played a pass-first game that handed out a career high eight assists to go with seven points and three steals. Davis only made a turnover and led the team in plus/minus on plus-19.

All in all, Scarlet Knights fit much of the cliff (only eight revenue) against a team that average eight steals per year. Match. Rutgers has been a solid ball safety team much of the season, but in the circumstances this was probably its purest 40 minutes.

No player wins a college basketball match alone. This evening, Acuff and Davis were able to wing men whose contributions proved to be crucial.

2. Old-School Physicality

The Scarlet Knights have been pushed around at times this season, but towards northwest night.

This was as connected as a defensive performance that Rutgers has turned throughout the season.

3. A self -confidence builder?

There is extra intangible value by drawing a road gain without harper. Rutgers came into the night 3-1 in Big Ten matches with harper at or close to full speed-and 0-3 with him sidelined or limited.

To win in a place where Northwestern (12-9, 3-7) was 10-1 this season, and 25-3 in the last two years will have to in-house faith in a young group that has run on a wild roller coaster.

For the record: Rutgers is now 8-2 in the last 10 games against Wildcats. Pikiell has owned Chris Collins.

3 quotes

Ace Bailey at Dylan Harper is out: “Even when he isn’t playing, he still helps us, he all tells them they are running (Northwestern) … Players stepped up and played their roles as Bryce (Dortch) – he stepped up and showed out and got us big rebounds when we needed it. “

Tyson Acuff on Defense: “When we stretch together, I stop like that, I think we had eight or nine in a row, we are unstoppable. We know we can score. “

Steve Pikiell: “Great team wins. I’m happy for five minutes.”

Dylan Harper sits out

Harper tried to play through an ankle sprain in Rutgers Basketball’s last two matches, and the result was bad for all parties: The Scarlet Knights lost, and the Star Point Guard was unable to heal properly.

Now he takes another route.

Harper took the trip, but with a hiking boot. His status that goes on is game-to-game.

Freshman is an average of 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists, but he was limited after spraining an ankle during Rutger’s 20th January loss in Penn State. He underwent a full exercise Friday before reintroducing the ankle on Saturday prior to Scarlet Knights’ loss to Michigan State in Madison Square Garden.

More: Rutgers Basketball Squanders Madison Square Garden Stage As ‘Team beats players’

Harper’s Snakebitten season includes missing a game and fights through two others due to a bad strain on the flu. Scarlet Knights also lacks the 6-Foot-10 Center Manny Ogbole, who is out in the season with a knee injury.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey Sports Scene since 1996 and College Basketball Beat since 2003. Contact him at [email protected].