Rutgers freshman Ace Bailey is out against Wagner with an undisclosed injury

Rutgers star freshman Ace Bailey is out for Wednesday's game against Wagner after suffering an injury in practice Monday, the school announced, delaying the debut of the projected top-five pick.

Bailey, whose injury was not disclosed by the school, is being evaluated daily.

Bailey, a 6-foot-2 wing from McEachern High School (Georgia), is expected to be the focal point for a Rutgers team that enters the season with the highest expectations in program history. Bailey, ranked No. 2 on the ESPN 100 for the class of 2024, became the program's highest-ranked recruit in history when he committed to the Scarlet Knights in January 2023.

He's a contender for the No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft and is ranked No. 2 in ESPN's 2025 draft rankings behind Duke's Cooper Flagg. Bailey, who turned 18 in August, has already shown his immense talent by scoring 25 points and hitting four 3-pointers in a friendly loss to St. John's last month.

Rutgers was ranked 25th in the preseason AP poll, marking only the second time since 1978 that the Scarlet Knights were ranked at the start of the season.

Wednesday's game against Wagner will still feature the debut of Dylan Harper, a fellow freshman and top-five recruit who is ranked No. 3 in the ESPN draft rankings.

Rutgers' second game is Nov. 11 at home against Saint Peter's.