UCLA's Dent Notes Importance of This in Face of Adversity

The UCLA Bruins proved that they aren’t dead yet with an exhilarating comeback victory against Illinois, and it appears that some pregame comradery helped play a part.

The Bruins overcame a 23-point deficit to secure a 95-94 win over Illinois in overtime thanks to Donovan Dent’s game-winning layup as time expired. Dent would finish with 14 points and 15 assists in the win, and the game would mark the second time this season that Dent led the Bruins to an impressive upset victory, the first being when he scored 23 points and dished 13 assists in an upset win over Purdue on Jan. 20.

Not only did the win over Illinois serve as a major resume-boosting victory for the NCAA Tournament, but it also served as a reminder of the resiliency of the Bruins given what they went through during the week.

Feb 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA guard Donovan Dent (2) hangs in the air and scores the winning basket over Illinois center Zvonimir Ivisic (44) in overtime at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Turbulent week for UCLA

Prior to the Illinois win, the mood around the UCLA men’s basketball program could only be described as bleak. They were coming off of back-to-back blowout losses to Michigan, and Michigan State, and the latter of the two involved an embarrassing Mick Cronin outburst that saw him eject Steven Jamerson from the game on his own whim, and then later lash out on a reporter in the postgame press conference.

Rock bottom, or so everyone thought.

UCLA’s players-only meeting

Earlier in the week, Trent Perry, and Skyy Clark both mentioned that the team held a players-only meeting ahead of the Illinois matchup. For the better part of the first half, it seemed like the message wasn’t heard, and that the Bruins had given up. The second half proved different.

“Absolutely,” Dent said when asked if the meeting had any effect on the team. “I think we were connected in every way possible. We were connected even when we went down big. We were still connected as a team in the huddles and everything, and we just kept saying ‘keep fighting.’ We had to just keep chipping away at the lead in the first half, and that just shows how connected we were in this game.”

Feb 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA guard Trent Perry (0) reacts to scoring against Illinois during the second half while UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) (left) and Illinois center Tomislav Ivisic (13) (right) look on at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Bruins aren’t completely out of the woods yet. Their remaining schedule will still provide challenges, as they’ll see USC at home, Minnesota on the road, #12 Nebraska at home, and USC again on the road to finish off the season. As a team currently on the bubble to earn an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, they’ll need solid performances down the stretch to help carry their resume into Selection Sunday.

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