UCLA Has To Prove It’s Worthy of Preseason Ranking

Despite what has been a strange offseason for the UCLA Bruins, some are higher on the team heading into the 2026-27 season than you may think.

Last season, the Bruins went 24-12 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. On paper, that sounds pretty good, but beneath that supposed success was a lot of inconsistency and unnecessary distractions that held the team back from hitting its full potential.

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

For starters, their biggest offseason pick-up was point guard Donovan Dent, a former Mountain West Player of the Year and a star point guard for New Mexico. Upon his arrival at UCLA, things didn’t go quite as smoothly as head coach Mick Cronin and his staff had hoped, as Dent had his worst collegiate season since his freshman season and struggled to find any consistency all year.

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) dribbles the ball against UCF Knights guard Chris Johnson (22) in the first half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Dent Last Season

Despite some flashes of brilliance at times, Dent could never find his groove playing under Cronin. As such, Dent has recently opted to retire from basketball completely after his senior season at UCLA. He would’ve had plenty of opportunities to turn pro – whether in the NBA or elsewhere – and even had an additional year of eligibility remaining. Instead, Dent walks away from the game after a roller coaster college career.

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) reacts in the first half during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images |…

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Publish date : 2026-06-02 15:30:00

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