The player Arizona fans hoped would return to college is not, but one that has chosen to come back could end up with the Wildcats as a consolation prize.
Koa Peat will not be coming back to the UA for next season, opting to stay in the 2026 NBA Draft where he’s projected to be a late first-round pick. Arizona had been holding a roster spot–and a chunk of its payroll–for Peat, who averaged 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds as a freshman.
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But both could end up going to ex-Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic, who withdrew from the draft on Wednesday and instantly became the most-coveted player remaining in the NCAA transfer portal.
The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Momcilovic led the country with 136 3-pointers last season, 16 more than Arizona’s two most prolific perimeter shooters. He made 48.7 percent of his 3s, which also led the NCAA.
Kentucky, Louisville, St. John’s and Texas Tech are also recruiting Momcilovic, who averaged 16.9 points last season for an Iowa State team that was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament but fell to Tennessee in the Sweet 16.
In speaking with reporters during the NBA Draft Combine last week, Momcilovic indicated if he returned to college it wouldn’t take him long to decide where he’ll play.
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“I’ve been in college for three years, and I know what to ask and what to look for,” Momcilovic said, per CBS Sports. “I don’t need to go on a visit or anything. I can probably choose pretty quickly. Also, there aren’t a lot of schools that still have a lot of money or a lot of roster spots, so it’s not like I’m choosing between 15 schools, it’s going to be three or four.”
Arizona has already added four players from the portal, bringing in guards Derek Dixon (North Carolina) and JJ Mandaquit (Washington) and big men Ugnius Jarusevicius (Nebraska) and Evan Otten (Idaho State) along with three freshmen, while retaining Final Four starters Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov.
The Wildcats currently have two open roster spots.
