Boogie fever: Will Fland give Arkansas a boost in NCAA matchup vs. KU Jayhawks?
The Arkansas Razorbacks’ hopes of defeating Kansas and perhaps making a serious run at the 2025 Final Four received a big boost over the weekend.
The team announced that injured freshman sensation Boogie Fland would likely be available for Thursday’s game against Kansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Providence, Rhode Island.
Fland, a 6-foot-2 native of the Bronx, New York, scored 22 points with six steals and five assists in an 85-69 exhibition victory over KU on Oct. 25 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He returned to practice Saturday from a hand injury that had him sidelined since mid-January.
“If you ask me, ‘Will he play more than 15 minutes?’ I don’t know, maybe less, but I know he’s talented,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said after the Selection Sunday show on CBS.
The bracket revealed that Arkansas (20-13) would be a 10-seed in the West Regional. Kansas (21-12) is the No. 7 seed Kansas. Tipoff for Thursday’s game is 6:10 p.m. Central Time at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
“For our team,” Calipari continued, “come in and defend and rebound, make easy plays, fly up and down the court, make plays and be who you are. And that (the return of Fland) will help us.”
With Fland in the lineup, Arkansas opened the season 11-7. The Hogs finished 9-6 while he sat out. He had injured his right hand against Florida on Jan. 11 and played two games before undergoing surgery. The operation, performed in New York, repaired the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right thumb.
At the time of his injury Fland was leading the SEC in minutes per game (34:07). He had led the Razorbacks in scoring six times, averaging 15.1 points per game. He led all NCAA freshmen in assists per game (5.72), too, dishing 103 assists to 28 turnovers.
Arkansas faithful had hoped Fland would return for the postseason. On Saturday they learned he will. Some have wondered if Arkansas put out the word regarding Fland’s availability Saturday to make sure the NCAA Selection Committee invited the Razorbacks to the Big Dance.
Calipari said that was not the case.
“When you get hurt and I’m coaching you, I basically forget your name,” the coach said. “So if you’re not part of the group playing, like I would say, ‘Hey, Boogie, good to see you.’ I never asked him a question. I never talked to him.”
Calipari was speaking of his relationship with Fland over the past several weeks as the season continued for the Razorbacks.
“Our trainer came up yesterday and said, ‘He’s going through these workouts. He’s going to practice tomorrow. We talked to the doc,’” Calipari recalled. “I said, ‘Well, then let’s put it out that there’s a chance he will play this weekend.’ I didn’t do it for … I thought we were in (tournament field), too. I mean, they (committee members) weren’t going to change our seed because Boogie was going to play. But, you know, let ‘em know. Let the country know.”
Calipari has spoken with Fland about his role against KU. Thursday evening’s winner will meet either St. John’s or Omaha on Saturday in Providence for a spot in the Sweet 16 in San Francisco.
“He wants to play. The greatest piece of it was Boogie saying to me, ‘I don’t want to screw them up. I just want to help,’’’ Calipari said of Fland not wanting to spoil the team’s current chemistry by making his return.
“And I said, ‘Well, you may play 10 to 15 minutes. But so what?’ He said, ‘I’d be good.’ I said, ‘We may need You more. I don’t know.’ But then I grabbed the team and said, ’It’s not really changing anybody’s role or what’s going on. We just have an eighth man.’ So instead of having seven having foul trouble, or having two or three guys not play well, which is normal stuff, now you have a little bit of breathing room.”
The guy who may be assigned to guarding Fland, KU senior Dajuan Harris, scored 26 points in the scrimmage against Arkansas and Fland in October. Harris hit 11 of 17 shots and was 4-of-5 from 3-point range with three steals, two assists and two turnovers in 32 minutes.
KU center Hunter Dickinson missed that scrimmage in Fayetteville because of a foot injury. KU guards Rylan Griffen (hip flexor) and Shakeel Moore (foot) also missed the exhibition.
“The big kid didn’t play,” Calipari said of Dickinson. “He did not play here. So they’re a different team with him, and we’re going to have to have a heck of a game and we’re gonna have to play well.”
Arkansas junior forward Adou Thiero has a knee injury and is not expected to play against the Jayhawks. He had two points and five rebounds in 17 minutes vs. KU. He’s been out since Feb. 22. Arkansas’ Jonas Aidoo also missed that exhibition game because of injury but is available Thursday.
The two teams also met recently in the 2023 NCAA Tournament’s round of 32. Arkansas battled back from a 12-point deficit to win 72-71 in Des Moines, Iowa. KU’s KJ Adams had 14 points in 26 minutes and Harris 12 points and five assists.
Jayhawks coach Bill Self has a 6-6 all-time record in head-to-head meetings with Calipari.
“He’s always creating ... recruiting great players and terrific athletes,” Self said of the Arkansas coach. “I think they do a good job coaching them, too, and I think they usually guard, and I’m sure they’ll do that.
“They’re battle tested, obviously, going through the grind of the SEC. It’ll be a fun, competitive game. I know we’re going to have to play really well to win, and I believe they’re going to have to play well to win, too.”
