Wildcats' Koa Peat is Big Name on Big List
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Koa Peat has solidified himself as one of the best players in the country this season, and he has found himself on yet another midseason award watch list.
Peat has been named to the Karl Malone Award watch list. The Karl Malone Award is handed out to the top power forward in the country, and Peat has more than deserved his recognition on the list.
As a freshman at Arizona, Peat is averaging 14.8 points, and 5.6 rebounds per game for the #1-ranked, undefeated Wildcats. He has helped propel Arizona to be one of just two undefeated teams in the country this far into the season, joining #23 Miami (Ohio). Even though the NCAA Tournament is still over a month away, the Wildcats are almost a shoo-in to be a 1 seed come Selection Sunday.
Next double-figure game will be No. 20
Peat has scored in double-figures 19 times this season, and has scored 20 or more three times, the most being a 30-point showing against Florida to open up the season. He has also notched four double-doubles on the season.
Peat has also been named to the Wayman Tisdale award watch list — which is handed out to the nation’s top freshman — and the Wooden Award watch list this season as he continues to put up one of the more impressive freshman campaigns in Arizona history.
Peat has been a standout freshman on an Arizona team that has been led by mostly freshmen. Along with Peat, Brayden Burries, and Ivan Kharchenkov have been highly important to the team’s success. Mix them with veteran leaders such as Jaden Bradley, and Tobe Awaka, and the Wildcats have one of the most unique roster situations in the country. So far, it’s paid dividends, and then some.
That talented group has led Arizona to an impressive resume with plenty of time still remaining in the regular season. They’ve earned themselves 9 Quad 1 victories and 3 Quad 2 wins, while also also earning wins over six ranked opponents — Florida, UConn, Alabama, BYU, UCLA, and Auburn — this season. They’ll be tested further throughout the final month of the season, but so far they’ve shown they can beat anyone.
Bid for redemption
After an exit in the Sweet Sixteen last year, the Wildcats are looking to go further in this year’s NCAA Tournament. As one of the clear favorites in the country up to this point, Arizona has all the makings of a team that is capable of securing their second national title in program history.
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Justin Backer brings a wealth of experience to his role as a college football and basketball general sports reporter On SI. Backer is a proud graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies, and has worked for such media companies as The Sporting News and the Palm Beach Post.