The Arizona Wildcats dominated once again to push their record to 15-0 on the season, cruising to an easy 101-76 victory over Kansas State in their Big 12 home opener. 

The Wildcats scored 100 points in a game for the third time this season, led by freshman guard Brayden Burries’ 28 points, and Motiejus Krivas’ 25 points. Burries is now up to 15.1 points per game on the season, which leads the #1-ranked Wildcats. 

Secret to points production

Burries has been on a tear scoring the ball of late. After scoring in double-digits in just one of his first five games this season, Burries has scored in double-figures in each of his last 10 games, including five 20-point performances. His 28 points against Kansas State tied his highest point total of the season so far. After the game, Burries was asked about his recent flurry of scoring. 

• “I don’t think anything changed,” Burries said. “I think just getting used to the speed out there, the first few games, and I didn’t play guard as much like on the ball, and guarding point guards, so it’s all new to me. But, more games, more experience, I feel like I’m getting better with more experience honestly.” 

• “Honestly just going out there, and just hooping,” he added. “Trusting my teammates, and trusting the coaches and their gameplan, and they’re just helping me out.”

Tommy Lloyd on Burries

Head coach Tommy Lloyd also spoke about his leading scorer’s recent performances, and how Burries is one of the more coachable players on the roster. 

• “Brayden’s a great player,” Lloyd said. “We’re fortunate to have him in our program. I mean, he’s a winner, he’s always won. He does just about everything in his life the right way, it’s a joy to coach him everyday, and it’s really fun to help him on his journey.”

• “You can be pretty direct with him”, Lloyd added. “I told him, he’s a guy that I don’t want to coach by being confrontational with him, I think he’s too good of a kid and he’s really motivated. He doesn’t need that when I’m very direct with him. He’s got enough experience now, I think he’s really learning.” 

Burries and the rest of the Wildcats will look to continue what has been a special season up to this point. The Wildcats have all the makings of a true National Championship contender, and their first two performances in Big 12 play show just that. 

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PHOENIX (AZFamily) — It’s a first of its kind study to better understand an often overlooked group of people: women behind bars.

“No other jail system in the country is doing this,” said Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, director of Arizona State University’s Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research. “Many of them have offenses that are related to other people’s interference. So whether they were forced to commit that crime with someone else, they were under someone else’s control.”

Roe-Sepowitz spearheaded the effort that explores the pipeline between victimization and incarceration for Arizona women. What she uncovered was even worse than she expected.

“The scope of trauma, the sheer amount of violent experiences was a surprise to me,” she said.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Brandon Smith teamed up with Roe-Sepowitz for this project.

Since 2018, they’ve worked together to identify and support sex trafficking victims inside county jails.

“A lot of them could be they were more of a victim than a suspect in a crime,” said Smith.

In May 2025, the pair decided to dig deeper with a survey to learn more about the life history of all female inmates.

“We didn’t want to re-traumatize them. We were very careful about asking appropriate questions in the right way,” said Smith.

More than 400 women in the Estrella Jail completed the questionnaire which represents 49% of the female population.

The results show most are mothers, locked up for drug offenses.

77% reported a mental health diagnosis, more than 78% have been homeless, just over 50% have been sex trafficked, and 80% said they were victims of domestic violence.

With that knowledge, there is hope that jail programs can help break the cycle.

“We’re able to tailor programming to that in order to hopefully keep them out of jail, become more productive members of society, be with their children,” said Smith.

About 14% of participants were there for their first arrest.

New trauma-informed programs and training will soon be implemented.

“We’re looking at what can we do for that 14% that are here for the first time to hopefully make sure it’s their last time,” said Smith.

“How to build hope for the future, how to stabilize their life, how to continue the relationships they have in healthier ways,” said Roe-Sepowitz.

More research is on the way. ASU just wrapped up a similar survey in the Perryville prison and plans to conduct it again at Estrella Jail this year to collect additional data.

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