Two of the most exciting names in men’s college basketball this year are Ace Bailey and Cooper Flagg, and they’re living up to the lofty expectations set during their high school careers. Both freshmen are already making headlines, delivering standout performances that have fans and analysts buzzing about their potential.

Bailey showcased his talent in his best game of the season so far, going up against a ranked Texas A&M squad. Meanwhile, Flagg has been rewriting the record books at Duke. In just his sixth game, he became the fastest player in school history to reach 100 points, 50 rebounds, and 20 assists—a testament to his versatility and dominance on the court.

The latest Instagram post made by the Rutgers rookie includes a few pictures from games with the last slide of the carousel a collection of him making baskets. “I come from the jungle with the apes, Lord, I’m like Caesar 🦍🩸💯” was the caption, lyrics from rapper Hunxho’s Work My Move. And while the comment section was full of praise from around the basketball community, Flagg also liked the post with an additional comment from former women’s pro player Te’a Cooper.

Four clap emojis were all she posted but Bailey’s recent performance needs no more. There was also fellow Rutgers player Dylan Harper who wrote, “boogie man🩸🩸🩸” Fellow Scarlet Knights’ Tyson McCuff encouraged, “Keep going hard gang don’t let up 💯🤞🏾” whereas Jeremiah Williams commented, “dat man🔥” and Dylan Grant said, “Boogie 🔥”

This positive response comes after Rutgers’ latest outing against Texas A&M, where Ace Bailey scored 24 points, also filling in for the unusually quiet Harper, and added 10 rebounds, two steals, and one assist to the night. Widely regarded as the No. 2 prospect behind Flagg’s No. 1, Harper has also entered the conversation and is actively vying for the top spot with these three.

Bailey himself is impressed by his number one rival and talking to Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report, said of the Duke standout, “He a great a player. Does it all. Defense, offense. He’s a great player. One thing, when we did play together at the USA, he’s got great vision. He can pass, he can shoot, he can do it all.”

Where the 2024 class is shining in college, with Flagg thought to be leading the charge, some analysts have different opinions on who will be 2025’s No. 1 NBA prospect.

Ace Bailey, Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper – Who is it going to be?

It’s only December and each of these three players has time to change their game and change analysts’ minds. Although Cooper Flagg came in as the easy No. 1 choice, adjusting to college from high school has been tough. The same goes for Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper but putting the Duke guard aside for a moment, Adam Zagoria of NJ.com reported that Bailey has also caught attention.

“He’s [among the] top-3 youth players in the world,” an NBA scout told Zagoria in October. “Everyone has Cooper Fever, [but] he will challenge Cooper for No. 1. It’s not clear cut.” To add to that, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported in the same month that “more than one NBA scout” is banking on Rutgers’ Harper as No. 1.

Admittedly, former pro Ron Harper’s son is getting some noise from around the league and he’s certainly proven it with talent. But these statements are from October, and December just began. Each of these players and their schools have gone up and down in ranking but they have several more weeks before scouts and analysts will be finalizing their mock drafts of them!