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Arkansas updates status of Adou Thiero for second-round game vs. St. John’s
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Arkansas will once again be without guard Adou Thiero on Saturday when it takes on St. John’s in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach John Calipari confirmed to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein prior to the game that Thiero, who has not played since Feb. 22 with a knee injury, will not be available for the Razorbacks. Arkansas got guard Boogie Fland back for its first-round win over Kansas, but was still limited to just 8 players.
There was some hope that Thiero might be able to make a return against the Johnnies. Calipari told reporters on Friday that Thiero was “out there” with the Razorbacks during practice but he remained skeptical about the junior guard being available for the second-round matchup.
“The kid will try to convince me, but you’ve got to be able to go in and help,” Calipari said.
Thiero is the Razorbacks’ leading scorer this season, contributing 15.6 points per game. He’s also the team’s leading rebounder on the season, averaging 6 a night, and its leading turnover creator with 1.7 steals per game.
In a win over Mizzou on Feb. 22, Thiero hyperextended his knee and has been out with the injury ever since.
The 10th-seeded Razorbacks were happy to welcome Fland back to the rotation in their 79-72 win over 7-seed Kansas, however. In 24 minutes off the bench, Fland scored 6 points and finished with 3 assists and 3 steals. He was a major part of the Arkansas operation when he left the lineup back on Jan. 18.
Regardless of who’s available, Arkansas expects to have its hands full with 2-seed St. John’s on Saturday. The Red Storm won their first-round game 83-53. In Rick Pitino’s second season at the helm of the program, St. John’s had a program-record 31 wins and just captured its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2000.
The Razorbacks are a 6.5-point underdog in the game, via ESPN Bet. Tipoff is set for 2:40 p.m. ET on CBS.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
