5 takeaways from Arizona’s upset of Florida in men’s basketball opener | Michael Lev

Even the defending national champions couldn’t handle the Arizona Wildcats in the din of McKale North.

In a statement game on national TV to open the 2025-26 college basketball season, No. 13 Arizona toppled No. 3 Florida 93-87 Monday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The Wildcats did it with a starting lineup featuring three freshmen — including in-state five-star recruit Koa Peat, who might have had the best rookie debut in the storied history of Arizona men’s basketball.

Peat’s performance and the composition of the lineup are among the topics we’ll dive into in the latest edition of Five Takeaways:

1. Peat code

A quick Google search of 2026 NBA mock drafts placed Peat anywhere from No. 8 to No. 15.

I have a feeling he’ll be moving up some boards after Monday.

Peat was nothing short of magnificent. He scored 30 points — the second most for a UA freshman in his debut — on 11-of-18 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block.

The 6-foot-8 forward did it against a Florida front line featuring 6-9 Thomas Haugh, 6-10 Rueben Chinyelu, 6-11 Alex Condon and 7-1 Micah Handlogten. All are upperclassmen.

Peat displayed smooth footwork on midrange turnaround jumpers, explosive power on dunks and heady playmaking. The latest in a long line of big-time athletes, Peat arrived in Tucson with a high basketball IQ. That, plus his skill set, makes him the perfect candidate to play the high-post position in Tommy Lloyd’s offense.

On the defensive end, Peat seldom if ever let his man get past him while also staying out of foul trouble. Classmate Brayden Burries struggled in that area. More on him later.

Overall, Peat played with incredible poise considering the circumstances — including making three foul shots in the final 25 seconds with Arizona nursing a slim lead. He never looked rushed or overwhelmed. Maybe we should have expected this from a four-time state champion and three-time FIBA World Cup gold medalist. He’s played on plenty of big stages.

Peat undoubtedly will hit a rough patch or two during the course of his freshman season. His debut couldn’t have gone any better.

2. The other freshmen

Burries came to Arizona with just as much hype as Peat, a fellow five-star and Gatorade Player of the Year.

Burries never got going against Florida, scoring just three points in 17 foul-plagued minutes.

Burries was whistled for his second foul less than three minutes into the game. It’s hard for anyone to find a rhythm when that happens, let alone a true freshman trying to find his way in major college basketball.

Burries will learn from this experience. Coaches surely will show him that he needs to keep his feet moving on defense at this level. That’s where it all begins.

Burries and Peat were expected to be part of the starting five. Fellow freshman Ivan Kharchenkov’s inclusion in that unit was a bit of a surprise.

Lloyd’s latest international discovery not only started but played 35 minutes, trailing only Peat and senior point guard Jaden Bradley (36 apiece). The 6-7 wing did a lot of the dirty work, absorbing a knee to the midsection and a forearm to the throat while corralling a team-high 10 rebounds. Kharchenkov also made Arizona’s only two 3-pointers.

(In an extreme statistical oddity, the Wildcats attempted only five shots from beyond the arc. That’s their lowest total during the Lloyd era and their fewest since taking six vs. ASU on Jan. 25, 2021.)

Again, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Kharchenkov played with and against grown men with Bayern Munich before signing with Arizona. Like Peat, Kharchenkov has ample experience in notable international events.

Freshman No. 4, Dwayne Aristode, played only six minutes off the bench. Hard to tell much from that outing. My best guess for his role moving forward: Something akin to what KJ Lewis was — a high-energy player who can defend multiple positions (but with a better 3-point shot).

3. The closer

Peat and Anthony Dell’Orso sank the free throws that put Florida away. Bradley gave Arizona enough of a cushion to offset some late-game stumbles.

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Starting at the 5:08 mark of the second half, Bradley scored 11 consecutive UA points. The Wildcats’ lead swelled from 75-72 to 86-78.

Bradley did it mostly in typical fashion — an array of darting drives and delicate bank shots. Bradley worked off screens to get into the lane or pull up from deep; his last field goal was a long 2-pointer just inside the arc.

Bradley’s 27 points topped his career high by five. It could be a sign of how his role will change this season. He needs to be a leader for a freshman-filled team. He appears to be up to the task.

The youngsters can learn from the way Bradley bounced back during the game. He was off-kilter early, turning the ball over three times in the first half. He had three assists and no turnovers in the second.

And yes, it is ridiculous that Bradley wasn’t named to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard. Twenty players made the watch list. There aren’t 20 point guards better than Bradley. There might not be five.

4. Big decision

The fifth member of the starting lineup was center Motiejus Krivas. That meant fellow big man Tobe Awaka had to come off the bench. He doesn’t seem comfortable in that role.

Awaka finished with seven points and five rebounds in 16 minutes. He also had four turnovers and four fouls.

Awaka started all but one game last season, his first at Arizona. That was the first game against Duke, and it was Awaka’s worst performance of the season (zero points, three rebounds in 12 minutes).

Some players thrive off the bench. Others struggle. It’s too early to tell for sure whether Awaka belongs in the latter category. It’s also too soon to draw definitive conclusions about lineups and rotations.

Remember: Lloyd has made notable in-season changes in recent seasons. In 2022-23, he moved Pelle Larsson from the starting lineup to a sixth-man role in mid-January, and Arizona took off. Last year, Lewis moved to the bench and became a more effective player.

Arizona’s top three big men are Krivas, Peat and Awaka. Peat will start as long as he’s healthy. Krivas is no stranger to coming off the bench, should Lloyd decide to swap him and Awaka. Monday was Krivas’ second career start in 45 games. The other: That Duke game in which Awaka scuffled.

The two bring different skills to the court. Krivas is more of a finesse player on offense and a better shot-blocker; I really liked how aggressively he contested paint attempts in the second half. Awaka likes to play bully ball in the lane and is a superior defensive rebounder.

Arizona definitely needs them both. The sequencing is TBD.

5. Problems, potential

Yes, it’s only one game. But this felt like a big deal — similar to Arizona beating No. 2 Duke in early November 2023.

The Wildcats have more major tests to come before the Big 12 gauntlet begins, including games against UCLA, UConn, Auburn, Alabama and San Diego State. Only one of those contests will take place at McKale Center.

I expect some volatility from this team, considering how young it is. The Wildcats will win some games you don’t expect them to — and lose some that will leave you scratching your head. It’s all part of the growth process.

One area they need to work on — immediately — is inbounds plays. After having some issues on the offensive end while inbounding from the baseline, Arizona nearly threw the game away in the final minutes.

TNT’s cameras captured Krivas and Awaka both running down the court on one possession, with Krivas signaling to Awaka that he was supposed to be at the other end helping out, likely as a screener. That image encapsulated the Wildcats’ inbounding troubles, which featured a pair of turnovers that nearly erased an 88-83 lead.

The way the Cats rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit reveals more about their potential. It’s immense.

They looked tentative at the start, and Florida was making all the hustle plays to build a 32-20 advantage. Arizona then cranked up the intensity on defense, and the tenor shifted. The best example: Bradley and Peat diving to the floor for a loose ball late in the first half.

That type of effort will lead to success anywhere.