Boogie Fland surprised himself by in returning for Arkansas basketball's March Madness run
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Arkansas basketball season appeared doomed when Boogie Fland was ruled out with a thumb injury with no timetable to return on Jan. 21.
But without one of their leading scorers and top creators on offense, the Razorbacks overcame an 0-5 start in the SEC and will face Kansas in the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament first round on Thursday. Fland will be part of the postseason journey, getting medically approved to play on Saturday.
If Arkansas' run into the March Madness bracket was a surprise, Fland's return is a stunner. Not even the freshman point guard from New York thought he would return this season.
"At that moment, I was like, 'I'm shutting it down'. I was pushing it too much," Fland said Wednesday. "Then I started progressing and doing rehab. That's when it started coming into my mind that I could potentially come back, so we made a decision to go for it."
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Arkansas went 9-6 without Fland, who was averaging 15.1 points and 5.7 assists before the injury. He was the best shot creator on the roster, scoring for himself and setting up teammates in the half-court and transition.
But Arkansas rallied and started to click when D.J. Wagner assumed the point guard duties. Fland was dealing with his rehab, excited about the Razorbacks' progress and trying to stay patient about a potential return.
No one — not even Fland — knows what to expect Thursday when he makes his return. John Calipari isn't putting a minutes restriction on the freshman, but the head coach said Fland went 'light' in the Hogs closed practice due to a little pain. Fland participated in the open shoot around without any noticeable limitations.
Regardless of Fland's future output, his teammates are thrilled he's back in the rotation.
"Man, it's great to have Boogie. We need some buckets, and that's what he does. He opens up the floor for everyone," Billy Richmond said.
And Fland is ready to savor the moment he always envisioned.
"As a kid, you dream of this," Fland said. You sit on the couch watching this. Now, to be inside of it, it's kind of crazy. It's a dream come true."
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball's Boogie Fland surprises himself with return for March Madness
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