Standout Plays Kick Off 2025-26 College Basketball

As the 2025-26 college basketball season tipped off last week, standout performances lit up courts across the country, from high-major debuts to midmajor heroics and early ranked matchups in women's play. Freshman forward Koa Peat of No. 5 Arizona emerged as the Associated Press national player of the week in men's basketball, capping a dominant opening stretch that included a 30-point debut against reigning champion Florida.

Peat, a 6-foot-8 recruit from Sierra Canyon High School, wasted no time justifying the preseason buzz. In Arizona's 93-87 victory over then-No. 3 Florida on opening night in Las Vegas, he scored 30 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added three steals plus five assists, marking the highest-scoring debut by an Arizona freshman since 1972 and the first 30-point, five-assist game in Big 12 history for a debutant. Two days later, Peat contributed 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting with three rebounds and three assists in a 93-67 rout of Utah Tech. His efforts helped Arizona start 2-0, signaling a strong foundation under coach Tommy Lloyd.

Runner-up honors went to Alabama's Labaron Philon Jr., a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard who averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 assists and three...