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- KK Arnold, UConn's irreplaceable 'tone-setter', returns in win over Seton Hall
KK Arnold, UConn's irreplaceable 'tone-setter', returns in win over Seton Hall
Plus: Turnovers continue to plague the Huskies while Geno Auriemma still expects a lesser-used player to be "really valuable" in March.
Daniel Connolly
January 04, 2026
Photo: Ian Bethune
UConn rang in the new year with a victory, taking down the Seton Hall Pirates 84-48 at PeoplesBank Arena on Saturday. The Huskies received a boost with KK Arnold back in the starting lineup while Caroline Ducharme also came back after missing three games with a shoulder injury.
The win moved UConn to 15-0 overall and 5-0 in Big East play. The Huskies have now won 31 straight, putting them five short of their longest win streak since 2017-18.
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KK Arnold returns
After missing UConn’s last game with a nasal fracture, KK Arnold returned to action against Seton Hall. The Huskies felt her absence against Providence as they set a season-high in turnovers (21) and spent much of the contest disjointed on the offensive end. In her first game back, Arnold re-affirmed her value with five points, five assists and five steals.
“In KK’s case, there's nobody else on the team that would be able to replicate what she does. So when you do have her in the game, she does become incredibly valuable as a tone-setter,” Geno Auriemma said afterwards.
If UConn had to play without the likes of Sarah Strong or Azzi Fudd for a game or two, it could reasonably get a few other players to replicate their production. But nobody can replace the intangibles that Arnold brings.
“Tou would hate to say, ‘Well, Sarah and Azzi are easily replaceable,’” Auriemma said. “If, for whatever reason, Azzi can't play, maybe Allie or those other guys make the same number of shots that she could make… Of all the players that we have, [Arnold] brings a uniqueness to our defense and offense that we would not be able to replace.”
In the end, Arnold only missed a single contest. She explained that she needed to wait for the swelling in her nose and face to go down before she could even consider playing again. The junior also wanted to practice with a mask on before giving it a go in a game.
“[I was] just focusing on the swelling, make sure that go down so I could see out of both eyes,” Arnold said. “I'm pretty sure the day after it happened, it was just shut.”
