One argument against it is the fact that no team has made the Final Four with two freshmen as its leading scorers since Kentucky in 2014. (Shouts to Julius Randle and James Young!) Obviously, Duke is trying to snap that trend this season with a team led by five-star freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel.

The star Rutgers freshman, who grew up in Tennessee, is adapting to life in New Jersey. He misses Waffle House. Preach, Ace.

Freshman Ace Bailey scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead No. 24 Rutgers to a 74-63 win over Merrimack on Wednesday night.It was the second straight wire-to-wire win for Rutgers (4-0). The Scarlet Knights beat Monmouth 98-81 on Friday.

Rutgers has been in the spotlight early this season with an uncommonly impressive recruiting class and our first look at top-tier prospect Ace Bailey offered a

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Freshman Ace Bailey scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead No. 24 Rutgers to a 74-63 win over Merrimack on Wednesday night.

Ace Bailey eased his 6-foot-10 frame into his chair on the dais for his first postgame interview session as a Rutgers basketball player. The Scarlet Knights had just held off pesky Merrimack 74-63 in a meat-grinder affair.

After the best offensive performance of the Steve Pikiell era against Monmouth, Rutgers returned to its grind-it-out roots. The Scarlet Knights (4-0) stayed undefeated with an 74-63 win over Merrimack (1-2) on Wednesday night that saw them struggle to score.

Behind their two star freshmen, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, Rutgers moved to 4-0 on the season with a victory over Merrimack.

Ace Bailey recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds, Dylan Harper scored 14 points and No. 24 Rutgers remained unbeaten thanks to a 74-63 win over visiting Merrimack on Wednesday in Piscataway, N.J.

Rutgers held Merrimack to just 40.6% shooting from the field in a 74-63 victory at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. The Steve-Pikiell message got through to his team in this o