Dent Caps Off First UCLA Season With Major Honor

UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent didn’t make one of the three All-Big Ten teams at the end of the regular season, but he was still honored by the conference for his efforts.

Dent was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention this week. The five-star transfer from New Mexico struggled to find his footing for most of the season, but turned things around in conference play. He averaged 13.6 points and 7.5 assists per game for the Bruins this season, shooting a career-low 42 percent from the floor and 23 percent from three-point range.

Despite his stats falling off a cliff this season, Dent has had several explosive performances, especially against top-tier teams. In an upset win over #4 Purdue on Jan. 20, Dent scored 23 points and dished out 13 assists in a 69-67 victory.

Additionally, Dent scored 14 points and notched 15 assists in another upset win over #10 Illinois on Feb. 21. Dent also hit the game-winning layup in overtime as time expired in the win. He then followed up that performance with a 30-point outing against USC, and then scored 25 points in a rematch with the Trojans three games later.

Mar 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; FS1 analyst Miles Simon (right) interviews UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) after the game against the Southern California Trojans at the Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Dent has been a big reason for UCLA’s late-season turnaround as well. Over his last five games of the regular season, Dent dished out 53 assists and turned the ball over just two times. He racked up a season-high 15 assists in two of those five games. On the season, he notched double-digit assist totals 8 times, including a span of three games in a row from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7.

Thanks to their three wins over AP Top 10 teams (Purdue, Illinois, Nebraska), the Bruins likely have enough on their resume to earn a single-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament. It’s been a weird, up-and-down season for the team, but they appear to be finding their stride at the right time, and Dent has been a major reason as to why they’ve found success of late.

Mar 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) shoots the ball against Southern California Trojans forward Jacob Cofie (6) first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Now heading into the Big Ten Tournament, the Bruins will look to pick up some more high-quality wins ahead of Selection Sunday. As the 6th seed in the conference tournament, the Bruins will have a bit of work to do if they are to rack up wins, or even potentially win the tournament, but they have the horses capable of pulling off a deep run.