PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey are in the running for two of the top awards given in college basketball.

The Los Angeles Athletic Club John R. Wooden Award®, presented by Principal, announced its Preseason Top 50 Watch List on Thursday including Bailey and Harper.. Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All American Team™ and Most Outstanding Player Award. 

Of the 50 players on the preseason list, 41 are upperclassmen, including 22 seniors & 19 juniors, and two are graduate students. Two sophomores were named to the list and the recent trend of recognizing outstanding freshmen continues with five named to the Preseason Top 50.

The full watchlist is below:

Name Last Name School Year
KJ Adams Kansas SR
Robbie Avila Saint Louis JR
Ace Bailey Rutgers FR
Ace Baldwin Penn State JR
Oumar Ballo Indiana Grad student
Johni Broome Auburn SR
Walter Clayton Jr. Florida JR
LJ Cryer Houston SR
Johnell Davis Arkansas SR
RJ Davis # North Carolina SR
Tyson Degenhart Boise State JR
Tucker DeVries West Virginia SR
Hunter Dickinson ## Kansas Grad student
Eric Dixon Villanova SR
VJ Edgecomb Baylor FR
Cooper Flagg Duke FR
Dawson Garcia Minnesota SR
Dylan Harper Rutgers FR
Dajuan Harris Kansas JR
Coleman Hawkins Kansas State SR
Bryce Hopkins Providence JR
Josh Hubbard Mississippi St. SO
Ike Graham Gonzaga SR
Kam Jones Marquette SR
Ryan Kalkbrenner Creighton SR
Alex Karaban UConn JR
Yaxel Lendeborg UAB SO
Tamin Lipsey Iowa State JR
Caleb Love # Arizona SR
Augustas Marciulionis St. Mary's SR
Liam McNeeley UConn FR
Matthew Murrell Ole Miss SR
Grant Nelson Alabama SR
Ryan Nembhard Gonzaga JR
Norchad Omier Baylor SR
Cliff Omoruyi Alabama SR
Great Osobor Washington JR
Tyrese Proctor Duke JR
Kadary Richmond St. John's SR
Jeremy Roach Baylor SR
J'Wan Roberts Houston SR
Jaxson Robinson Kentucky JR
Hunter Sallis Wake Forest JR
Payton Sandfort Iowa JR
Mark Sears Alabama SR
Braden Smith Purdue JR
AJ Storr Kansas JR
Wade Taylor IV Texas A&M JR
Bruce Thornton Ohio State JR
Zakai Zeigler Tennessee JR
 
Both Bailey and Harper were previously selected to the 2024-25 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time. On Wednesday afternoon, 50 players across the country were named to the list. A Rutgers men's basketball player has never won the award since it was first given out in 1969.  
 
The award will be announced on April 6^th at the Final Four in San Antonio.
 
Harper, the freshman point guard from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey has already received multiple preseason accolades heading into the season. The 6-foot-6 freshman was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team as well as the Bob Cousy Award Top 20 Watchlist, given to the best point guard in the country.
 
Harper was a standout guard from local Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey, who brings exceptional talent and a highly decorated high school career to the Scarlet Knights. Harper is the No. 2 player in the 2024 high school class, among the most highly anticipated recruits in Rutgers basketball history. Harper was named the MVP of the McDonald's All-American game and the National High School Morgan Wooton Player of the Year.
 
Airious "Ace" Bailey brings unmatched versatility and talent to the Scarlet Knights as the highest-ranked recruit in Rutgers basketball history. Bailey was named the Georgia Gatorade High School Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, and is ranked by many national recruiting websites as the top player in the incoming freshmen class.
 
Both players have been receiving the national spotlight heading into the highly-anticipated 2024-25 season donning the covers of SLAM and Sports Illustrated magazines.
 
The full list for the Naismith Award is below:
 

FULL NAME	CLASS	POS	SCHOOL
Robbie Avila	Junior	C	Saint Louis
Airious "Ace" Bailey	Freshman	G/F	Rutgers
Adrian "Ace" Baldwin Jr.	Graduate Student	G	Penn State
Oumar Ballo	Senior	C	Indiana
Johni Broome	Senior	F/C	Auburn
Markus Burton	Sophomore	G	Notre Dame
Walter Clayton Jr.	Senior	G	Florida
L.J. Cryer	Graduate Student	G	Houston
RJ Davis	Graduate Student	G	North Carolina
Johnell Davis	Senior	G	Arkansas
Tyson Degenhart	Senior	F	Boise State
Tucker DeVries	Senior	G/F	West Virginia
Hunter Dickinson	Graduate Student	C	Kansas
Eric Dixon	Graduate Student	F	Villanova
VJ Edgecombe	Freshman	G	Baylor
Cooper Flagg	Freshman	G/F	Duke
Dawson Garcia	Senior	F	Minnesota
Tyon Grant-Foster	Graduate Student	G	Grand Canyon
Dylan Harper	Freshman	G	Rutgers
Dajuan Harris Jr.	Graduate Student	G	Kansas
Coleman Hawkins	Senior	W	Kansas State
Bryce Hopkins	Senior	F/G	Providence
Graham Ike	Senior	F	Gonzaga
Tre Johnson	Freshman	G	Texas
Kam Jones	Senior	G	Marquette
Ryan Kalkbrenner	Senior	C	Creighton
Alex Karaban	Junior	F	UConn
Kon Knueppel	Freshman	G/F	Duke
Yaxel Lendeborg	Senior	F	UAB
Tamin Lipsey	Junior	G	Iowa State
Caleb Love	Fifth Year	G	Arizona
Liam McNeeley	Freshman	F	UConn
Matthew Murrell	Senior	G	Ole Miss
Grant Nelson	Graduate Student	F	Alabama
Ryan Nembhard	Senior	G	Gonzaga
Norchad Omier	Fifth Year	F	Baylor
Great Osobor	Senior	F	Washington
Kadary Richmond	Graduate Student	G	St. John's
Jeremy Roach	Fifth Year	G	Baylor
J'Wan Roberts	Graduate Student	F	Houston
Jaxson Robinson	Graduate Student	G	Kentucky
Hunter Sallis	Senior	G	Wake Forest
Payton Sandfort	Senior	F	Iowa
Mark Sears	Graduate Student	G	Alabama
Jackson Shelstad	Sophomore	G	Oregon
Braden Smith	Junior	G	Purdue
AJ Storr	Junior	G	Kansas
Wade Taylor IV	Graduate Student	G	Texas A&M
Bruce Thornton	Junior	G	Ohio State
Zakai Zeigler	Senior	G	Tennessee