Arkansas Razorbacks forward Adou Thiero (3) drives against Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (4) during the first half at Bud Walton Arena. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
PROVIDEMCE, R.I. — Apparently watching everyone get in on the fun of a big win over Kansas in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament was all Arkansas forward Adou Thiero needed to see.
Word came down Friday morning that if Thiero can power his way through practice today, he will be listed as available for Saturday’s game against No. 2 seed St. John’s.
Arkansas’ Adou Thiero (knee) might play on Saturday in the Round of 32 against St. John’s if he practices today, per John Calipari.Has not played since 2/22.
Averages 15.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 21, 2025
This comes on the heels of freshman guard Boogie Fland’s successful return in the win over the Jayhawks where he played nearly twice the expected minutes despite taking several hard fouls that could have potentially re-injured his surgically repaired hand.
The last time Arkansas fans saw Thiero was in a home win over Missouri. He had 11 points and five rebounds in just over 25 minutes before going down late with a leg injury.
In addition to watching everyone have great games against Kansas, one bit of inspiration for his potential return may have come from what Arkansas coach John Calipari said afterward in regard to the Hogs’ struggles with the zone that almost cost the Hogs the game.
“I thought I prepared us for zone, but I did a poor job, but we learned about ourselves because in the past with Adou Thiero we’d just get the ball in the middle,” Calipari said. “Now we tried to do the same with other players, but they’re not Adou. So, we had to go to a different thing, and the kids hung on. Made shots, made free throws.”
While the Tweet indicates the line for Thiero playing is simply if he practices Friday, the bar is more likely whether he can successfully practice. If he gives it a go and can’t finish, then odds are slim he will play.
However, at a time of the year where gamesmanship can be worth a few points here and there, simply wording it as “if he practices” just added a whole new layer of preparation St. John’s coach Rick Pitino is going to have to put his staff and players through at the last second when every moment of preparation is so vital to a team’s success.
While Calipari will probably know for sure whether he will have his star forward available quite soon, chances are Pitino and Arkansas fans will have to wait until shortly before 1:40 p.m. Satuday to know for sure which way this one is going to go. There would be no advantage to handling it any other say.
