The No. 1-ranked UConn Huskies entered the Wednesday game night dealing with something it hadn’t planned for. Just hours before the tip-off, the Huskies announced that junior guard KK Arnold would not be available after suffering a fractured nose in practice the previous day.

And when Ayanna Patterson was also ruled out under concussion protocol, one question immediately took over among fans: when will they be back?

After the win over the Providence Friars, head coach Geno Auriemma didn’t sugarcoat what Arnold’s absence meant. However, according to Auriemma, Arnold’s return isn’t tied to weeks on the sideline or complicated medical hurdles. In fact, the message from the doctor was refreshingly simple.

“KK, I think when she’s ready to go, to get the mask whenever she can,” Auriemma said. “What the doctor said yesterday was really good. He goes, ‘My job is to make sure you can, whenever you can breathe somewhat normally, then you’re good to go.’ I think she’s anxious to get going, and I don’t know what her status will be for Saturday. I’m thinking no. But it’s not going to be long.”

However, for Patterson, her availability will depend entirely on the concussion protocol, with no firm timeline attached.

While the 90–53 final made it look like business as usual despite missing two key players, UConn had to win this one a different way. Without their floor general, the Huskies leaned on pace, defensive pressure, and raw talent instead of crisp execution. That showed up in the box score, as they coughed up a season-high 21 turnovers, 13 of them coming in the first half, an obvious result of playing without their primary ball-handler.

Still, their defense helped offset those mistakes, as they forced 30 Providence turnovers, turning them into 41 points, and holding off their opponents to just 35.4% shooting.

“We missed (Arnold) in all aspects of the game today,” Fudd said after the game. “We missed her defensive intensity, we missed her being a floor general, bringing the ball up, leading us, calling plays.”

UConn proved it could adapt on the fly, but this is not a situation that Auriemma would want to manage for long. For now, Arnold’s return, at least, appears to be a matter of readiness rather than recovery.

What’s next for Geno Auriemma and the Huskies?

With this win under their belt, the Huskies remain undefeated in the ongoing 2025-26 NCAA season. They currently sit at 14-0, with only No. 6 Michigan Wolverines coming the closest to giving them their first loss. However, their recent game also exposed their weakness, and Auriemma saw that.

“We threw the ball to the other team more than we threw it to our team, and that happens,” Auriemma noted. “Tomorrow is a new year, and we will figure out different ways to be done.”

But what is a better way to close a year than with a win. For their upcoming games, the Huskies will lock horns with the Seton Hall Pirates on January 3rd, a game predicted to be in favor of Geno Auriemma’s team with 99%. Following that, they will play against the:

• The St. John’s Red Storm on January 7th.
• The Creighton Bluejays on January 11th.
• The Villanova Wildcats on January 11th.

As the Huskies prepare for their first game of the new year, there is hope that nothing would become a long-term concern, because if the Huskies plan to win this year’s championship, even a single missing piece can cost them the title.