Arkansas freshman guard Boogie Fland, who had thumb surgery in January and missed the last 15 games of the regular season, is expected to return to the court for the Razorbacks in the NCAA Tournament, per a release from the program.
According to the release, Fland has been medically cleared to resume basketball activities and will begin practicing with the team immediately. Barring any setbacks, he is anticipated to be available to play in the NCAA Tournament.
The New York City native has not played since Jan. 18, but ESPN Analyst Seth Greenberg — who said that coach John Calipari texted him the news Saturday — also noted that Fland is expected to practice with the team tomorrow. In the 18 games Fland has played, he averaged 15.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
"I just got a text from John Calipari, Boogie Fland is working out and is expected to go full practice tomorrow," Greenberg said. "Unless he gets a setback, they expect him to play in their next game. (Calipari) said Boogie's most important thing is he wants to be part of the solution. He wants to help these guys, and he respects all they've accomplished."
It had been previously reported that Fland would miss the remainder of the season because of the thumb surgery, which was performed in New York City on Jan. 22.
The former five-star's season-high in scoring came against Oakland on Dec. 30, when he scored 24 points on 56.3% shooting, and he's scored in double figures in 15 of the 18 games he's appeared in.
Fland's injury came when the Hogs played Florida on Jan. 11, which hampered his ability to shoot in losses to both LSU and Missouri. He scored 19 points against LSU but just four against Missouri. He shot just 8-for-30 (26.6%) combined in those games.
It's unclear how involved Fland will be after his extended absence from the floor, but his return provides one more player for Calipari to use, and will provide more depth for a roster that has used just seven rotation players in recent weeks.
The Razorbacks will find out their NCAA Tournament seeding on Selection Sunday, which begins at 5 p.m. CT on CBS.
