PHOENIX – Just months after leading their team to a Big 12 championship and Final Four appearance, University of Arizona products Brayden Burries and Koa Peat will hear their names called in the 2026 NBA draft.
The first and second rounds are set for Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Most draft boards project Burries as a top 12 pick, while Peat’s projections have fallen recently and he could land in the late first round.
The duo powered the Wildcats to one of the best seasons in program history, capturing 36 wins and reaching the Final Four for the first time since 2001.
Peat was an important part of Arizona’s dominant inside presence this past season. Peat, who attended Gilbert Perry High School, averaged 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Wildcats. Peat’s signature performance came in Arizona’s season-opening game, when he scored 30 points and led the Wildcats to a six-point victory over the defending champion Florida Gators.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd recognized the impact of Peat on his team’s immense success a year ago.
“He’s always going to put the team first,” Lloyd said. “His impact on winning is tremendous and to me that’s probably the most important value you can have as a coach.”
Before his college days, Peat produced one of the most successful high school basketball careers imaginable. Peat led Perry High School to state championships in all four years. He was named the 2023 USA Basketball Male Player of the Year, and won gold medals on three separate occasions.
Former Perry coach Sam Duane Jr. credited Peat for his steady mentality through all of the accolades and recognition he has received.
“Koa is going to do whatever his team needs to win,” Duane Jr. said. “It’s not about him, he puts winning first. He’s high-character and that’s a tribute to his mom and dad.”
Peat comes from a family of athletes. His father, Todd Sr., was an All-American offensive lineman at Northern Illinois and played six years in the NFL for the Cardinals and Raiders. All six of Koa’s older siblings are also athletes.
“He has a very big family and they’re very close knit and supportive,” Duane Jr. said. “They’ve brought Koa up the right way and set examples for him.”
His college teammate Brayden Burries, a San Bernardino native, led the team in scoring, averaging 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists a game this past season for the Wildcats. The freshman guard also provided spacing to one of college basketball’s most dominant paint offenses, knocking in 70 threes at a 39.1 percent clip.
Burries believes his ability to affect the game in a multitude of ways will translate to the league.
“My dad always tells me ‘just be a complete basketball player,’” Burries said after a workout with the Warriors. “At the next level, there’s going to be teams that already have scoring options. You’ve just got to find different ways to impact winning outside of just scoring.”
Most impressive about Burries however, according to his college coach Lloyd, is his level of humility given the success he’s found so quickly.
“Brayden’s a winner and he’s about all the right things,” Lloyd said. “A lot of times people might have a perception that a young kid like him may have a bit of an ego. But he’s completely the opposite, so he’s going to bring value to any organization that he’s with.”
Burries shared a backcourt at Arizona with Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley. They combined for over 100 steals and 250 assists. Burries hopes he’ll have the chance to learn from an experienced veteran in the NBA as well.
“I really want to go somewhere where they have a vet that cares about the next generation,” Burries said. “I want to have a vet that can help me out along this ride for sure.”
The duo have a chance to become the first pair of Arizona teammates since 2022 to be drafted in the first round together, when Bennedict Mathurin and Dalen Terry were selected.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
