Arkansas forward Adou Thiero’s 24-point performance Saturday night wasn’t enough to defeat the No. 8 Baylor Bears as the 16th-ranked Razorbacks suffered a 72-67 loss at the American Airlines Center in Dallas .
A transfer from Kentucky who came over with head coach John Calipari, Thiero was praised throughout the offseason for his athleticism with his 6-foot-8, 220-pound frame. He showed that all night against Baylor, adding five rebounds, two blocks, two assists and a steal to go along with his points.
“He’s in attack mode now,” Calipari said of Thiero after the match. “Instead of playing with the ball, he is in attack mode. He can now get where he needs to go. He’ll probably need to make a little stop so that if he gets stuck, he can turn around and make plays for his teammates. Maybe that’s one of the things he can do for us. But he was also defending a very physical guy, so he did a little bit of everything.
Thiero was a big reason Arkansas was able to stay as close as it did with the Bears. He was 10 of 15 shooting from the field, plus he added a pair of triples on four attempts and he was 2 of 4 from the free throw line.
“Man, I tell you, I love this kid,” Baylor head coach Scott Drew said of Thiero. “Coaches love guys who play with motor and play hard. And we recruited his father. We lost him too. So a really, really, really, really talented player, and someone I will root for because I like the way he plays.
The Razorbacks struggled early and often against Baylor’s zone defense, but it seemed like Thiero was one of the few who found a way to put the ball in the basket consistently. Thiero, Boogie Fland and DJ Wagner were the only Arkansas players to make more than two field goals in the game.
“We’re not in sync yet, where we will be, but in the second half we did some good things,” Calipari said. “We gave ourselves a chance. We pressed a little bit, showing, okay, maybe this is something we can do. That’s what you’re trying to do in these games. It’s November. They’re a top 10 team and we’re going down and giving it a chance. The kids gave us a chance to win.
Thiero’s protection at the rim was strong at times, but he was also overpowered a few times, notably by Baylor forward Norchad Omier.
“Norchad was great tonight and I thought we did a better job of getting him the ball and it was a pace where he could be effective,” Drew said after the game.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Thiero is now averaging 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, although this is a two-game sample size. He averaged 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in 25 games played at Kentucky last season.
“He’s doing well,” guard Boogie Fland said. “I’m just playing on the team. Don’t overdo it. I just get to his spots where he knows he can make shots. He’s just a big factor for this team.
Arkansas will host the Troy Trojans on Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. The game will begin at 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.
