Report sheds light on status of Duke player hit by fan

Kyle Filipowski. Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Report sheds light on status of Duke's Kyle Filipowski after court-storming collision

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 2/28/24

Despite suffering a knee injury when Wake Forest fans stormed the court following an 83-79 victory over Duke this past Saturday, Blue Devils star Kyle Filipowski isn't expected to miss any time.

Per Adam Zagoria of NJ.com, the 7-footer will suit up Wednesday in a home game against Louisville.

Kyle Filipowski is expected to play tonight for @DukeMBB , per source
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) February 28, 2024

On Monday, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said Filipowski was "a little bit sore," so it wouldn't be a surprise if he gets off to a slow start against the Cardinals. Still, this is great news for the Blue Devils.

Arguably their best player, the sophomore leads the team in points (16.9), rebounds (8.2) and blocks (1.7). No. 10 Duke (21-6) is second in the ACC behind archrival No. 9 North Carolina (22-6), meaning it needs the big man to keep rolling to win the conference and improve its championship chances. As of Wednesday, FanDuel gives the Blue Devils the ninth-best national title odds (+2200).

Court-storming, meanwhile, is under fire. It's not the first time it's resulted in an accident with a star player. Earlier this season, Ohio State fans collided with Iowa women's guard Caitlin Clark after the Buckeyes upset the Hawkeyes.

Kansas head coach Bill Self told ESPN's Myron Medcalf, "Let's totally get rid of (court-storming)" before it spirals out of control.

While it may not result in a ban, don't be surprised if conferences make changes. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark claimed he and other commissioners will meet and continue to work on solutions.

Only 11 of 32 Division I conferences currently have a court-storming policy.

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