Top freshmen shine as Rutgers faces No. 18 Maryland in College Park

If you’re looking to meet an NBA scout this weekend, head to College Park, Md.

That’s where over 30 recruiters are expected to be when Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, and Rutgers visit star freshman Derik Queen and No. 18 Maryland on Sunday afternoon.

All three players are expected to be first-round picks in this summer’s NBA draft. Guards Bailey and Harper are both top-five prospects, while Queen is projected to be selected later in the first round by a team needing a top-tier big man.

The Scarlet Knights have leaned on their two standout freshmen throughout a mixed season.

Bailey leads the team with 20.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, while Harper leads Rutgers with 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Harper also averages 19.1 points per game, the second-highest on the team, with no other player scoring more than 7.2 points per game.

Despite Bailey and Harper’s strong performances, Rutgers (12-11, 5-7 Big Ten) has struggled to get consistent wins in its effort to return to the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64 for the first time in four years.

The Scarlet Knights have only had back-to-back wins twice since starting the season 4-0, and Harper’s struggles with the flu and an ankle injury in January didn’t help.

However, Rutgers has shown it can be dangerous when both Harper and Bailey are healthy.

Harper returned from a two-game absence to score 28 points, grab six rebounds, dish out five assists, and steal four balls, while Bailey added 18 points and 11 rebounds in the Scarlet Knights’ 82-73 victory over No. 23 Illinois on Wednesday.

This was Rutgers’ first win against a ranked team this season and strengthened the chemistry between its two star players.

“It opens a lot for me,” Bailey said about having Harper back. “I don’t have to worry about two or three people trying to box me out at the same time because they have to worry about D-Harp attacking. … And that opens up a lot more for our teammates.”

Another win over a ranked opponent on Sunday could end the Terrapins’ brief stay in the Top 25.

Maryland (17-6, 7-5) moved into the rankings for the first time in nearly two years after winning six of seven games, but they followed that up with a 73-70 loss at Ohio State, after blowing a 17-point lead on Thursday.

Queen, who leads the team with 15 points per game, attempted just seven shots from the field and finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, while fellow big man Julian Reese (14.1 ppg, 9.3 rpg) contributed 24 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

Maryland struggled to contain the Buckeyes’ guards.

The Terrapins did well limiting John Mobley Jr. to eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, but allowed Micah Parrish to score 13 on 5-of-9 shooting. Bruce Thornton did the most damage, hitting 11 of 18 shots, including the game-winning 3-pointer, finishing with a game-high 31 points.

Thornton’s strong performance could be concerning for Maryland with the upcoming matchup against Harper and Bailey, but the Terrapins aren’t too worried about defending a team’s top backcourt players.

“I thought we did a really good job for the most part (defending Thornton),” said Maryland coach Kevin Willard. “Even when he made a couple of tough twos, we were OK with that. … I thought our defense at the end was really good. We switched out. We covered everything.”