Arizona's Koa Peat Makes Impact in Return From Injury

Wildcats cruise to 84-61 win over Kansas Jayhawks with Peat back in the lineup.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Arizona forward Koa Peat made his return in an emphatic way as the Wildcats cruised to an 84-61 win over the Kansas Jayhawks at home. Peat had missed Arizona's previous three games after suffering a lower body injury against Texas Tech on Feb. 14, but his return has raised the ceiling for one of the best teams in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Why it matters

Peat's performance against Kansas is a positive sign for Arizona as they look to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats were able to survive his absence, but having Peat back at full strength makes them an even more dangerous team.

The details

Peat scored 12 points on 4-9 shooting, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists in 23 minutes of action against Kansas. Head coach Tommy Lloyd spoke about the impact of having Peat back on the court, saying it's 'good to kind of get all the pieces back together' as they look to 'reform into something even better down the stretch of the season'.

  • Peat suffered a lower body injury against Texas Tech on Feb. 14.
  • Peat missed Arizona's previous three games before returning against Kansas on Feb. 28, 2026.
  • Arizona has two regular season games remaining against Iowa State and Colorado.

The players

Koa Peat

A freshman forward for the Arizona Wildcats who is averaging 13.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season.

Tommy Lloyd

The head coach of the Arizona Wildcats basketball team.

Ivan Kharchenkov

An Arizona player who contributed during Peat's absence.

Anthony Dell'Orso

An Arizona player who contributed during Peat's absence.

Dwayne Aristode

A reserve guard for the Arizona Wildcats who also returned from injury in the game against Kansas.

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What they’re saying

“It's good. It's good. Obviously, you don't take it for granted. You never know what your team is going to look like next week. That's just part of how it goes. If you have a team that is committed to solving problems, and committing to staying together, you can weather a lot of tough storms, and we did that. It's good to kind of get all the pieces back together. Now, we've got to kind of see if we can kind of reform into something even better down the stretch of the season.”

— Tommy Lloyd, Head Coach (si.com)

What’s next

With just two games left in the regular season, Arizona will look to finish off strong with matchups against Iowa State, and Colorado. Their win over Kansas on Saturday earned them at least a share of the Big 12 regular season crown, which could go a long way for their odds of earning a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The takeaway

Peat's return from injury is a major boost for the Wildcats as they gear up for a deep NCAA Tournament run. His presence makes an already talented Arizona team even more dangerous, and raises their ceiling significantly heading into the postseason.