New York point guards take center stage when Arkansas basketball faces No. 1 Tennessee

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Arkansas basketball’s SEC opener against No. 1 Tennessee on Saturday will feature an exciting matchup between point guards from New York.

The Razorbacks’ (11-2) Boogie Fland and the Volunteers’ (13-0) Zakai Zeigler both hail from the Big Apple. Zeigler is from Long Island, while Fland calls the Bronx home. The two never crossed paths at the high school level with a three-year difference in age.

But Fland knows what to expect in Knoxville.

“I respect his game, I respect what he’s doing over there. It’s going to be a dog fight, you know, two New York natives going at it,” Fland said.

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Zeigler is averaging 11.8 points and 8.3 assists per game as a senior. He was a three-star prospect in the 2021 class, so his rise to become one of the best players in America is a testament to Tennessee’s development.

But five-star New York point guards have a storied history in the sport. From Kemba Walker to Nate Archibald, there are no shortage of stars who were ballyhooed prospects at the high school level.

Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) during a college basketball game between Tennessee and Norfolk State held at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.

Fland falls into that category. He was a top-20 recruit coming out of Archbishop Stepinac and the next in line of a long list of NBA point guards to play under John Calipari.

He’s living up to the hype, too. Fland is averaging 15.9 points and 6.2 assists. No freshman in America is dishing out more assists per game, and Fland is shooting 40.3% on 3-pointers. He made all five 3-point attempts and scored 23 of his 24 points in the second half during Monday’s 92-62 win over Oakland.

“When he competes and plays at a high level, he’s as good as anybody,” Calipari said.

Dec 21, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Boogie Fland (2) passes…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/york-point-guards-center-stage-100906958.html

Author : Ft. Smith Southwest Times Record

Publish date : 2025-01-02 10:09:00

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