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Arkansas (20-13) faces Kansas (21-12) in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. Both teams were tabbed as favorites in the preseason but encountered several bumps on their journey to March Madness.
The Razorbacks, coached by one-time national champion John Calipari, went 8-10 in the SEC regular season and were bounced out of the SEC Tournament in the second round. On the other hand, the Bill Self-coached Jayhawks were 11-9 in the Big 12 regular season and got booted out by Arizona in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
Both received an at-large bid to qualify for March Madness 2025. Let's take a look at the injury reports of both teams before their first-round duel:
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Arkansas vs Kansas basketball injury report
Arkansas injury report
Adou Thiero, forward (knee) — Out
Arkansas coach John Calipari announced that leading scorer Adou Thiero will miss the first-round clash against Kansas due to a lingering knee issue. The 6-foot-8 Kentucky transfer averaged 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game before the injury sidelined him beginning on Feb. 22.
Boogie Fland, guard (hand) — Probable
Arkansas will have five-star freshman Boogie Fland back in time for the first-round showdown against Kansas. Fland was out since Jan. 18 after suffering a hand injury and was expected to be out for the season as he underwent thumb surgery on Jan. 22 to repair the UCL on his right thumb.
Razorbacks coach John Calipari said he plans to use Fland off the bench to help him get use to his surroundings. Fland averaged 15.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.7 apg and 1.5 spg before sustaining the injury.
Kansas injury report
Shakeel Moore, guard (foot) — Questionable
Shakeel Moore has been dealing with a foot injury since Feb. 21 and is deemed uncertain to take the court on Thursday for the Jayhawks. In 19 games this season, the 6-foot-1 Moore has averaged 3.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.4 apg in 14.4 minutes.
Zach Clemence, forward (groin) - Out
Zach Clemence has suffered a groin injury since Dec. 21 and Kansas officials ruled him out for the season. In eight games for the Jayhawks, the 6-foot-11 Clemence averaged 1.4 ppg and 1.4 rpg.
Arkansas vs Kansas prediction
Arkansas and Kansas have met 14 times on the court, with the Jayhawks leading the all-time series 8-6. However, the Razorbacks won the last two games, including a 72-71 victory in the 2023 NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet 16 and a 65-64 decision in the 2005 Maui Invitational.
They've met two times in the NCAA Tournament and are tied at one apiece. With its key players Hunter Dickinson, Zeke Mayo and KJ Adams Jr healthy to play, Kansas is favored to exact revenge over the Adou Thiero-less Arkansas.
Expect Bill Self and the Jayhawks to run over the John Calipari-led Razorbacks and advance to the next round.
Prediction: Kansas Jayhawks 80, Arkansas Razorbacks 66
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