Kyle Filipowski has been in college basketball headlines over the past few days. The Duke star was involved in a court-storming incident over the weekend at Wake Forest after the Demon Deacons delivered an upset win over the Blue Devils.
The star center for head coach John Scheyer's crew was injured as a result of the collision, adding more fuel to the court-storming debate. However, it appears as though Filipowski is close to returning without missing a game.
No. 10 Duke resumes its regular season schedule on Wednesday night when it hosts Louisville at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The two sides previously met in late January when the Blue Devils posted an 83-69 road win over the Cardinals.
With just four games left before the conference tournament, Duke would like to get Filipowski back into the lineup. The 7-0 sophomore leads the team in points (16.9), rebounds (8.2), and blocks (1.7).
Here's what to know about Filipowski's status for Duke vs. Louisville.
DeCOURCY: Caitlin Clark collision another example why allowing court storms isn't worth the risk
Is Kyle Filipowski playing tonight?
Filipowski is expected to play Wednesday night for Duke's contest at home against Louisville, according to New York Times' Adam Zagoria.
Kyle Filipowski is expected to play tonight for @DukeMBB , per source
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) February 28, 2024
If Filipowski suits up tonight, he will not have missed any time after suffering the injury during the court storming at Wake Forest.
What is Kyle Filipowski's injury?
Filipowski injured his knee during the court-storming incident last Saturday after Duke fell to Wake Forest in ACC action.
Scheyer initially said after the game that Filipowski suffered a sprained ankle, but he later corrected himself.
The 20-year-old's status was not known as of Monday. Scheyer said the star center was "sore," but he was otherwise not certain about when he could return to action. It appears as though Filipowski has healed up since then and is ready to get back on the court.
Video of the incident appears to show Filipowski trying to clear his way to the sideline as Demon Deacons fans rushed onto the court. There was one fan who seemed to reach an arm toward the Duke player and make contact with Filipowski's back.
Here’s the overhead angle of the Kyle Filipowski court storming collision. pic.twitter.com/qEwG2zOPM2
— CBB Content (@CBBcontent) February 24, 2024
Duke and Filipowski are no strangers to court stormings. With Duke constantly among the college basketball's elite, whenever an upset takes place on the road, there is a good chance that the opposing fans will storm the court in celebration.
Filipowski described Saturday's as "the worst of them" and said he felt "a bunch of hits on my body." He also felt there was some intention by the fans to make contact with him.
"I've already heard that there's some videos of getting punched in the back, and so I absolutely feel like it was personal, intentional for sure," Filipowski said, per WFMY's Brian Hall. "There's no reason where they see a big guy like me trying to work my way off the court and they can't just work around me. There's no excuse for that."
After being shaken up in the court storm, Kyle Filipowski shared his thoughts pic.twitter.com/E24OzLjNLw
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 25, 2024
The incident with Filipowski came on the heels of a similar situation involving Iowa star Caitlin Clark. The Hawkeyes senior was knocked over during a court storming after Iowa was upset by Ohio State earlier this year.
The two events sparked an outcry from certain coaches and media members, including ESPN's Jay Bilas suggesting fans should be arrested, as well Scheyer, who gave his fiery take after the last Duke game.
"When are we going to ban court storming? When are we going to ban that?" Scheyer said. "How many times does a player have to get into something where if they get punched or if they get pushed or they get taunted in their face?
"It's a dangerous thing. You look around the country, and Caitlin Clark something happens, now Flip."