Arizona men’s basketball plays long game, shelves Koa Peat
When Koa Peat broke his proper capturing hand on a routine defensive transfer in observe throughout Gilbert Perry’s playoff run final season, his highschool profession was imagined to be over.
“He tried to play through it and it wasn’t good,” then-Gilbert Perry coach Sam Duane told the Arizona Republic. “It’s a three- to four-week restoration…he’ll be a player-coach.”
Yeah…not gonna occur.
Per week later, Peat got here off the bench to assist the Pumas win an Arizona Open semifinal recreation, then poured in 20 factors to assist Perry beat Phoenix Sunnyslope for the Open title, generally even dunking via the ache.
“It was the will,” Duane advised the Republic after the finale. “Honestly, I’ve never had a player so determined to play in my career. He knew the risks.”
Almost precisely a yr later, after showing to attempt to play via a lower-leg pressure, Peat is staying on the sidelines this time.
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His capturing was off in earlier video games in opposition to Oklahoma State and Kansas, probably as a result of his harm affected his mobility and/or elevation. Peat left Arizona’s Feb. 14 recreation in opposition to Texas Tech within the first half and by no means returned.
Arizona ahead Koa Peat (10), nursing a leg harm, watches from the bench as his teammates get able to tackle BYU for a Big 12 recreation, Feb. 18, 2026, in Tucson.
Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star
He missed the No. 4 Wildcats’ recreation in opposition to BYU on Wednesday, will not play Saturday at No. 2 Houston and sure will not in opposition to Baylor on Tuesday, both.
Maybe he’ll miss much more than that.
UA coach Tommy Lloyd stated he was positive Peat would get re-evaluated when the Wildcats return from their two-game Texas journey, a press release that signifies Peat additionally will not play at Baylor, though Lloyd stopped in need of confirming that a lot.
“Not going there,” Lloyd stated. “Just (that he’s) probably not playing Saturday. I’ll go that far, and we’ll see how it progresses.”
As he did with reserve ahead Dwayne Aristode, who has an unspecified sickness that has saved him out for UA’s previous two video games, Lloyd stated Peat wasn’t going through something season-ending.
In truth, he indicated sitting Peat out now’s a precaution to verify he would not miss any of the postseason this time.
With “the hand injury, he was literally staring down a couple games at the end for a fourth state championship, so he was able to get through it,” Lloyd stated. “This time there is a longer runway, so we’ve got to handle it with care.
“Obviously, we have big dreams, too. When we get to the postseason, and he’s a big part of it, we just want to do everything we can in our power to make sure that he’s at 100%.”
During his radio present Thursday evening, Lloyd reiterated the significance of dealing with accidents correctly right now of the season. A setback at this level, if Peat returned too early, may imply he does miss playoff video games this time round.
NCAA Tournament playoff video games, that’s.
“Maybe earlier within the yr you’ll really feel somewhat bit extra of a way of urgency, since you had somewhat extra rope to play with so far as getting them wholesome,” Lloyd said. “But now you need to ensure you do not make any errors.”
Arizona ahead Koa Peat (10) drives in opposition to Oklahoma State guard Christian Coleman (4) in a men’s basketball match at McKale Center, Feb. 7, 2026.
Grace Trejo, Arizona Daily Star
Tough timing
Not solely will Arizona (24-2, 11-2) be shorthanded for a first-place showdown Saturday at Houston, however the Cougars (23-3, 11-2) will get two further days of relaxation (and presumably some further motivation) after dropping at No. 6 Iowa State 70-67 on Monday.
“That’s how it breaks,” Lloyd stated. “We’ve had that break in the season, too. There’s no complaints for me.”
The Cougars led the Cylones by as much as 10 factors within the second half Monday, and would have wound up taking up first place within the Big 12 with a win. But Houston coach Kelvin Sampson stated he wasn’t dissatisfied in his workforce’s effort, simply within the loss itself.
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson reacts on the bench throughout the second half of a recreation in opposition to Iowa State, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, in Ames, Iowa.
Charlie Neibergall, Associated Press
“These are two really good teams. I’m not going to sit up here and start making excuses,” Sampson stated at Iowa State. “That’s not what we do at Houston. We had our opportunities.”
Outdoor scrimmage potential
While Arizona has frequently hosted pregame “Bear Down Bash” occasions outdoors the north finish of McKale Center this season, with the final one scheduled Feb. 28 earlier than the Wildcats face Kansas, Lloyd indicated he may in the future be teaching a recreation or scrimmage open air.
Mix Master Mike performs on the Bear Down Bash outdoors McKale Center earlier than Arizona hosted Texas Tech on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.
Bruce Pascoe
Lloyd stated on his radio present Thursday that the Dusk music promoters who placed on the Bear Down Bash have requested him about taking part in open air on the UA soccer stadium and that he is open to it.
“We’ve had those dreams and those conversations in the past,” Lloyd stated. “I think the dream is, how do you package it with a few more things? We would love to have the Red-Blue game in there. Play the game there, but build a big time concert around it — could we get 30,000 or 40,000 people and make it a great community event? It’s kind of been the dream.”
Contact sports activities reporter Bruce Pascoe at bpascoe@tucson.com. On X(Twitter): @brucepascoe
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