Arizona
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.
GREAT DAY TO BE A WILDCAT!! #BearDown🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/hNKlIYIMCj
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) November 4, 2025
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.
KOA. PEAT. 😤😤😤 @kpeat10 pic.twitter.com/q4NMmIP4Qi
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) November 4, 2025
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.
BANGGGGGG🔥 Cats lead 47-42 with 2:23 left in the first half pic.twitter.com/lWgRglsSqW
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) November 4, 2025
“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.
What are your thoughts on Peat and Kharchenkov in Arizona’s win over the Gators? Tell us by commenting on our X account. Just click the link and be sure give us a follow.
Arizona
2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals
Since the Arizona Cardinals want to trade back from the No. 3 picks, here are three deals that could work.
The Arizona Cardinals have the third pick in the 2026 NFL draft, which begins this week on Thursday. All the reports coming out are saying that they want to trade out of the pick to acquire more draft picks.
But what does a trade look like and who could be involved?
The Kansas City Chiefs are involved in talks at some level. ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects trade talks to heat up this week.
NFL teams use a variation of a trade value chart when it comes to draft picks. Now, what a team actually is willing to give up can be influenced by potential competition with other teams, but we can’t count on that.
Here is the general trade value chart teams use.
Here are some potential deals that could be done.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have two first-round picks, which would be appealing to the Cardinals, who reportedly want to make a move for quarterback Ty Simpson, and the 29th pick might be just the spot to get him.
The third overall pick is worth 514 points.
The Chiefs’ picks at No. 9 (387 points) and No. 29 (202 points) together are worth 589.
To make up the difference, the Cardinals could give up No. 65 (78 points) for a total of 592 points.
One deal could be:
- Cardinals receive get No. 9 and No. 29 (589 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 65 (592 points)
Another could be:
- Cardinals receive No. 9, No. 29, No. 74 and 2027 third-round pick (653 points + value of future third-round pick, which is 36-78 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 34 (689 points)
The Cardinals keep their third-round pick and the Chiefs essentially move back five spots from No. 29.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have the 12th and 20th picks but no pick in the second round.
Pick No. 12 is 347 points and No. 20 is 269 for a total of 616.
This deal is close:
- Cardinals receive No. 12, No. 20 (616 points)
- Cowboys receive No. 3, No. 65 (592 points)
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are perhaps a dark horse to move up, although they do not have two first-round picks. They have the No. 8 pick, worth 406 points. Their second-round pick, at No. 42, is worth 142 points.
This deal could work:
- Cardinals receive No. 8, No. 42 (548 points)
- Saints receive No. 3, No. 104 (547 points)
Then the Cardinals could use their two second-round picks to then move back into Round 1 to get Ty Simpson.
They could trade No. 34, No. 42 and No. 65 (395 points) for No. 28, No. 38 and No. 106 (398 total points).
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com
PHOENIX — Breezy winds kicked up a blanket of dust across the Valley on Sunday, and forecasters say more is on the way this week.
Visibility in Phoenix became so bad on Sunday that Sky Harbor airport stopped flights for over an hour
The wind and dust peaked Sunday afternoon and gradually improved into the evening, said Michael Graves, an air quality meteorologist with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
“You might’ve seen the mountains a bit obscured in the distance,” Graves told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday. “A lot of haze in the air.”
By Monday morning, skies had largely cleared and dust levels near the ground had dropped significantly.
Expect more gusty, dusty days this week
The relief may be short-lived.
ADEQ is watching for increased afternoon breezes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, this time from the west and southwest. Though the winds are expected to be weaker than Sunday’s, Graves said forecasters cannot rule out dust.
“I wouldn’t say windstorm,” Graves said. “I would just say we’ve got some waves coming in. They’re going to increase our afternoon breeziness.”
It’s enough to kick up dry, exposed dirt, which could create pockets of dust. There is a slight chance of broader regional dust transport, Graves said.
It will impact people with asthma, COPD or respiratory conditions the most. Graves advised those with issues to monitor conditions and stay indoors during the dustiest hours.
