Dylan Harper’s Breakout Feast Week: A Real Threat to Cooper Flagg’s No. 1 Spot
Harper’s dominant performances against Alabama and Notre Dame put the 2025 NBA Draft race into perspective.
Happy Thanksgiving! One of the things I’m thankful for this season—although it’s small in the grand scheme of life—is the potential race for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft being played out weekly under the bright lights of college basketball. While this is no slight to the top prospects who’ve come through Europe, Australia, and the G-League in recent years, there’s something uniquely exciting about watching the best prospects compete on prime-time television. It brings a level of anticipation and drama to the draft cycle that’s hard to replicate.
That excitement came to life in the Alabama-Rutgers matchup, where the spotlight shined brightly on two projected top-5 prospects eager to prove themselves on a national stage.
Alabama vs. Rutgers was one of those games you circle on your calendar as a must-watch during Feast Week. With Rutgers boasting a highly touted freshman duo in Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, and Alabama fresh off a Final Four run, it was an ideal opportunity to evaluate how the young stars of Rutgers would fare against one of the nation's best teams.
Alabama, armed with a mix of veterans, impact transfers, and a strong freshman class ranked as high as No. 2 by some scouting outlets, came into the matchup as clear favorites. This expectation was heightened after Rutgers’ surprising loss to Kennesaw State last weekend. However, the intrigue wasn’t about whether Rutgers would win; it was about whether Bailey and Harper could step up under the bright lights against elite competition.
The game exceeded all expectations. Alabama narrowly escaped with a 95-90 victory in a hard-fought battle at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
More importantly, it was a statement game for Dylan Harper.
Dylan Harper
Rutgers
Freshman
Combo Guard
6’6” | 215
Age on draft night: 19.3
Harper put the basketball world on notice. It felt like he was looking directly at the draft community, as if to say, “Don’t be so quick to crown Cooper Flagg as the prize of the 2025 NBA Draft class.”