Donovan Dent stepped up big on the defensive end in the win over UCF

Donovan Dent returned from his calf injury in the round of 64 against UCF. Although he struggled on offense only shooting 4-17 from the floor on the day for 10 points. His most effective play came on the defense end as he had six steals for the game. Being a large part of what UCLA was able to do on defense and suffocate UCF’s offense. Their defense is the reason why they won the game and moved onto the round of 32.

UCLA will now match up against UCONN in the No. 7 versus No. 2 matchup in the East region. Dent who battled inconsistency for a majority of the season has been a big reason for the Bruins turnaround. They have played really good basketball over the last month and pulled off multiple upsets. They have five top 10 wins on the season and now will look to pull off another. Dent will play a large part in those dreams for the Bruins.

When Dent transferred to UCLA it was seen as a star move. They were getting the best player in the transfer portal and had a team that could make a run to a championship. They have the 12th best odds at the beginning of the year but have been inconsistent this season. But the positive is they are playing their best basketball at the right time. They’re much better than their No. 7 seed suggests and not many people would be surprised if they pulled off an upset on Sunday against the Huskies.

Dent has redefined his game as the season has gone on. If he is not having a good game on offense, he can still affect the game with his passing. Defense has also been a huge improvement since the start of the season. He never seemed to be locked in on that end, but as of recently he has shown he can affect the game in a positive way on defense. Cronin teams have always preached defense. That is going to be their calling card when their offense gets stagnant. It starts with Dent up top.