For the second time this season, Rutgers won back-to-back Big Ten games, with victories over Washington and USC. The Scarlet Knights were able to inch closer to clinching a berth in next month’s conference tournament behind two big performances from star freshman point guard Dylan Harper.
The projected No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft had two of the best games of his college career last week. Harper scored 34 points in a win over Washington in Seattle. He followed it up by recording 25 points and a career-high six steals in a 95-85 win over the Trojans.
“Just one game at a time,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell told reporters postgame after the win over USC. “You know how we go.”
Freshman of the Week: Dylan Harper, Rutgers
Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the five most impressive freshmen in college basketball. CBS Sports has once again teamed up with the United States Basketball Writers Association and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award to present this every-Tuesday feature. Each week we’ll start by announcing the national Freshman of the Week honoree. The cycle for FOTW runs Tuesday-Monday.
The former No. 3 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports has certainly lived up to the hype around his name. Harper is on track to become the second player selected in the 2025 NBA Draft behind Duke’s Cooper Flagg and has solidified himself as the second-best first-year-player in the sport.
Harper has now scored at least 20 points 15 times, including three outbursts with at least 30. Harper is averaging 19.4 points, 4,6 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Previous Freshman of the Week winners
- Nov. 12: Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
- Nov. 19: Joson Sanon, Arizona State
- Nov. 26: Labaron Philon, Alabama
- Dec. 3: Dylan Harper, Rutgers
- Dec. 10: Cooper Flagg, Duke
- Dec. 17: Liam McNeeley, UConn
- Dec. 24: Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
- Dec. 31: Ian Jackson, North Carolina
- Jan. 7: Cooper Flagg, Duke
- Jan. 14: Cooper Flagg: Duke
- Jan. 21: Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
- Jan. 28: Tre Johnson, Texas
- Feb. 4: Robert Wright, Baylor
- Feb. 11: Derik Queen, Maryland
- Feb. 18: Liam McNeeley, UConn
Frosh Watch: Ranking top five freshmen
1. Cooper Flagg | G/F | Duke
Stats: 19.5 PPG | 7.7 RPG | 4.0 APG
Flagg didn’t have to do much in Duke’s blowout 110-67 win over Illinois at Madison Square Garden last weekend. Flagg logged only 23 minutes but still managed to post 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal. Flagg also knocked down his lone attempt from beyond the arc after going 0 of 3 from beyond the 3-point line in his last game against Virginia. Last week: 1
2. Dylan Harper | G | Rutgers
Stats: 19.4 PPG | 4.6 RPG | 4.2 APG
While Harper’s 34-point outburst against Washington was impressive, his follow-up performance against USC was just as good. He finished with 34 points, nine assists and six steals and helped Rutgers win its second consecutive game in Big Ten play.. Last week: 2
3. Ace Bailey | G/F | Rutgers
Stats: 18.4 PPG | 7.2 RPG | 1.3 BPG
After logging his third game this season with less than 10 points, Bailey played a key role in wins over Washington and USC. Bailey scored 18 points against Washington and added 14 points, three assists and two blocks against the Trojans. Last week: 3
4. Kasparas Jakučionis | G/F | Illinois
Stats: 15.5 PPG | 5.6 RPG | 4.8 APG
Jakučionis struggled in Illinois’ loss against Wisconsin but managed to finish with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two blocks in a loss to Duke. Jakučionis was coming off back-to-back games with at least 17 points. Last week: 4
5. Tre Johnson | G/F | Texas
Stats: 20.2 PPG | 3.2 RPG | 2.65APG
There aren’t many players in the country scoring better than Johnson. After dropping 32 points in a win over Kentucky, Johnson finished with 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting against South Carolina. Johnson is the only freshman in the country averaging at least 20 points per game. Last week: 5
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