USATSI
Duke star Kyle Filipowski played 29 minutes Wednesday against Louisville, helping the Blue Devils to an 84-59 bounce-back win. The appearance came just four days after Filipowski suffered a sprained knee during a court-storming collision at Wake Forest. Filipowski grabbed 10 boards and added nine points and six assists in the winning effort.
Filipowski’s status leading into Wednesday was unclear. Duke coach Jon Scheyer on Monday said Filipowski would be questionable to practice in prep for the game against the Cardinals but played his cards close to the vest ahead of tip. Filipowski warmed up in full and then started the game. He appeared to be at full strength and did not favor his knee.
Filipowski’s 29 minutes is roughly the same allotment he has played on a per-game basis this season (30.6) for Duke, which is second among all Blue Devils players on the season. He leads the team in both scoring (16.9 PPG) and rebounding (8.2 RPG) on the season.
Duke, a projected No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, improved to 22-6 overall on the season and 13-4 in ACC play and remained within one game of North Carolina in the league’s regular-season championship race. Duke faces Virginia at home Saturday then NC State on the road Monday before the regular season finale vs. the Tar Heels in Durham on March 9.
