BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 14: Donovan Dent #3 of the LSU Tigers is defended by Arturo Dean #2 of the UCF Knights during the first half of the exhibition game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on October 14, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images) Getty
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 14: Abdi Bashir Jr.#1 of the LSU Tigers takes a shot during the second half of an exhibition game against the UCF Knights at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on October 14, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images) Getty
The LSU guards just impressed in an exhibition game against UCF. After struggling in their first exhibition game against McNeese, both Donovan Dent and Abdi Bashir Jr. bounced back. LSU won both exhibition games by a small margin.
LSU was tested in both games and was able to escape with narrow victories. Dent and Bashir proved to be a dynamic duo with quickness and speed. They not only impressed on the offensive end but also impressed defensively.
GettyBATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 14: Donovan Dent #3 of the LSU Tigers is defended by Arturo Dean #2 of the UCF Knights during the first half of the exhibition game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on October 14, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)
Dent showed a lot against UCF. He has the ability to make tough shots, blow by defenders, and hit open threes. The playmaking was also on display as he finished with 11 assists. Dent nearly had a triple-double, adding 26 points and 9 rebounds as well.
He was controlling the game from start to finish. Dent made the right reads all night on pick-and-rolls and saw how the defense was guarding every action. Aside from offense, he also showed tenacity defensively, finishing with 3 blocks and 3 steals. He doesn't give up on plays and fights over every screen.
GettyBATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 14: Abdi Bashir Jr.#1 of the LSU Tigers takes a shot during the second half of an exhibition game against the UCF Knights at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on October 14, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)
Bashir is a quick guard with deadly shooting ability. He hit six threes in the win over UCF. Bashir has a quick trigger, which makes it hard for opposing teams to contest and get to him in time. His ability to shoot is a perfect match for Dent's ability to play make.
Bashir also moves well without the ball allowing himself to get open. He will get so many opportunities to get shots up playing with a point guard like Dent. His handle is also very good, allowing him to be crafty and get by defenders.
Dent and Bashir were able to space the floor for each other. They never seemed to be in each other's way, allowing the offense to run smoothly. A lot of teams are going to have trouble trying to stop this dynamic duo.
Bashir is more of an off-ball player while Dent has the ball. They both have high IQs offensively and defensively and are always in the right spots. Every time UCF made a run, Bashir and Dent had an answer for them.
This will be a scary duo for many teams to play against. They're both capable of having huge scoring nights. They also both draw a lot of attention, which will mean their teammates will get open looks. This will be one of the most exciting dynamic duos to watch in college basketball this season. This duo could potentially lead LSU to a deep March Madness run.
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