Cooper Flagg drafted No. 1 overall isn't a lock due to this teen phenom

Ace Bailey made his much-anticipated debut for Rutgers in an exhibition game against St. John's on Thursday, and the hype train is already charging full steam ahead over the supremely talented 6-foot-10 freshman.

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Bailey scored 25 points on 8-of-18 shooting and made four of his nine 3-point attempts. He also grabbed five rebounds and collected five steals in the Scarlet Knights' 91-85 defeat.

Bailey's performance confirmed why the NBA mock draft community consistently ranks him as the No. 2 pick behind Flagg, the 6-9 forward who'll also be a one-and-done freshman at Duke.

Flagg has long been the presumptive No. 1 overall selection for the 2025 NBA Draft. One NBA scout who has watched Bailey play multiple times thinks the 18-year-old from Georgia could unseat Flagg as the top pick.

“He’s (among the) top-three youth players in the world,” the scout told NJ Advance Media's Adam Zagoria. "Everyone has Cooper Fever, (but Bailey) will challenge Cooper for No. 1. It’s not clear cut."

The 2024-25 college basketball season hasn't even started, and yet the Cooper vs. Ace race to be drafted No. 1 overall has already begun.

Bailey isn't the only top NBA prospect on Rutgers' roster. Dylan Harper, a 6-5 guard who's the son of former NBA guard Ron Harper, is regarded as the next-best prospect behind Flagg and Bailey.

St. John's head coach Rick Pitino called both Bailey and Harper "top-five picks."

"They're gonna be a hell of a basketball team," Pitino told Zagoria.

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