OPINION: A Star’s Stolen Spotlight: Fland’s Absence and the Razorbacks’ Unexpected Rise

The Razorbacks’ rise in conference play defines the difference between team and individual successes.

The Sports Reporter Collective

Lo Jones | Aspiring Journalist

April 8, 2025

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – At the start of the season, Boogie Fland was the centerpiece of Razorback basketball. A freshman All-American with a skillset destined for the pros, Fland put up historic numbers and displayed the kind of talent NBA scouts dream of. NCAA basketball fans and sportscasters nationwide assumed it would be on Fland’s shoulders that the Razorbacks would make a deep run in March.

Despite missing 15 games in the second half of the season due to a nagging hand injury, Fland’s legacy has proven to be unmatched. By the end of the 2024-25 season, Fland became just the fourth freshman in Razorback history to record over a hundred assists, over 30 three-pointers, and over 30 steals in a season. He averaged 13.5 points and 5.14 assists per game and posted a freshman-record-breaking assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.71. 

Contrary to popular pre-season expectations, the Hogs struggled when Fland was on the floor. The team drowned in early SEC play, getting off to an ugly 0-5 start. Then, things continued to go downhill. The Hogs’ leading scorer went down with a hand injury, requiring surgery and being forced to sit a full 15 games; a reappearance was deemed nearly impossible.

But somehow, with Fland’s absence, the Razorbacks got better.

Without their best player, the Razorbacks came alive. The offense became more balanced. Formerly background players Adou Thiero, Trevon Brazile, and Johnell Davis stepped up as clutch scorers and defenders. Thiero emerged as a physical threat, and the team managed to climb out of the grave they’d dug themselves, securing an NCAA Tournament bid with an 11-7 record that once felt unattainable.

Then came the final twist. Fland defied all odds and managed recovery just in time for March Madness, and Razorback Nation’s expectations and hopes skyrocketed again. Would his comeback push Arkansas over the top and boost the team’s climbing momentum? 

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. He played, but his impact was limited—to just six points in each tournament game. Some fans speculated that he wasn’t fully recovered and that a quick return was rushed. Others were simply thankful for the opportunity to see Fland in a Hog jersey again. Since the tournament, fans have been left questioning: would the Hogs have made a deeper tournament run without Fland? 

This isn’t to say that Fland isn’t an impressive player—he is. He’s expected to be picked early in the NBA Draft this year. But this season proved that being the most talented player on a team doesn’t directly correlate with being the most valuable. When the offense revolved around Fland, the wins just weren’t coming. Once the Razorbacks were forced to adopt a well-rounded and balanced team-first approach, they got hot. 

Basketball is a team game. And sometimes, the best player just isn’t the most important one.

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REPORTER’S BIO | Lo Jones is a junior majoring in multimedia storytelling in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Note: Featured photo courtesy of Arkansas Razorbacks