On Tuesday afternoon, John Calipari joined the Pat McAfee Show and dropped huge news for Arkansas' Sweet Sixteen game against Texas Tech. The Razorbacks' leading scorer, Adou Thiero, will be available on Thursday when the Hogs take on the Red Raiders.
Theiro missed the last nine games with a hyper-extended knee suffered against Missouri. And since then, he's been working to return to the court.
"Adou wanted to play. The only reason he's playing is he said, 'I'm playing. I wanna help this team.'" said Arkansas head coach John Calipari.
He may be coming back, but coach Cal is making sure Thiero has time to acclimate. “With Adou…we need his toughness and his athleticism... The most he’ll play is 12 minutes. Maybe 15. But you got to prepare now because we’re a different team.”
While Calipari says Thiero has a minutes restriction, the Hall of Fame coach said the same about freshman Boogie Fland, who returned to the team following a thumb surgery as the NCAA Tournament started. However, Fland played 44 minutes between Kansas and St. John's. If push comes to shove, the Pittsburgh, Pa. product may see closer to 20-25 minutes like his teammate, Fland.
Before his injury, the Kentucky transfer was the crunch time, go-to option for the Hogs, averaging 15.6 points, six rebounds, and 1.7 steals a game and shooting at a 55 percent clip. With his return, not only will Arkansas return arguably its most physical/aggressive player, but the Razorbacks will be fielding a team without injury for the first time since the season began.
I'll break this news with you..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 25, 2025
Adou Thiero is available against Texas Tech"@CoachCalArk #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/NwyvW1YCmi
Arkansas and Texas Tech will tip off late Thursday evening at 9:09 PM on TBS or TruTV.