Koa Peat for at least a week with muscle strain
Arizona basketball seemed to be above the rest of the college basketball world for most of the season, but Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats are now licking their wounds after two straight losses to Kansas and Texas Tech. In addition, the outstanding freshman Koa Peat handed that loss to the Red Raiders early with a leg injury.
Now they will have to endure the next couple of games without Peat on the field. On Tuesday evening, the team announced that the lottery prospect has a calf strain and will be reevaluated in a week.
That time frame leaves Peat out for at least the next two games, both of which will be a big challenge for Arizona without its starting power forward. The Wildcats are slated to take AJ Dibants and BIU on Wednesday night before hitting the road to play No. 2 Houston on Saturday. Of course, there’s a chance he could be out for more than a week if the injury persists, since the postseason is less than three weeks away.
One of Arizona’s biggest strengths is its size and ability to dominate the paint, and having the luxury of starting Peat at the four and then bringing Tobe Avaka off the bench is a big part of that. Now, Avaka is likely entering the starting lineup, which hurts Arizona’s shooting and its bench production. Time will tell how well Lloyd and company manage the loss.
Peat was one of the top freshmen in a dominant junior class this season. He burst onto the scene back in November with 30 points in his college debut against Florida, and currently ranks second on the team with 13.8 points per game.
If Peat’s injury lingers longer than expected, he may miss the home game against Kansas on Saturday, February 28. If Arizona wants to make it through the Big 12 tournament and go deep into the NCAA tournament, having Peat available and healthy is essential.
2026-02-18 01:36:00
