LAWRENCE, Kan. — On Wednesday night, the Kansas Jayhawks secured their second Big 12 victory of the season in dominant fashion, shutting down Arizona State 74-55 with a suffocating defensive display.

The Jayhawks trailed early in the first half but came alive defensively after the break, holding the Sun Devils to just 13 points in the second half. Kansas forced 18 turnovers, collected 13 steals, and blocked five shots in what head coach Bill Self described as an “exceptional” defensive effort.

“Well, we were great defensively. I mean, who would have thought we shot the ball worse the second half from two, we shot it worse from three, and basically held them to 11,” Self said. “And then they get the layup there right at the very end, but, yeah, that was exceptional.”

Self also pointed out that Arizona State’s lack of depth played a role in their struggles.

“Now, granted, they didn’t have as much depth tonight, so their guys got tired, I thought,” Self said. “But Rylan [Griffen] was terrific. And, you know, [Shakeel Moore] is a difference-maker defensively […] and then everybody else was better the second half.”

Despite the defensive heroics, Kansas had its own offensive challenges. Big man Hunter Dickinson had a rough night, shooting just 5-for-15 from the field. Self acknowledged the uneven offense but praised his team for stepping up on the other end of the floor.

“I don’t think we played great by any stretch offensively. [Hunter Dickinson] is 5-for-15, and some different things, but defensively, that’s about as turned up as I’ve seen a team for an entire half,” Self said.

The win improved Kansas to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play, giving the Jayhawks back-to-back victories after a tough conference-opening loss to West Virginia.

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How different are violent crime rates in Arizona’s fifteen counties?

Arizona’s Department of Public Safety maintains a reporting website to track crime statistics.

According to the data and balancing for population, Maricopa County has the highest violent crime rate in the state. There were 224 violent crime incidents in the first half of the year for every 100,000 residents. In nearly every other county the violent crime rate ranged between 110 and 116 per capita.

The lowest crime rates were found in the counties bordering New Mexico and La Paz.

Compared to average violent crime rates in the first half of each of the past five years 2024 rates are down in twelve of fifteen counties. Gila, La Paz, and Pima are reporting significant declines in violent crime rates to their average. The three counties with higher rates in 2024 are Mohave, Navajo, and Santa Cruz.

Along with tracking the crimes themselves DPS also tracks clearance rates. This is when the suspected perpetrator of a crime is either charged or deceased.

A little over one-third of violent crimes in Arizona’s two urban counties, Maricopa and Pima, are reported as cleared.

The lowest clearance rate is in Apahce County at 9% and the highest is in La Paz where the clearance rate is reported at 100%.

ABC 15 also analyzed the number of violent crimes committed by weapon type and found about one in four violent crimes since 2020 involved a firearm across the state. Percentages are higher in Maricopa and Pima, and much lower in Coconino, Navajo, and Gila counties.

In that same time frame, arrestees of a violent crime are overwhelmingly male. About four violent crimes are committed by men for one committed by a woman. The ratio of victims of violent crimes is almost even, with slightly more men than women being victimized.

The California winds are blowing their way to Arizona.

Sean Benedict, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service Phoenix, projected winds could reach 40 mph, affecting travel, especially along Interstate 10 going westbound. Wind gusts could complicate driving, especially for larger vehicles on roads with crosswinds, and blowing dust or sand could lower visibility, the weather service said.

“Now is the time to tie down any loose items,” the National Weather Service office in Phoenix said Tuesday in a post on the social platform X.

A wind advisory released by the the weather service on Tuesday for areas of Southern California, including Joshua Tree National Park and Chiriaco Summit, advised winds would push east toward Arizona through Wednesday. The Phoenix Valley’s eastern high terrain could see wind gusts exceed 50 mph, according to the weather service.

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Northeast of Phoenix, parts of the southeast Valley and the northern terrain would see the brunt of the winds, however. The weather service said wind gusts would see their peak through 2 p.m. Wednesday and hit up to 30 mph.

Dust prompted A No Burn Day to be issued by the Maricopa County Air Quality Department, which urged residents to refrain from burning wood in fireplaces, stove, chimeneas and outdoor fire pits and avoid using leaf blowers.

The Republic reporters Karen Bartunek and Hayleigh Evans contributed to this article.