Arizona star Koa Peat ruled out for major upcoming games originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Arizona freshman forward Koa Peat will miss at least the Wildcats’ next two games against No. 23 BYU and No. 2 Houston as he recovers from a muscle strain in his lower leg, the team announced Monday.
Peat will be re-evaluated next week and “will return to the court when cleared by the medical staff,” according to a team statement. The timetable leaves his availability uncertain beyond the upcoming stretch.
The injury surfaced during No. 4 Arizona’s 78-75 loss to No. 16 Texas Tech on Saturday in Tucson. Peat did not play in the second half after what coach Tommy Lloyd described postgame as a “lower leg deal.” Lloyd said testing was being conducted to determine the extent of the injury.
“It hurts us a lot, but we had enough to win,” Lloyd said Saturday. “It definitely hurts our rotation, but that’s how these seasons go.”
Peat, a former five-star recruit and projected first-round NBA draft pick, had two points and one rebound in 11 minutes before exiting. He was coming off a six-point, five-rebound performance in Arizona’s loss to Kansas earlier in the week, which ended the Wildcats’ unbeaten start.
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Without Peat, Lloyd turned to a bigger lineup in the second half against Texas Tech, starting Tobe Awaka alongside Motiejus Krivas. Awaka finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Krivas added 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Arizona nearly rallied despite Peat’s absence, taking a seven-point lead late in regulation before going cold down the stretch. Now, the Wildcats must navigate a difficult two-game swing without one of their most important frontcourt pieces.
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