“If you’re going to be outside, be outside during the times when it’s less dusty or hazy,” Graves said.
Graves noted that spring weather systems typically pass to the north of the Phoenix area, delivering wind and slight temperature drops but little to no rain, a pattern likely to continue.
KTAR News reporter Kellen Shover contributed to this report.
Arizona
Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona
The University of Arizona and Tucson are known for yearlong warm weather, but when is it too much? With temperature reaching record highs in March, the city of Tucson has already reported increased temperatures for this year.
In the wake of the third annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit, integrating voices throughout the City of Tucson, community stakeholders and experts from UA gather to speak about possible solutions and policies to address rising temperatures and extreme heat.
The summit strives to ensure that the lived experiences of Southern Arizona residents are voiced. The first summit commenced in 2024, in response to the declaration of an extreme heat emergency in Arizona by Gov. Katie Hobbs, as part of a larger plan called Arizona’s Extreme Heat Response Plan.
With representation from organizations such as the American Red Cross, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, Arizona Jobs with Justice, Tucson Indian Center and many more, the summit emphasized the importance of the perspective and concerns of stakeholder groups throughout the community.
The summit included a variety of UA experts, including faculty representing the School of Geography, Development and Environment; the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy; the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.
One particular project, led by Ladd Keith at the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, is a part of the Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory, which is funded by the United States’ Department of Energy to explore extreme heat throughout Arizona. SW-IFL works in collaboration with other national laboratories including those at ASU and NAU.
The team works to analyze extreme heat in the southwest and rural areas, and how communities deal with heat by conducting interviews. The team has also prescribed policy to Pima County and the City of Tucson regarding more effective strategies to combat rising temperatures, such as green stormwater infrastructure.
Anne-Lise Boyer, a post-doctoral researcher with the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, shared that the team particularly analyzed extreme heat in three parts: heat mitigation, heat management and heat governance.
Mitigation deals with prevention through strategies such as green infrastructure and planting trees, while management includes cooling sensors and heat warning systems. Governance allows these measures to be enacted through policy.
In Tucson, some of the most meaningful work the team has engaged in has been drafting the City of Tucson’s Heat Action Roadmap in 2024, which outlines goals to mitigate and mandate extreme heat and its impacts while prioritizing community voices.
The goals of the roadmap include informing and educating citizens of Tucson on the adverse effects of extreme heat and cooling people’s homes and neighborhoods by incorporating heat risk in regional planning. These steps are essential to practicing heat management, especially as the city of Tucson grows.
“I think the most interesting thing about being based in Tucson is that because the heat has been here for a long time, it’s like a laboratory in itself,” Boyer said. “We have all this research and all this collaboration happening with local actors because it’s a pressing issue in Arizona.”
As the annual heat summit recurs, new ideas and perspectives continue to be shared throughout the community. Boyer shared that this year, the Southern Arizona Heat Summit focused on the youth perspective, highlighting middle school and high school students and how heat impacts their everyday lives. Many students spoke about how heat shaped their lives at home, school and sports.
“That’s one of the goals, to have community members participate and give their input in how they wish the city will deal with the heat,” Boyer said.
Boyer and Kirsten Lake, a program coordinator for the SW-IFL team, also shared how the impacts of extreme heat impact some neighborhoods and communities in Tucson more than others, and that their research often evaluates these factors to determine where heat management efforts would make the greatest impact.
“Its important when you’re putting into effect some of these measures, that you make sure you put it where it’s going to make the biggest difference,” Lake said.
The work of the SW-IFL team is not just locally known. The Brookhaven National Lab based in New York deployed a specialized truck to Tucson to collect information on the atmosphere and rising temperatures. The SW-IFL team hosted the Brookhaven team.
Additionally, Keith’s work has led to a guidebook called “Planning for Urban Heat Resilience” which focuses on the adverse effects extreme heat poses to marginalized communities across the country.
“It is so different from place to place and neighborhood to neighborhood because you have to take the whole context into account,” Boyer said. “They recommend first to document the heat impacts in your communities.”
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