John Calipari Updates That He Doesn’t Know the Extent of Boogie Fland’s Injury and Is Unsure About His Return

Razorbacks fans just can’t catch a break in this conference nightmare. With loss after loss, Arkansas is now in danger of missing the NCAA tournament altogether, and John Calipari seems powerless to do anything about it. The latest blow came on Saturday with a defeat to the Missouri Tigers, further deepening the pain, like kicking someone when they’re already down.

Coach Cal’s team could only muster 65 points to the Tigers’ dominant 83. Sixth-man Ivisic led the Razorbacks in scoring and rebounds with a 14 point double-double. A major reason for Arkansas’ struggles against Missouri was the injury of Boogie Fland, and the subsequent three-point shooting deficit.

In the post-game interview, John Calipari addressed the freshman’s injury. “Boogie’s hand, he fell in the game at our place against Florida. Billy jumped on him, so his hand is pretty bad.” The coach said about his star freshman. “Don’t know what we’ll do going forward but we’ve gotta make sure we get that thing right.” 

The three-point shooting disparity between the two teams was massive. Missouri shot nearly 50% from three, while Arkansas was at less than half their efficiency. They both attempted 23 shots, the Razorbacks made 5, and the Tigers made 11.

Mentality has been pivotal for Arkansas basketball, and Calipari emphasized how important a winning mindset is for his team in the future. “My whole thought is how do I keep this team in a mindset that they understand it’s a team to beat Michigan. It’s a team that went on the road and won. It’s a team that has won tough games, lost a couple of tough ones…When you get in this league, it can demoralize you.”

Coach Cal then talked about how the team should “be free and loose on offense,” but the Razorbacks kept missing shots. This five game losing streak has been all about missing shots. Arkansas keeps missing ’em, and their opponents keep making ’em. If they don’t figure something out, the Razorbacks are nearing the point of no return.

Arkansas has a big free-throw problem

A pattern begins to emerge when you break down this losing streak game by game. It started with a lack of rebounds, but it has evolved into a much bigger issue. Simply put, Arkansas is giving up too many foul shots. And if you look at the last few games, it’s clear just how much of a problem this has become.

The Razorbacks are allowing opponents to get to the free-throw line again and again. Over the past three games, Florida, LSU, and Missouri combined for over 65 free throw attempts. The issue is that those teams are converting their shots, while the Hogs are not.

Conceding 19 free throw attempts, and only getting to the line 8 times wasn’t great for their chances of winning. On top of that, they’re converting their attempts at a lower rate. Missouri hit 14 out of the 19 free throw attempts, while Arkansas hit only 4 out of 8. The Razorbacks are driving in the hopes of drawing fouls, but it hasn’t panned out for them thus far.

If Boogie Fland remains injured for long, the Hogs will have very low chances of making any kind of run. Their postseason future hangs in the balance due to their ongoing losing streak, but all hope is not lost. Basketball is a game of perseverance, and if the Razorbacks dig deep and stay resilient, they might just have a shot. What do you think? Will Calipari’s team recover from the setbacks they’re facing? Can they still qualify for the NCAA tournament? Only time will tell.