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Arkansas will miss its leading scorer against St. John's

Although Arkansas has its star freshman point guard, Boogie Fland, back after months of recovering from a significant hand injury, the team will miss its leading scorer against St. John's as he continues to battle a serious knee injury.
ByDr. Antonio Daniels|
Feb 22, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Adou Thiero (3) shoots a free-throw during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
Feb 22, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Adou Thiero (3) shoots a free-throw during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The Arkansas Razorbacks (21-13; 8-10 SEC) face the St. John's Red Storm (31-4; 18-2 Big East) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament today. This game has received much attention because it features a battle between two of the most successful coaches in college basketball history: John Calipari and Rick Pitino.

ESPN BET Sportsbook discloses that the Razorbacks are 6.5-point underdogs against the Red Storm. Also, according to ESPN Analytics, St. John's has a 71.1% chance of defeating Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Both sources, however, were proved wrong in the first round of the NCAA Tournament when the Hogs upset the Kansas Jayhawks (21-13; 11-9 Big 12) 79-72.

Therefore, while it may seem that Arkansas has no legitimate chance against the Red Storm, it has defied the odds throughout the season, including against Michigan, Kentucky, Missouri, and Vanderbilt. Without question, to think the Razorbacks cannot upset St. John's is not wise. St. John's will not hand an upset to Arkansas, however. The Razorbacks will have to earn a victory against Rick Pitino's excellent team. As we prepare to watch this clash, we need to know the players available to play for Arkansas to resolve how likely an upset is.

Arkansas vs. St. John's Injury Report

Boogie Fland, the Razorbacks' star freshman point guard, returned to action against the Kansas Jayhawks after missing months due to a significant hand injury. Fland's hand injury was considered to end his season. However, the Hogs were fortunate to learn that Fland could return to playing. He made valuable contributions to team against Kansas in his return to action.

Unfortunately, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Adou Thiero, Arkansas's leading scorer, will not play today. Thiero continues to battle a serious knee injury.

Therefore, the Arkansas Razorbacks will operate with an eight-man rotation and must, once again, meet the challenge of not having their leading scorer on the court.

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