Arizona’s Freshman Dwayne Aristode Passes Big Test Against Florida

No. 13 Arizona got the season started on the right foot. The Wildcats traveled to Las Vegas and took down the defending champions, No. 3 Florida, behind an aggressive effort inside the arc, winning 93-87.

Tommy Lloyd’s new-look Wildcats opened the Hall of Fame Series with three freshmen in the starting lineup. Koa Peat, Ivan Kharchenkov, and Brayden Burries all found themselves in the starting five, while fellow freshman Dwayne Aristode found minutes off the bench in the eight-man rotation.

The Wildcats also got a strong showing from arguably its most important piece: veteran guard Jaden Bradley. Guard play is so important in early games to offset some of the rust that teams are bound to have. Arizona had the more experienced option, and it paid off.

Bradley scored 27 points on 9-of-14 from the field. He added five assists and picked a pair of pockets in the win. His leadership allowed the rest of the Wildcats to settle in to more defined roles, letting the offense hit its stride.

While Burries had an off night and Aristode only spent six minutes on the floor, the other two freshmen who saw action were instrumental to the team’s success.

Peat led the way with a 30-piece as his hello to collegiate basketball. The highly-touted freshman isn’t totally new to Lloyd’s system. He played under Lloyd on the Team USA U19 National Team over the summer, where he said he got a head start on learning his role.

His role on Monday? Barrel his way down low and finish at the rim, with a splash of playmaking in between. He added seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block to his line. He shot 11-of-18 from the field, all within the arc, and sunk 8-of-12 from the line.

Peat became the first player to score post at least 30 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals in their collegiate debut since 2002, and he did so against Florida’s championship-level front court. Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh had no answer for the Arizona freshman.

With just under seven minutes left in the game, tied at 70-70, Peat got the crowd buzzing. Peat set a pick and rolled to the basket, leaped and reached sky-high for a lob from Anthony Dell’Orso, and slammed it home with his right hand.

With the crowd on it’s feet, Peat served up an encore for the Las Vegas audience. After grabbing a board on the next possession, Peat jogged right down the middle lane and jammed it down with two hands, this time with a feed from Bradley.

It was a nearly flawless debut for Peat, and it instantly raised the alrady high expectations he has in Tucson.

“It was a coming out party for him, so to speak,” Lloyd said postgame. “Everyone’s known about him, but no one’s really studied him and watched him. He’s a special player. The way he came out in that atmosphere, and he went against a first team All-American, and that kid’s a heck of a player. Koa obviously more than held his own.”

The freshman from Germany and Bayern Munich alum earned a spot in the starting lineup over the veteran sharpshooter Dell’Orso, and made Lloyd look like a genius in doing so.

In 35 minutes of action, Kharchenkov had 12 points and 10 rebounds, recording a double-double in his Wildcats debut. He also nailed both of his shots from long range, which happened to be the only triples Arizona hit in the game on five tries.

Kharchenkov departed for the locker room during the first half, but later returned and finished the game strong. He’s a guy that’s been on Lloyd’s radar for awhile, and now it’s all coming to fruition.

“He just turned 19, but he’s played high level basketball,” Lloyd said. “He was coached by a guy named Pablo Laso. You guys might not know that name, but he was also the guy that coached Luka Doncic at Real Madrid. I’ve gotten to know Coach Laso over the years. A couple years ago Coach Laso was the head coach of Bayern Munich, where Ivan was playing, and so I obviously called to do my homework, and he’s just like, ‘Tommy, you’re going to be blown away how ready he is from day one.’

“He’s also had some ups and downs and practices, but for him to come out today like he did on this stage, was impressive,” Lloyd continued. “Because what I’ve been on is you know what about rebounding, and he led us in rebounding tonight. So that shows me he’s a good learner, so it probably gives me the liberty to keep getting on him.”

If Kharchenkov can be another reliable piece for three this season, assuming the Wildcats shoot more than they did on Monday, Arizona can truly be a complete offense and a threat from every spot on the floor. It was definitely a positive sign to see him step in so seamlessly to the college game.

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