West Coast tripped

Good morning! It’s a great day to stock up on essentials — especially if you’re in the path of this incoming freeze.

Let's get to Tuesday’s college hoops news.

1. Did Donovan Dent finally emerge as the go-to guy again

UCLA didn’t have a win over a top-50 team this season. Cue the dramatic game-winning shot.

That was Tyler Bilodeau sending UCLA past No. 4 Purdue, 69-67, on Tuesday. On most nights, that’s be a story unto itself. But this was most about Donovan Dent.

The senior guard was one of the transfer portal’s biggest prizes as an All-American guard last season at New Mexico, but his underwhelming season — 12 ppg, 6 apg — forced coach Mick Cronin to push his point guard to get things right.

Dent responded with 23 points and 13 assists. He topped 10+ assists just twice all year before this game, and his dominance with the ball opened up Bilodeau for the game-winning look.

"I had a little talk, and he listened. You know, you’ve got to perform, man," Cronin said. "You can’t stand around when your team needs you. You’ve got to get in there and throw punches. Who sits there and lets their career end?"

Purdue held a 27-15 lead with 7:24 left in the first half, but UCLA went on a 17-5 run to finish the half and enter the break tied.

It was an off night for the Boilermakers' (17-2, 2-1) offense despite scoring a solid 1.15 points per possession. Star guard Braden Smith scored 13 points (5-of-13 from the field), but he had just four assists and four turnovers. That was tied for Smith's lowest assist total in a game this season.

Plus, the Boilermakers' bigs didn't dominate. Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn combined for 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. They also combined for just 11 rebounds.

The Bruins took away what Purdue's three best players do well.

Perhaps the most fitting part of the night? Cronin still found something he didn’t like despite the win. He was none too pleased about the Big Ten scheduling: "I want to thank the Big Ten for giving us 5 of our first 7 on the road, and giving us the team picked to win the league on two days' rest. I really wanna thank the Big Ten for that.”

Good news, Mick. Only two of your next five opponents have a winning record, and four of those games are at home.

2. Arkansas rolls at home, adds to Vandy’s woes

Winning at Bud Walton Arena has been a lock for Arkansas this season. On the road? Not so much. And that’s what coach John Calpari’s trying to figure out.

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