If the eighth-ranked Zags and 25th-ranked Bruins find themselves locked in another close game on Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena (8:30 p.m., ESPN), there’s a good chance the lead guards will have a chance to have a say in how things go, even if they aren’t tossing the final shots.
With the way Mario Saint-Supier has been shooting lately, Gonzaga’s rising freshman wouldn’t be a bad candidate for that role either.
UCLA’s Donovan Dent isn’t connecting at the same clip he did last year, but the Bruins will probably want to involve the New Mexico transfer in some form or fashion if it comes down to the final possession between the two West Coast hoops heavyweights on Saturday night.
At one point in the offseason when national pundits were moving Dent’s name to the top of “best available” transfer target lists, virtually no one in the college basketball ecosystem knew about Saint-Supéry, other than a small group of scouts/analysts tuned in to international basketball trends and an even smaller group of Gonzaga fans who were engaged in the program’s recruiting efforts.
Dent’s counting numbers (12.4 points, 6.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds) look slightly better than those of Saint-Supérie (8.8 points, 5.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds) through six weeks, mainly because the Bruins are counting on the 2025 AP All-American honorable mention to play 32.8 minutes per game. Meanwhile, the Zags have two quality options at point guard and typically aren’t in danger of losing ground when Braden Smith replaces Saint-Superior (21.7 mpg).
Saint-Supéry has been at the point for Gonzaga, leading Mark Few’s team on 53.6% from distance while making 15 more 3-point attempts than his UCLA counterpart. The native of Málaga, Spain has averaged 6.3 assists and only 1.8 turnovers since joining the starting lineup against Southern Utah.
“Obviously we’re going to approach every team we face the same way, we’re always going to perform at 100%, but it’s amazing to play against those historic colleges (like UCLA and Kentucky),” Saint-Supéry said. “It excites me even more.”
Dent has been off-target for UCLA, making just 1 of 13 (7.7%) from the 3-point line this season after shooting 40.9% for the Lobos in 2024-25. He hasn’t scored 3 points since the season opener against Eastern Washington, but he had 30 points and 11 assists in Big Ten wins over Washington and Oregon.
“In college, it’s physical and that’s what guys try to do,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “It’s the game plan. Everybody has the same game plan. … But we’re 2-0 in the Big Ten, he played two really good games that led us to wins. His leadership, I think he’ll continue to get better. He’s just got to keep working in practice, give me what I need from him in practice and he’ll continue to improve.”
Dent is a lightning-fast guard with an impressive first step, excellent dribbling skills and a solid ability to finish around the basket. He has been affected by abdominal and lower body injuries this season, but according to Cronin he should be at full strength on Saturday.
Saint-Supéry will try to push Dent out of his comfort zone on Saturday and perhaps dare him to shoot from the 3-point line – one of the lowest percentage shots the Bruins can take right now. On the other end, Dent can try to use his foot speed to get around Saint-Supy or force him into foul trouble – something that came into play for the guard early on against Kentucky.
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