Arkansas star Boogie Fland to miss remainder of season as first-year struggles continue for John Calipari…Read more.

Arkansas standout freshman Boogie Fland, a projected top-10 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, will miss the rest of the 2024-25 season due to a hand injury, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. Fland has been managing the injury since the Razorbacks’ game against Florida on January 11.

Arkansas coach John Calipari revealed Saturday that Boogie Fland injured his hand during the Razorbacks’ game against Florida when teammate Billy Richmond landed on him. “His hand is pretty bad,” Calipari said. “We don’t know what we’ll do moving forward, but we need to make sure it heals properly.”

 

Fland, ranked No. 9 in CBS Sports’ NBA Draft Prospect Rankings, is second on the team in scoring (15.1 points per game) behind Adou Thiero and leads in assists (5.7). He recorded four points and six assists in Arkansas’ 83-65 loss to Missouri on Saturday, dropping the Razorbacks to 0-5 in SEC play in Calipari’s first season.

Originally committed to Kentucky, Boogie Fland joined Arkansas after following John Calipari from Lexington, along with fellow freshmen Karter Knox and Billy Richmond. Ranked No. 22 in the 2024 recruiting class by 247Sports, Fland is the second-highest-rated signee in Razorbacks history, trailing only Nick Smith, the top recruit in 2022.

What does this mean for Arkansas?

John Calipari’s first season at Arkansas has been off to a rough start following his highly publicized departure from Kentucky. The Razorbacks are 0-5 in SEC play, joining South Carolina as the only winless teams in the conference entering the fourth week of the year. Three of Arkansas’ losses have been by double digits, including a 76-52 defeat at Tennessee to open conference play, followed by setbacks against Ole Miss, Florida, LSU, and Missouri.

Fland’s injury is a significant blow, as Arkansas loses both a key scorer and its primary offensive facilitator. Meanwhile, former FAU star Johnell Davis, ranked as the No. 1 transfer by CBS Sports, has struggled in a reduced role under Calipari. After averaging a career-high 18.2 points last season, Davis is now posting just 8.3 points and 1.4 assists per game in over 28 minutes of action.

Arkansas was left out of CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology projections by Jerry Palm. The Razorbacks have struggled in Quad 1 games, holding a 1-7 record, with their only win coming on a neutral court against Michigan last month. However, they still have opportunities to strengthen their résumé with a challenging remaining schedule that features road games against Kentucky, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Texas.

 

Securing victories without Fland, arguably their most impactful player, will be a challenge unless someone like Davis makes significant strides down the stretch.

 

 

 

 

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