Boogie Fland injury update: Insider shares major news on Arkansas guard's availability ahead of March Madness
The Arkansas Razorbacks are going to be one of the more interesting teams during Selection Sunday as they finished the season with a 20-13 record and were able to win a game in the SEC Tournament before being eliminated in the second round by the Ole Miss Rebels. They have been playing without one of their premier playmakers, freshman guard Boogie Fland.
Fland suffered a hand injury against the Florida Gators on Jan. 11 and underwent surgery later in the month on his right thumb and it was expected that his season could be over. However, that may not be the case. ESPN College Basketball Analyst Seth Greenberg received a text from Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari with an update on the status of Boogie Fland.
"They expect Boogie Fland to play in their next game."
Boogie Fland played in 18 games this season and shot 39.1% from the floor, 36.5% from the 3-point line, and 83.9% from the free-throw line. He averaged 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.5 steals in 34.1 minutes per game. Getting Fland back in the rotation for the Razorbacks would be a huge addition.
Will the Arkansas Razorbacks make the NCAA Tournament?
The Arkansas Razorbacks are one of the teams that are on the bubble in terms of making the NCAA Tournament. The team struggled against quality opponents as they were 5-10 in Quad 1 games and 3-3 in Quad 2 games during the season. They finished No. 39 in the NET Rankings as well as No. 40 on KenPom.
The projections have the Arkansas Razorbacks making the NCAA Tournament as the Southeastern Conference is expected to have a heavy presence in the field of 68. ESPN's Joe Lunardi has the program being one of the last four teams to not be involved in the first four games.
All the major bracketologists are in agreeance that Arkansas should be one of the at-large bids during Selection Sunday. With the program making a late push, winning five of their last seven games heading into this point, they seemingly have done enough to make the NCAA Tournament and compete for the national championship.