John Calipari’s worries increase as Arkansas freshman set to miss the season with thumb injury

John Calipari is going through a rough stretch in his first season as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. His struggles took a turn for the worse as one of his best players will be out for the rest of the year.

The news was first shared by CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, who reported that star guard Boogie Fland, a projected first-round pick in this year’s NBA Draft, “will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season due to a hand injury.” His season comes to an end with numbers of 15.1 points, 5.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks.

During the Razorbacks' loss to the Florida Gators on Jan. 11, Fland landed on the court and teammate Billy Richmond III inadvertently came down on Fland's hand. He has since tried to play through the injury, but has shot 8 of 30 from the field as the team's offense has struggled.

Calipari confirmed the worries of Arkansas fans after the team's loss to Missouri on Jan. 18.

“His hand is pretty bad. Don’t know what we’ll do going forward. But we gotta make sure we get that right," Calipari said after the loss to Missouri.

What's next for John Calipari, Arkansas

With Boogie Fland sidelined for the year, John Calipari will have to turn to other players in the Razorbacks backcourt to make up for his absence.

One option he could consider is Johnell Davis, who has had a tough transition in his first season at Arkansas as he fell out of the rotation. He is only averaging 8.3 points and 1.4 assists in over 28 minutes of action per game.

However, with Fland now out, this presents a chance for Davis to return to the star form he had shown in his last two seasons with the Florida Atlantic Owls. He helped FAU make consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances including a Final Four run in 2023, putting up 18.2 points en route to being named co-AAC Player of the Year.

Arkansas holds an 11-7 record, sliding down the SEC standings with a five-game losing streak. They put up 77.4 points on 47.7% shooting from the field and 33.6% from beyond the arc, beating opponents by a margin of nine points per game.

Following Wednesday's encounter with the Georgia Bulldogs, John Calipari and the Razorbacks will prepare for their next matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Bud Walton Arena on Jan. 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET.