Arkansas basketball is getting hit with a significant loss ahead of its critical SEC Tournament opener against South Carolina. The Razorbacks cannot afford another bad loss for its NCAA Tournament chances. John Calipari's team is currently listed by ESPN as one of the “Last Four Byes” in its projected bracket. This team is on thin ice and in danger of not making it to “The Big Dance,” which would be disappointing in its new head coach's first year.

To avoid a loss to the sub-. .500 Gamecocks, the Razorbacks will need other players to step up without their leading scorer. According to CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, star forward Adou Thiero is out for Wednesday's game with a knee injury. The junior, who has not played since February 22, leads the team with 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game.

Arkansas basketball has to win on Wednesday without its featured star

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Adou Thiero (3) reacts after making a basket during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
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Thiero has taken a huge step up in his development after playing two years at Kentucky. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native transferred from Lexington to Fayetteville when John Calipari made the shocking move to Arkansas this past offseason. With a revamped roster, Razorbacks subsequently came into the season as the No. 16-ranked team in the country. After an 11-2 nonconference stretch, Arkansas basketball had a very uneven season in the vaunted SEC.

John Calipari's team finished the regular season 8-10 in conference play. The program's worst stretch of the year came right away when it started 0-5 against SEC opponents. Fortunately, this group has, for the most part, turned things around. The Razorbacks have picked up several big wins since that dismal start, including a few against ranked opponents. That includes a crucial victory against No. 12 Kentucky in John Calipari's return to Lexington. Arkansas basketball now sits at 19-12 overall and 6-9 against Quadrant 1 teams.

Overall, with Adou Thiero out, players like D.J. Wagner and Johnell Davis will need to step up on Wednesday. The two guards are capable and talented enough to live up to this challenge. Before joining the Razorbacks, Davis was the best player on a Florida Atlantic team that made the Final Four. And Wagner is a former five-star recruit who has shown flashes of being an NBA-caliber guard on several occasions.

While the SEC is bound to get a lot of teams in the NCAA Tournament, it'd be best for the Razorbacks not to leave too much room for error for the selection committee. A win on Wednesday basically guarantees the Razorbacks' entry into March Madness. And hopefully, by then, the team can get Adou Thiero back. Should the program get its star forward back by the beginning of the Tournament, this team can definitely make a run that surprises many fans.