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John Calipari addresses postseason status of Adou Thiero, Boogie Fland
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John Calipari’s resilient Arkansas team continues to surge toward an NCAA Tournament berth, and the Razorbacks are doing it the hard way.
As in, the Hogs are continuing to forge on without 2 of their most important players in forward Adou Thiero and guard Boogie Fland.
Sure, 9th-seeded Arkansas took a 17-point halftime lead before holding on for a 72-68 victory over hapless South Carolina on Wednesday afternoon that got the Razorbacks to the 20-win plateau and earned them a berth in the second round of the SEC Tournament. The Hogs will take on 8th-seeded Ole Miss on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET in Nashville, with a trip to the quarterfinals on the line.
But they’ll be without Thiero and Fland going forward at the SEC Tournament, and then … who knows. When Calipari was asked point blank about the status of his 2 injured players on Wednesday, it was pretty apparent that they’re still very much on the mend.
First, Calipari was asked if he expected Thiero or Fland to have even a shot to come back this season at all.
“Depends on how far we advance,” answered Coach Cal, who is never shy about his words.
Then came a follow-up question about the duo coming back later this week in Nashville should the Razorbacks advance far enough.
“Not in this tournament. We advance a couple weeks, maybe,” shot back Calipari.
Obviously, Calipari was referring to the NCAA Tournament, where Arkansas will almost assuredly be heading, especially after Wednesday’s first-round victory.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
