Koa Peat Turns From ‘forgotten’ To Instant Star In Arizona’s Win Over Defending Champs

LAS VEGAS — Welcome to assemblage basketball, Koa Peat. 

The challenge, astatine slightest connected paper, was immense. No matter really highly touted, asking an 18-year-old freshman to make his assemblage debut against the defending nationalist champion and its loaded frontcourt seemed ripe for a bumpy start. Instead, nan Arizona autochthonal made an early lawsuit to beryllium 1 of nan stars of nan athletics successful 2025–26. 

The last line: 30 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists successful 36 minutes, consenting No. 13 Arizona to a monster season-opening, 93–87 triumph complete No. 3 Florida. How he did it? Arguably moreover much impressive, taking it to a preseason first-team AP All-American successful Alex Condon from nan opening tip, dominating an imposing beforehand statement made up of players 3 and 4 years older than him that had trim down nan nets successful San Antonio successful April. 

“I thought that was a matchup [Peat vs. Condon] that we’d person a bully chance astatine winning coming and we did not,” Florida coach Todd Golden said.  

Hype surrounding this loaded 2025 precocious schoolhouse people has been bubbling for years, astatine slightest successful NBA circles. Scouts, who successful caller years person been greenlit to walk much clip evaluating apical precocious schoolhouse and events, often eschewed pursuing astir older players to walk clip watching nan likes of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer arsenic young teenagers. In immoderate years, Peat would’ve been a top-three imaginable successful his people aft an absurdly productive precocious schoolhouse career. Instead, he landed astatine No. 9 successful nan last composite rankings for 2025 per 247 Sports. Even an outstanding U19 World Cup pinch Team USA during which he was America’s third-leading scorer and starring rebounder wasn’t capable to get Peat into nan aforesaid condemnation arsenic nan likes of Peterson and Dybantsa. Tommy Lloyd, who offered Peat a danasiwa successful nan autumn of his freshman twelvemonth of precocious school, ever knew his feline was special. He yet sewage to show it Monday night. 

“It was a coming-out statement for him,” Lloyd said. “Everyone has known astir him, but nary 1 has really studied him and watched him. He’s a typical player.” 

Lloyd coached Peat pinch nan agleam lights connected earlier arsenic nan caput coach of that USA U19 team, truthful possibly he was much alert of what to expect. The remainder of nan country? Maybe not. Peat didn’t play successful nan McDonald’s All-American Game aliases Hoop Summit, 2 awesome flashpoint events for NBA evaluators to cheque successful connected apical talent. He said successful a summertime question and reply pinch Hoops HQ he felt “kind of forgotten.” Few will hide his capacity Monday night. 

Peat has heavy shot lineage (father Todd and relative Andrus some played successful nan NFL) and successful different life mightiness person been an elite separator rusher aliases tight extremity prospect. The earthy powerfulness and physicality he played pinch Monday would person near immoderate uninformed perceiver shocked to find retired he was nan second-youngest subordinate to spot nan level successful nan game. He many times bullied his measurement to nan rim, overpowering Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh and anyone other nan Gators sent his way. He drew foul aft foul, helping to sound Chinyelu and Condon retired of nan crippled early and going to nan free propulsion statement 12 times successful nan process. 

But possibly much awesome than his overwhelming drives to nan rim was really nether power and mature a crippled he played. He ne'er looked sped up and seldom sewage nan type of passageway imagination that gets young bigs successful trouble. He was a highly effective playmaker, pinch Arizona regularly conscionable putting him successful shot screens successful nan mediate of nan level and allowing him to make plays retired of nan short roll. Nothing Florida did defensively could slow him down. 

Peat’s existent coming-out infinitesimal came astatine 1 of nan game’s astir captious junctures. Florida, which had trailed nan full 2nd half, tied nan crippled astatine 70 pinch 7 minutes to play connected a Xaivian Lee three. Peat’s adjacent 2 possessions swung nan crippled to Arizona’s favour for good. First, a highlight-reel alley-oop that produced nan loudest crowd popular of nan nighttime successful Las Vegas, skying measurement supra nan rim for a one-handed flush. 

The adjacent trip, Peat snatched a agelong rebound disconnected a Haugh missed 3 and thundered down nan level for different jam. Two dunks, 24 seconds apart, that gave Arizona a lead it would ne'er relinquish. 

And for bully measure, Peat knocked successful 3 of 4 astatine nan stripe successful nan closing moments, upping his tally to 30 connected nan night. And moreover pinch each that, Lloyd was still fresh to push his ace freshman for moreover more. 

“Should’ve been double-digit boards, Koa,” Lloyd said pinch a grin arsenic his prima sat to his right. “We’ll get there.” 

If Monday was immoderate indication, it could beryllium a play of record-setting performances from nan Gilbert, Ariz., native. And pinch him, nan Wildcats person proven 24 hours into nan caller play that they’re tin of taking connected anyone. 

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