Arizona freshman steals show from top-prospect AJ Dybantsa in Las Vegas

The 16,704 fans who showed up at T-Mobile Arena on Monday night were treated to one of the greatest freshman debuts in college basketball history.

It just didn’t necessarily come from the expected source in one of the premier opening-day events in the country.

Koa Peat erupted for 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists in his collegiate debut to lead No. 13 Arizona to a 93-87 victory over No. 3 and defending national champion Florida in the first game of the Hall of Fame Series at T-Mobile Arena.

AJ Dybantsa, the nation’s top prospect and projected No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA draft, posted a relatively modest 21 points and six rebounds for No. 8 BYU as the Cougars completed a Big 12 sweep with a 71-66 win over Villanova in the nightcap.

But it was Peat who stole the show, becoming the first player since at least 2002-03, and possibly ever, to record at least 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in their collegiate debut, according to CBS Sports research.

The stats were even more impressive considering the Gators boast perhaps the nation’s top frontcourt, including first-team All-American Alex Condon.

“It was a coming-out party for Koa,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “’Everyone has known about him, but nobody has really studied and watched him. He’s a special player. The way he came out in that atmosphere against a first-team All-American, who’s a heck of a player, Koa obviously more than held his own.”

Peat’s biggest contributions came in key moments.

He finished an alley-oop with a thunderous slam to break a tie with 6:45 to play, then pulled down a tough rebound on the defensive end to trigger a fast break he finished with another dunk.

Earlier in the second half, he stole an inbounds pass and turned it into a breakaway slam before blocking Condon at the other end and converting a layup in transition to put the Wildcats up by nine.

“Koa is a force,” Lloyd said. “I think Koa is a matchup nightmare every day, and I think you’re going to continue to see more and more from his game. He also had five assists, seven rebounds. Should have been double digits on the boards, but we’ll get there.”

Peat, whose father and brother both played offensive line for the Raiders, proved his physicality would translate to the college game. But he was able to show there was a lot more in his toolbox on his way to an 11-for-18 effort from the field.

“I’m just grateful to have coaches and teammates that put me in positions to be good,” he said.

Returning star Jaden Bradley added 27 points and five assists, carrying the Wildcats down the stretch as they held on for a confidence-building victory against the defending champs.

“It was a great night for Arizona basketball,” Lloyd said after his team rallied from a 12-point deficit in the first half.

Tommy Haugh scored 27 points for Florida, while Condon was held to 11 points and eight rebounds.

“We need to be the best frontcourt in the nation,” Haugh said of a group loaded with returners. “We can’t have guys come out and score 30 against us. It’s unacceptable and it won’t happen moving forward.”

Florida coach Todd Golden credited Arizona for getting Bradley and Peat isolated on high ball screens.

“Peat is really tough to guard when he gets that little downhill run and we just weren’t able to match his physicality on those plays and he did a good job putting some balls in,” Golden said. “We just didn’t do a good enough job on him. I was impressed. I thought it was a matchup we had a good chance of winning tonight and we did not.”

Dybantsa also proved a tough cover in the second game, especially after Villanova took a 59-57 lead on Bryce Lindsay’s 3-pointer with 6:28 to play.

The star freshman made three layups as part of a 10-0 run that put BYU in control down the stretch.

“It was definitely a different feel from the exhibition games we played,” Dybantsa said. “It just feels good to get one under my belt and get a win.”

Richie Saunders added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Cougars. Lindsay paced the Wildcats with 22 points.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.