No. 13 Arizona downs No. 3 Florida behind Peat's debut

Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) celebrates a play against the Florida Gators in the second half of the Hall of Fame Series game at T-Mobile Arena. Candice Ward-Imagn Images

No. 13 Arizona downs No. 3 Florida behind Koa Peat's sensational debut

By Colby Colwell | Last updated Nov 3, 2025 10:24 PM ET

It was a thrilling back-and-forth opener between No. 13 Arizona and No. 3 Florida, but the Wildcats proved to be too much for the defending national-champion Gators in a 93-87 win in Las Vegas.

Arizona put up 50 points in the first half and shot 49.2% for the game. While the Wildcats only went 2-of-5 from deep, they did not need any help from three by scoring 50 points in the paint.

The biggest reason for the offensive success was the impressive debut for freshman forward Koa Peat, who went off for 30 points (11-of-18 FG), seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block.

Koa Peat goes off for Arizona in collegiate debut

Peat's versatility was on full display on this sequence in the second half. With Arizona leading, 59-54, Peat made a layup, got a block on the other end and converted another layup to extend the Wildcats' lead to 63-54 with 13:18 remaining.

Koa Peat is TAKING OVER @ArizonaMBB pic.twitter.com/ZrEfWaFCRq
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 4, 2025

His biggest highlight of the night came with the game knotted up at 70. Peat soared for a vicious one-handed slam and followed that up with a defensive rebound and another dunk with an assist from guard Jaden Bradley.

KOA PEAT ARE YOU SERIOUS

GET TO TNT NOW pic.twitter.com/Mogf5s2uE4
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 4, 2025

Bradley had 27 points of his own as Arizona rallied from a 12-point deficit in the first half. The shots were harder to come by for Florida, which only knocked down seven of its 27 three-point attempts.

With the exception of junior forward Thomas Haugh's 27 points (7-of-13 FG), the scoring was limited elsewhere as Florida looks to overcome the loss of its top-three scorers from last season.

The defense for both teams certainly needs to improve and likely will as more games are played. That is something Arizona will need to work on to build off its opening-night win, but Poa's incredible debut performance is a great start and one for the record books, especially against the defending champions.

Colby Colwell

Colby Colwell is a freelance contributor with a bachelor’s in Computer & Information Technology and a minor in Psychology from Western Kentucky University. With a deep passion for sports, especially NASCAR, he offers his substantial knowledge along with his adept writing skills. When he’s not writing, Colby enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with his family

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