TUCSON, Ariz. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the Mid-Season Top 10 Candidates for the 2026 Karl Malone Award on Thursday and Arizona freshman forward Koa Peat was among those listed.
 
Peat was one of 25 players listed on the preseason watch list for the award and has helped propel Arizona to the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the last eight weeks and a school-record 22-0 record to start the season.
 
Peat burst onto the scene in the season opener, scoring 30 points and dishing out five assists against then-No. 3 Florida. He has been one of the Wildcats most consistent players this season, averaging 14.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 57% from the floor. He has four double-doubles to his credit this season and is coming off a 21-point effort at Arizona State on Saturday.
 
In mid-March, the Mid-Season Top 10 list will be narrowed to just five, and in late March, five finalists will be presented to Malone and the Hall of Fame selection committees, where winners will be selected. The selection committees for the Karl Malone Award are composed of top men's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
 
The winner of the Karl Malone Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with four other members of the Men's Starting Five.

Previous winners of the Karl Malone Award include Johni Broome, Auburn (2025), Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State (2024), Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana (2023), Keegan Murray, Iowa (2022), Drew Timme, Gonzaga (2021), Obi Toppin, Dayton (2020), Zion Williamson, Duke (2019), Deandre Ayton, Arizona (2018), and Georges Niang, Iowa State (2016). 

The complete 2026 Karl Malone Award Mid-Season Watch List includes:
Koa Peat, Arizona
Cameron Boozer, Duke
Graham Ike, Gonzaga
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Malik Reneau, Miami
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Alex Karaban, UConn
 
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