When New Mexico Lobos star Donovan Dent decided to enter the transfer portal after the team’s loss in the Round of 32 against Michigan State, it was clear that it wouldn’t take long for him to find a new home. And sure enough, his commitment came on Friday night, shaking up the college basketball landscape in a major way.
Dent was one of the best players in all of college basketball this season, averaging 20.4 points along with 6.4 assists while shooting 40.9 percent on three-point attempts. Notably, he ranked inside the top 15 in the entire country in both points per game and assists per game on the year.
His talents were most notably on display throughout the NCAA Tournament on a national scale, showing out to the tune of 21 points in their Round of 64 upset over Marquette and then 14 points in their loss to Michigan State.
Initially, it looked like Kentucky would be the landing spot for Dent, being linked to him as soon as he had entered the portal. But instead, Dent will be returning home, playing for Mick Cronin at UCLA.
NEWS: New Mexico star Donovan Dent, the Mountain West Player of the Year, is coming home and committing to UCLA.
Dent averaged 20.4 points and 6.4 assists this season. https://t.co/C3jR6tww9c pic.twitter.com/cSncbxgirL
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) March 29, 2025
Considering Dent is from Riverside, California, just an hour away from UCLA’s campus, it’s perhaps not all that shocking to see Dent stay close to home.
It also helps that UCLA is simply an incredibly solid team, similarly winning a game in the NCAA Tournament just as New Mexico did with Dent.
Will Dent’s impressive play translate to a Power 5 conference like the Big Ten? Only time will tell. But UCLA certainly just became a team to watch heading into next season with this acquisition.
