When building a roster for any sport, there’s always a question of star power versus balance. Is it better to have a team which doesn’t have one or two go-to guys, but is overall more consistent? Or is it better to have a couple superstars surrounded by role players?
In college basketball, there’s been examples of star-led teams succeeding. Last year, Purdue’s Zach Edey led the Boilermakers to a national title game before losing to one of the most complete teams in the history of the sport in the 2023-24 Connecticut Huskies.
But there’s also been examples where NBA-bound stars have failed to galvanize those around them. Take Ben Simmons for example. He took the unconventional route in college by going to LSU, failed to even make the NIT (college basketball’s Europa League equivalent), and was still taken first overall in that year’s NBA Draft.
Rutgers is in a similar position to the latter situation. They have two of the most exciting NBA lottery picks on their roster in Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, but have struggled throughout the season as the supporting cast around them haven’t hit their marks.
On Thursday night in New Jersey, they played a Purdue team learning to live in the post-Edey era – and are thriving in his absence.
In the battle between talent versus balance, it appeared that balance won the day as the 20th ranked Purdue Boilermakers came out on top over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 68-50.
Rutgers stars Dylan Harper (L) and Ace Bailey (R) will be NBA lottery picks in this year’s draft
But against nationally ranked Purdue, Bailey (4) and Harper (not pictured) couldn’t pull through
Purdue knows exactly what it means to be led by a star. This season, some regression was expected after Edey, a two-time national player of the year, was drafted by the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
But other key role players from last year’s national runner-up squad- like guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer as well as forward Trey Kaufman-Renn – stayed in West Lafayette and together, along with key freshmen and transfers, they developed into a cohesive unit in Edey’s absence.
Those three have carried the load – and while none of them could be universally called ‘superstars’, they all have the makings of complete college players.
Purdue this season has been able to relatively stay the course, knocking off ranked teams like Alabama and Ole Miss. Of their four losses this season, the only true blemish was a defeat at Penn State (the other three were losses to ranked Marquette, Texas A&M, and Auburn).
Tough challenges lie ahead, but despite losing arguably the best player in the program’s history, Purdue has been able to maintain their course as one of college basketball’s best. The same couldn’t be said for their opponents and hosts for the night.
While Rutgers has counted NBA stars among their ranks, they aren’t widely regarded as an elite basketball school. In their entire history, they’ve only made March Madness eight times – with their best success coming in 1976 when they reached the Final Four.
They had a 30 year drought between tournament appearances from 1991 until they reached the Big Dance in 2021 for the first time under head coach Steve Pikiell. They went back the following year but struggled since then.
Fans of the Scarlet Knights were handed a lifeline over the summer when Pikiell and his staff managed to bring aboard the No. 2 and No. 3 recruits in the nation: forward Ace Bailey and guard Dylan Harper.
After losing their star Zach Edey, Purdue has re-aligned itself around the elite role players from last year’s team that made a run to a national title game (L: Braden Smith, R: Fletcher Loyer)
Ace Bailey (L) and Dylan Harper (R) run out of the tunnel before the game against Purdue
Both recruits were essentially born to play the sport. Bailey’s father played college ball at Houston and his aunt won a gold medal with Team USA at the 1996 Olympics.
Harper, meanwhile, is the son of former NBA point guard Ron Harper – who won three NBA titles alongside Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls before going to the Los Angeles Lakers and winning two more with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
Both were touted as potential saviors for the program. Rutgers was expected to fight at the top of Big Ten conference this season and were ranked in the preseason AP Poll.
But what became abundantly clear as the season has progressed is that the cast around them doesn’t play at the same level.
Entering Thursday’s game, Harper and Bailey led the team in scoring – averaging 21.1 and 19.1 points a game respectively. No one else on the team averages double-digit points. In fact, the two lead the team in all major statistical categories but steals.
It means that when the tandem runs into a more well-rounded squad – like Purdue – they struggle. Losses to top teams Texas A&M and Alabama were expected, but defeats at the hands of Kennesaw State and Princeton were indicative of a much bigger problem.
Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell speaks to an official during the game against Purdue
Purdue coach Matt Painter called a perfectly timed timeout to halt Rutgers’ momentum
Bailey (4) led the Scarlet Knights in points but only one other player managed double-digits
As conference play rolled around, the Scarlet Knights only won one of their first four games against Big Ten opponents. After ending the first half against Purdue down nine, it looked like that mark wouldn’t improve.
There was some hope as guard Tyson Acuff drilled a triple (assisted by Harper) to cut the deficit from 11 points to five. But a perfectly executed timeout from Purdue coach Matt Painter halted Rutgers’ momentum and sparked a Boilermaker run. Purdue never looked back and Rutgers only scored nine points after the timeout.
At one point – with about six minutes left – Pikiell took out Harper. The guard, who had been battling the flu, shot only 2-9 and scoring six points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Bailey didn’t fare much better – leading the team in points (17), but going 5-15 in the process. The Scarlet Knights as a whole hit less than 20 shots while attempting over 50.
Now at 8-8 on the season, Rutgers can’t afford any wiggle room if they hope to go dancing come March. As Pikiell told reporters after the game, ‘I’m well aware of how hard it is to get into the NCAA Tournament… luckily Selection Sunday is 66 days from now, and not today.’
