UConn has been absolutely dominant this season. Led by Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, the Huskies are off to a 15-0 start, including wins over ranked teams in Louisville, Michigan, USC, and Iowa. UConn is well set up for a second consecutive run at a national championship. After last season’s championship, UConn lost superstar Paige Bueckers to the WNBA, but even that hasn’t been able to slow them down.
Fudd and Strong are, of course, two big reasons why this UConn team seems so unbeatable. They are two of the best players in college basketball right now. The team’s role players are doing their jobs as well, though. After UConn’s 84-48 win over Seton Hall, coach Geno Auriemma highlighted one role player in particular who is irreplaceable.
“In KK’s case, there is no one else on the team that would be able to replicate what she does,” Auriemma said when asked about KK Arnold’s impact. “So, when you do have her in the game, when you do have that, she does become incredibly valuable as a table setter.”
He also added, “I would say, of all the players that we have, she brings a uniqueness to our defense and offense that we would not be able to replace.”
This is, of course, not to say that someone like Fudd or Strong would be easily replaceable for UConn, but Arnold is an integral piece of the seemingly unbeatable machine Auriemma has built. She is the team’s starting point guard and leads the team in assists per game. She also pushes the pace, allowing UConn to play a quick offensive game, and ranks second in steals per game with 2.5.
If UConn goes on to win another championship, Arnold and her ability to set up the offense, push the pace, and defend will be a big reason why.
KK Arnold is in her third season at UConn
When Arnold joined UConn for the 2023-24 season, she started 33 games and averaged 30.3 minutes per game. A season later, she was relegated to the bench, and her minutes dropped significantly. Still, Arnold found a way to help her team win by doing a little bit of everything.
She recorded nine points on perfect shooting from the field and three assists with only one turnover in the championship game as UConn’s most productive reserve.
Now, with Paige Bueckers and Kaitlyn Chen in the WNBA, Arnold is a full-time starter again. While her minutes are still down compared to her freshman season, she is averaging career-highs in assists, steals, and field-goal percentage as well as a career-low 1.1 turnovers.