Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Koa Peat injury news is another blow to slumping Arizona

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Feb 17, 2026 10:27 PM ET

The Arizona Wildcats received even more bad news on Tuesday night.

The team confirmed on X that standout freshman forward Koa Peat has a lower-leg muscle strain, which will sideline him in Wednesday's home game against the BYU Cougars (9 p.m. ET, ESPN). His status will be re-evaluated next week, and he won't return until their medical team clears him. Freshman guard Dwayne Aristode (illness) won't play on Wednesday, either.

How Koa Peat injury impacts Arizona

No. 4 Arizona (23-2, 10-2 Big 12) already had its work cut out for it in a home game against No. 23 BYU (19-6, 7-5 Big 12) and a road matchup against the No. 2 Houston Cougars (23-3, 11-2 Big 12) on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN). As of Wednesday, ESPN Analytics gives the Wildcats an 81.7% chance to beat BYU but a 36.1% chance to beat Houston.

Peat sitting in both matchups only increases the Wildcats' chances of dropping another game after consecutive losses to the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks (82-78) and No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders (78-75). He ranks second on the team in scoring (13.8 points per game) through 25 games.

Koa Peat has a muscle strain in his lower leg area. He will be re-evaluated next week and will return to the court when cleared by the medical staff.

Dwayne Aristode (illness) will also not be available Wednesday against BYU.
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) February 18, 2026

Peat's absence should place senior forward Tobe Awaka into the starting lineup. He's a solid rebounder (9.7 RPG), but he doesn't provide the same scoring punch as the freshman (10 PPG).

As of Tuesday, ESPN's Joe Lunardi still projects Arizona as a No. 1 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. But if the Wildcats stack more losses in the Big 12, it will impact their seeding in the conference tournament and, thus, their ability to secure a top seed in the Big Dance.

The Big 12 is one of the deeper conferences in college basketball, making seeding in the conference tournament more important. Lunardi's latest bracket features eight teams from the league, tied with the SEC for the third most.

Attaining the No. 1 seed doesn't guarantee the Wildcats will win a national championship. However, it's better to enter the NCAA Tournament with momentum, and if Peat doesn't return soon, Arizona will keep losing it.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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