Rutgers Men’s Basketball Begins Season with Bailey Sidelined

Rutgers men's basketball makes its return tonight at Jersey Mike's Arena, and what a night it should be.

Although fans will have to wait to see the debut of five-star freshman recruit Ace Bailey, who will miss tonight's season opener against Wagner with an undisclosed injury he suffered in practice on Monday. He is listed as day-to-day, according to the Rutgers Athletic Department.

Tip-off of tonight's season opener between Rutgers and Wagner is 6 p.m. from Jersey Mike's Arena.

While that news might dampen the mood for the short term, the big picture is a lot brighter.

Bailey and fellow five-star recruit Dylan Harper combine to make Rutgers a formidable team in the Big Ten right out of the gate, and the expectations this year are sky-high.

Coach Steve Pikiell made it clear back on Media Day in September that the goal was to win this season.

"Our expectations have always been high since I took the job," Pikiell said. "We play in a league that competes for NCAA bids and national championships, so we're no different. I think we have the pieces with the veteran guys, and the good leadership to go with the energy and talent of the young freshmen, but our goals stay the same. We want to win every game at Jersey Mike's Arena. That's been our goal and we have a program that I think could do that."

It will be fascinating to watch these two young men all season, and how Pikiell and his staff manage the two. Harper and Bailey are the highest-rated recruits in Rutgers history.

In addition to being the son of five-time NBA Champion Ron Harper Sr., and the younger brother to Ron Haper Jr. who starred for Pikiell just a couple of seasons ago, and was a key cog in the Scarlet Knights's return to the NCAA tournament, Dylan has been writing his own story.

Dylan Harper already has accolades that include: McDonald's All-American MVP, John Wall Holiday Invitational MVP, Jordan Brand Classic MVP, and New Jersey Gatorade High School Player of the Year.

He was also selected as one of 10 players to the Preseason All-Big Ten team, the only freshman, and named the No. 1 guard in the nation by college basketball analyst Andy Katz entering this season. Harper has been ranked as high as the No. 2 player in the 2024 recruiting class.

As for Bailey, he was a consensus top-three recruit, was named Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year, and was named first-team all-state by the GHSA Boys Basketball Committee.

Bailey has also participated in such events as the Team USA U-17, the Nike Hoop Summit, and the Jordan Brand Classic. Andy Katz named Bailey the No. 3 wing in the nation. He is also featured as the top pick in many mocks for the 2025 NBA Draft.

Rounding out the Rutgers men's basketball team's incredible freshman class are Bryce Dortch, Dylan Grant, and Lathan Sommerville. All five freshmen combine to give Rutgers the third-best recruiting class in the nation!

While the attention will be on the freshman sensations, fans should not sleep on the likes of redshirt senior Jerimiah Williams and former Princeton center, grad student Zach Martini, both of whom will be team captains this year.

Rutgers has three returning players from last year's squad, including Williams, guard Jamichael Davis, and center Emmanuel Ogbole. Expect big things from all three veteran players this year.

Buckle up folks, it should be an incredible season of Rutgers men's hoops!

MORE RUTGERS

Besides having a say in your local, state and federal government representatives, one of the most popular aspects of going to vote is receiving an "I Voted" sticker.

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've taken a selfie proudly showing off proof you voted. (This author is certainly guilty of doing so on multiple occasions.) But you should be proud to show off your sticker! Not only are you exercising your civic duty, but you're also in possession of a true American icon.

Of course, for the 2024 election, the classic "I Voted" sticker has seen more designs join the fray. However, few have garnered as much attention as one particular design in Michigan. This year, the Wolverine State held a contest for residents to submit a new "I Voted" sticker design that will be printed and handed out at polling stations across the state. Among the winners was a design showing a werewolf ripping off a shirt in front of an American flag, which has since received a ton of attention nationwide.

John Oliver even talked about the infamous sticker on Last Week Tonight. He said of the design, "The founding fathers should frankly be ashamed that they didn't ensure voting came with complimentary werewolf swag. I cannot believe it took nearly 250 years for a young Michigan genius to solve that obvious flaw in our democracy."

Oliver's praise didn't just stop there. When the design was first released, the host jokingly said, "Yes! Everything about that is perfect. The line work, the kinetic energy of the shirt being ripped off, the wolf's head thrown back in patriotic ecstasy at the concept of democracy. I know this is not the point, but I would commit voter fraud to get multiples of that sticker."

That description eventually led to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to respond to Oliver saying, "No need to 'commit voter fraud,' John and @LastWeekTonight! We'll send you some stickers."

While the Michigan werewolf design is incredibly fun, let us not forget about the original design where this all started. Here are five fun facts about the classic "I Voted" sticker.