UConn point guard KK Arnold named to preseason watch list for 2027 Nancy Lieberman Award

KK Arnold took over as UConn women's basketball's primary point guard last season and not only had a career year on the stat sheet, but also made program history. 

Now heading into her senior year in Storrs, Arnold begins the season among the nation's best floor generals. 

On Monday, Arnold was named to the 20-player preseason watch list for the 2027 Nancy Lieberman Award. The award, named in honor of Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, annually recognizes the top point guard in Division I women's basketball.

This is Arnold's first time being named to the award's preseason list. Five former Huskies have won the award, including Paige Bueckers in 2025.

Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo won the award last year. Arnold and Hidalgo are joined on this year's watch list by Jasmine Bascoe (Villanova), Jaloni Cambridge (Ohio State), Jazzy Davidson (USC), Aaliyah Chavez (Oklahoma) and more. 

Fan voting for the 2027 award begins Friday, Oct. 30. The watch list will be narrowed to a top 10 in February before the award's top-five finalists are announced in March. The winner will be announced during the NCAA Tournament.

Arnold led UConn last season in total assists (174) and finished with career-highs in assists per game (4.6), steals per game (2.7) and field goal percentage (54.4). She set a program record for single-season assist-to-turnover ratio with a 4.05 differential, which was also the second-best mark in the nation last year.

Last year, Arnold earned Big East All-Defensive Team, All-Big East First Team and Big East All-Tournament Team honors. This fall, she was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Big East Team.

Arnold begins the 2026-27 season with 409 career assists and 828 career points.

The Huskies begin the new season on Nov. 2, hosting Cornell in Hartford at 5 p.m.

This article originally published at UConn point guard KK Arnold named to preseason watch list for 2027 Nancy Lieberman Award.