Earlier this week, I was in attendance for the UConn Huskies women's basketball exhibition opener at Mohegan Sun Arena, an 88-60 win over the Syracuse Orange.

In my takeaways from that contest, I noted how good point KK Arnold looked, both offensively and defensively. Defensively, she really worked the Syracuse backcourt by picking up full court, and on offense, she really got into the lane with ease, making things easier for the Huskies players around her.

After the game, head coach Geno Auriemma spoke about her growth, especially on offense, citing her increased willingness to look for her own shot and be creative.

On Saturday, Arnold spoke more to her own growth with reporters, including Storrs Central:

"I'm just very sure of myself. Even in past years, I'd dwell too much and be all in my head. I'm not in my head as much."

While we didn't hear from Arnold following the win over Syracuse, her assessment seems to check out. She looks assertive and confident, and with that, she seems ready to attack on offense in a way she hasn't necessarily done in the past. She scored 11 points and also went 5-of-6 at the foul line. She had six assists and no turnovers.

The Huskies will be back in action on Monday night against national power Texas at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford (7 p.m. ET), so Arnold's new mindset will get another test.

She averaged 6.9 ppg a season ago, also averaging 4.6 assists. 

Arnold started 33 games as a freshman, playing 30.2 minutes per game, but she didn't start any games as a sophomore in 2024-25. Of course, UConn won the title that season behind the play of Paige Bueckers. She worked back into the starting lineup for 38 games last season, but still averaged just 24.4 minutes. Perhaps some of that is related to the way in which UConn (38-1) blew opponents out, but regardless, she'll be a stalwart of the rotation again this season.

Though she's in her fourth year of college basketball, she will have one extra year of eligibility as a result of the "age-based eligibility model," assuming she wants to take advantage of it.

In addition to the UConn women, the UConn men's team will be in action on Tuesday night when they take on Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich.

The Huskies defeated Syracuse in their exhibition opener on Tuesday by a final score of 72-52.