DURHAM, N.C. – Kyle Filipowski was in the starting lineup four days after sustaining a knee injury when fans stormed the court and finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and six assists as No. 10 Duke beat Louisville 84-59 on Wednesday night.
Filipowski, a preseason Associated Press All-American, was hurt following Saturday’s loss at Wake Forest when he collided with a fan. Team managers and coaching staff members helped guide the sophomore standout away from the swarming fans and off the court.
“It wasn’t anything too bad,” Filipowski said of making the quick recovery. “Coming off a real hard loss, we had to make ourselves known again.”
Jeremy Roach scored 19 points, Mark Mitchell added 17 and Jared McCain had 14 as the Blue Devils (22-6, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) won for the sixth time in seven games. Duke is one game behind conference-leading North Carolina with three regular-season games remaining for both teams.
The Blue Devils had the right mindset following the aftermath of chaotic weekend game, coach Jon Scheyer said.
“Not to make excuses,” Scheyer said. “Get back to work.”
Tre White scored 15 points for Louisville (8-20, 3-13), which lost its fourth straight. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Ty-Laur Johnson each added 11 points. The Cardinals have lost 20 games for the second consecutive season.
“You have to walk in here with a toughness, with a fight,” said Louisville coach Kenny Payne, who was disappointed with Duke’s 43-24 rebounding advantage. “You can’t beat this team if you’re not going to rebound.”
Roach connected on the first two of Duke’s three 3-pointers in a 54-second span of the first half, giving the Blue Devils a 26-13 lead.
Duke led 36-23 at halftime. Louisville was slowed by 29% shooting from the field.
The Blue Devils committed 10 of their 14 turnovers in the first half, but they routinely had high-percentage shots and finished with 23 assists, the team’s most in ACC action this season.
TIP-INS
Filipowski has never missed a game in his two college seasons, playing in 64 contests. … Duke played without freshman guard Caleb Foster, who was wearing a boot on his right foot. He had played in all 27 previous games, making 15 starts and averaging 7.7 points per game. Foster will be out for “some time,” Scheyer said. “We have to adjust without Caleb. My heart breaks for him that he couldn’t play.”
BIG PICTURE
Louisville: The Cardinals have hit the brakes offensively after opening February with their best stretches of offense this season. Making just 3 of 17 attempts from 3-point range wasn’t going to be a winning recipe, and the Cardinals will likely be hard-pressed to make it out of the ACC basement.
Duke: The Blue Devils didn’t seem distracted by the much-debated court-storming issue that was part of the college basketball conversation in recent days after the incident last weekend. After three consecutive road games, Duke wasn’t threatened in what became a runaway victory. The Blue Devils have won seven ACC games by 14 or more points.
UP NEXT
Louisville: Home against Syracuse on Saturday.
Duke: Home against Virginia on Saturday.
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