North Carolina A&T Aggies vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 21st 2024

Preview and Prediction

Boogie Fland is widely regarded as a one-and-done college player, and his performance on the court continues to prove why he is held in such high esteem.

The current Southeastern Conference Player of the Week is looking to maintain his strong form as Arkansas takes on North Carolina A&T this Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Despite knowing that Fland would be leaving for the NBA after just one season, Razorbacks coach John Calipari still recruited him and entrusted him with the role of leading the team's offense.

Fland has adapted quickly and is currently second on the team in scoring with an average of 15.5 points per game. He also leads the team in assists with 5.7 per game and has made the most three-pointers (21) and steals (21) for the Razorbacks.

In their last two games, Fland had impressive performances with 20 points and seven assists against No. 14 Michigan, followed by 16 points, nine assists, five rebounds, and five steals against Central Arkansas.

The game against Central Arkansas also saw Fland come close to achieving his first collegiate double-double.

"I had a lot of fun out there and enjoyed finding my teammates," Fland said after the game. "I was hoping to get a double-double, but it didn't happen. Maybe next game."

Despite missing their top scorer and rebounder Adou Thiero (18.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg) due to illness, the Razorbacks still managed to secure a comfortable 82-57 victory over Central Arkansas.

Arkansas is currently on a four-game winning streak heading into their matchup with North Carolina A&T.

On the other hand, North Carolina A&T (3-9) has been struggling, losing their last seven games since their 86-63 victory over Morgan State on November 20th.

Their most recent loss was a 73-68 defeat at home against Coastal Carolina on Tuesday. The game was tied at 59 with just over three minutes remaining, but Coastal Carolina pulled away in the end.

"We pride ourselves on our defense," North Carolina A&T coach Monte Ross said after the game. "We needed to get stops, but we just couldn't. Credit to Coastal, they made some big shots down the stretch and we couldn't stop them."

Interestingly, North Carolina A&T's top two scorers, Landon Glasper and Ryan Forrest, both hail from Arkansas. Glasper, who played at Fayetteville High, is averaging 19 points per game while Forrest, who played at Marion High, is averaging 18 points per game.

In their last game, Glasper equaled his season-high of 29 points and career-best of eight rebounds, while Forrest had a season-low of just four points on 2-of-13 shooting.

Arkansas has won all three previous meetings between the two teams, with the most recent being an 87-59 victory at home on December 29th, 2010.

PREDICTION

North Carolina A&T Aggies

Arkansas Razorbacks

North Carolina A&T Aggies vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Recap DEC 21TH 2024

Jonas Aidoo recorded season highs of 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots to help Arkansas roll to an easy 95-67 victory over North Carolina A&T on Saturday afternoon at Fayetteville, Ark.

Adou Thiero scored 14 points and Boogie Fland had 12 points and 11 assists for his first career double-double for the Razorbacks. Trevon Brazile and Karter Knox had 11 points apiece as Arkansas (10-2) won its fifth consecutive game.

D.J. Wagner and Billy Richmond III added 10 points apiece for the Razorbacks, who led by as many as 37 points and never trailed.

Ryan Forrest had 19 points and eight rebounds and Landon Glasper had 16 points for North Carolina A&T (3-10), which lost its eighth straight game.

Both players are Arkansas natives. Glasper played at Fayetteville High and Forrest played for Marion (Ark.) High. Forrest was just 8-of-28 shooting and Glasner made 7 of 21.

The Aggies connected on 36 percent of their attempts and were 4 of 22 from behind the arc.

The Razorbacks shot 50 percent from the field but were just 6 of 24 from 3-point range. Brazile collected nine rebounds for the Hogs.

Brazile had 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting as Arkansas cruised to a 54-31 halftime advantage.

Aidoo had seven points during the Razorbacks' 12-3 game-opening run. After the Aggies closed within two on a 3-pointer by Forrest, Arkansas went on a 14-4 run with a three-point play by Richmond making it 26-14 with 12:29 left in the half.

A dunk by Brazile made it 37-19 with 4:37 left. A short time later, a 7-0 burst made it 46-24.

Knox made two free throws with 1:51 left for the 23-point lead.

Fland scored five points during a 7-0 run to start the second half to push the advantage to 61-31.

Thiero drained a 3-pointer to give Arkansas a 72-40 lead with 13:45 remaining.

Aidoo's layup made it 82-45 with 9:14 left and the Razorbacks finished it out.