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Pros vs. Cons: Will Fland's Return Help or Hurt the Hogs?

Arkansas became a better team when Boogie was hurt as Davis, Wagner finally flourished
Bob Stephens|
Arkansas would benefit from an emotional lift if Boogie Fland is able to play in the NCAA Tournament. He'd likely also provide a boost in team performance.
Arkansas would benefit from an emotional lift if Boogie Fland is able to play in the NCAA Tournament. He'd likely also provide a boost in team performance. | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

Strangely, coach John Calipari's first Arkansas team got better at mid-season through a simple formula: addition by subtraction.

Without its best ballhandler, second-leading scorer, and effective clutch player — somehow, some way — Arkansas was better off without Boogie Fland.

Yep, that subtraction was huge. Fland, the scintillating point guard, was supposedly lost for the season due to surgery on his right thumb, a vital part of his right-handed shot.

But additions were crucial to the Razorbacks' mid-season turnaround. They were 0-5 in the SEC with Fland but found their footing after he was sidelined.

Those huge additions were multiple but mostly involved D.J. Wagner and Johnell Davis, who had to step up and take on more responsibility for ball handling and scoring, along with on-court leadership.

They responded admirably. Wagner ran the offense and was freed up to attack the rim more easily from top of the key while Davis became a steady double-digit scorer.

Others followed suit. Freshmen Karter Knox and Billy Richmond III got more minutes with Fland out and showed why they were 5-star recruits, capable of scoring and defending.

The Hogs' three big men took turns in starring roles. First, it was Zvonmir Ivisic with 3-pointers and blocked shots. Trevon Brazile and Jonas Aidoo have become studs of late, the former with high-flying dunks and 3-balls, the latter with an impressive post-up game and solid defense.

Those seven Hogs have done it without Fland and without leading scorer Adou Thiero, out with a hyperextended knee. Thiero is deemed doubtful for the Hogs' first game in the NCAA Tournament, which almost certainly means he'd miss the first week of games.

Calipari got the attention of the entire college basketball world Saturday with a tweet to ESPN's Seth Greenberg, announcing that Fland has been medically cleared to practice and should play in the NCAA Tournament.

Obviously, that's a good development for the Razorbacks. But the $64 question is whether Fland's return will actually help the Hogs. There are clear reasons why it will but also perhaps a few arguments against.

PRO: First, the most obvious. Fland adds NBA talent to the Hogs' rotation. He'll be the most talented sixth man in the NCAA Tournament.

CON: Will he blend quickly and easily back into the rotation or will it somehow disrupt the flow and chemistry the Hogs have mostly exhibited without him?

PRO: Improved ball movement and screening has been part of Arkansas' increased efficiency and might be affected by Fland's return.

CON: Fland is accustomed to handling the ball an overwhelming percentage of the time, often yo-yoing his dribble to create his own shot,

PRO: Fland has the clutch gene and took over at times late in games, like when he scored the last seven points in the road win at Miami.

CON: Wagner and others have become accustomed to coming forward at crunch time. Will Calipari make the right call to have Fland in the game and who gets the ball?

PRO: Fland deepens the rotation, providing more breathers for others and keeping guys fresh for the final five minutes when games are often won and lost.

CON: The Razorbacks were 8-5 in the SEC without Fland, 0-5 with him in the lineup. They were 1-7 against top teams, counting Baylor, Illinois and Michigan. Clearly, they're better without him.

PRO: Quite simply, Fland gives the Hogs another scorer, another mature player to handle the ball in the final minutes of a tight game.

CON: His minutes would take away court time from fellow freshmen Karter Knox and Billy Richmond, who have mostly excelled lately.

PRO: Fland is more reliable with the ball in his hands than Richmond, especially in the final minutes of a tight game.

CON: Will Fland be rusty, prone to turnovers, perhaps in a crucial moment when he would not have made a mistake if he had played the entire season?

PRO: Fland was clearly one of the Hogs' two best players in the first 15 games, along with Thiero, before he was hurt against Florida.

CON: The Hogs were not on a path to earn an invitation to the Big Dance with Fland in the lineup. They improved with him on the sideline and looked like an NCAA Tournament team.

PRO: Fland and Wagner clearly can play well together, as when they starred together in Madison Square Garden to beat Michigan.

CON: Wagner came to the forefront more after Fland was hurt and had the opportunity to handle the ball and assert himself.

BOTTOM LINE
When a key player, especially a star player, is healthy and can return to the lineup, perhaps as a sub, don't ask any questions. Play him. See if he excels.

If Fland is somehow in mid-season form, Calipari will play him as much as his physical conditioning allows. He and the Hogs will live with the results.

HOGS FEED:

• Boogie's return could help solve Razorbacks' biggest problem

• Arkansas provides update on Thiero's status for tournament

• Hawaiian homers lets Razorbacks surf past Rebels for first SEC win

• Arkansas Drops SEC Doubleheader to No. 1 Oklahoma

• Razorbacks' Russell keeping weight loss fairly logical process

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Published
Bob Stephens
BOB STEPHENS

Bob Stephens won more than a dozen awards as a sportswriter and columnist in Northwest Arkansas from 1980 to 2003. He started as a senior for the 1975 Fayetteville Bulldogs’ state championship basketball team, and was drafted that summer in the 19th round by the St. Louis Cardinals but signed instead with Norm DeBriyn's Razorbacks, playing shortstop and third base. Bob has written for the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, New Jersey Star-Ledger, and many more. He covered the Razorbacks in three Final Fours, three College World Series, six New Year’s Day bowl games, and witnessed many track national championships. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Pati. Follow on X: @BobHogs56

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