ESPN analyst says Rutgers basketball’s Ace Bailey ‘is as good as advertised’

Meghan McKeown Wallace breaks down how Ace Bailey has looked in the McDonald’s All-American Game.

ESPN analyst and reporter Meghan McKeown Wallace has been impressed with Ace Bailey’s performance this week at the McDonald’s All-American Game. The five-star forward has certainly lived up to the hype.

Bailey signed with Rutgers basketball in December. He was electric during the slam dunk competition on Monday night and has earned rave reviews for his performance in practice the past couple of days at the McDonald’s All-American Game.

Multiple rankings have Bailey as the second-best recruit in the nation. The only outlier is USA TODAY High School Sports, which has Bailey as the best player in the country.

Meghan McKeown Wallace, who will be part of ESPN’s broadcast team for the game, has watched Bailey the past couple of days and has been impressed.

“Ace Bailey is as good as advertised. His athleticism and raw talent means he has an unlimited ceiling,” Wallace told Rutgers Wire on Tuesday morning.

“He’s been one of, if not the most impressive player throughout the scrimmage and JamFest of the McDonald’s All-American Game.”

 

At a press conference this week for the McDonald’s All-American Game, Cooper Flagg was asked about going up against Bailey. A five-star forward, Flagg is ranked as the top player in the 2025 class by multiple media outlets including ESPN.

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The Duke commit was asked about squaring off against Bailey, who is contending with Flagg to be the nation’s top recruit.

“I mean, I think he’s a great player. Really versatile, really well-rounded,” Flagg said during Monday’s press conference.

“And to be honest, I’m not really looking for specific matchups. I’m just playing to have fun and compete. I’m just always trying to win.”

The boys edition of the McDonald’s All-American game will tip-off at 9 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN. The girls game will air on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. ET.