Bruins' Dent Explains Secret to Late-Season Breakout

Donovan Dent has completely turned things around of late, and it couldn’t be happening at a better time for the UCLA Bruins.

The five-star transfer from New Mexico hasn’t been quite himself this season, seeing his scoring drop off a cliff along with his shooting efficiency as he has largely struggled to adjust to the higher level of competition. However, he has helped resurrect UCLA’s season of late, and prevented them from slipping out of the NCAA Tournament picture.

Dent on a roll

Feb 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) drives to the basket while guarded by Southern California Trojans forward Jacob Cofie (6) and guard Chad Baker-Mazara (4) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Dent’s last two performances have been critical to keeping the Bruins’ tournament hopes alive. He scored 14 points and dished 15 assists, and hit the game-winning layup in overtime to knock off #10 Illinois, and then followed it up by scoring 30 points while shooting 5-6 shooting from three-point range, with 7 assists to boot in another win over USC. Perhaps most impressively, Dent hasn’t committed a turnover in either of his last two games.

In Big Ten play, Dent is averaging 14.9 points and 7.4 assists per game while shooting 42 percent from the floor, and 30 percent from beyond the arc. After the win over USC, Dent spoke about his recent surge in production, and how he has prioritized keeping it going in the future rather than living in the moment.

Dent’s thoughts

“I’m hoping this continues,” Dent said. “This is the best time to get it for me possibly. I was struggling early in the season, so for me to get in a groove right now, I feel like that would be huge for our team and huge for myself.”

“I just feel proud,” Dent said. “You kind of feel proud of yourself. All your hard work in the gym, all the hours that people don’t see, for you to get in a groove like this, it’s just what you work out for, it’s what you practice for, it’s what you do everything for. It just feels amazing, you just want to keep it going.”

Feb 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) grabs a rebound away from Southern California Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara (4) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Now winners of two straight, the Bruins will need Dent to continue his hot play over the final few games of the season, as they’ll see Minnesota on the road, #12 Nebraska at home, and USC again on the road to close the regular season. The Bruins have the wins necessary to earn an at-large bid, but getting some big wins to finish the season — especially against Nebraska — will make them feel much safer on Selection Sunday.

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