Duke basketball's Kyle Filipowski injured during Wake Forest court ...

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Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer talks win vs. Wake Forest

Following Duke basketball's win against Wake Forest, head coach Jon Scheyer gave his thoughts on the Blue Devils' top performances.

Duke basketball’s Kyle Filipowski was injured during a court storming by Wake Forest fans after the eighth-ranked Blue Devils’ 83-79 loss in Winston-Salem. 

As Demon Deacons fans flooded the court at Joel Coliseum to celebrate, Filipowski appeared to be hobbled after a collision with fans as he made his way toward the locker room. Several Blue Devils surrounded Filipowski and helped him off the court. 

In his postgame press conference, Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer told reporters Filipowski sprained his ankle. In a social media post, reporter Conor O'Neil said Filipowski told media members that "it's his knee, not ankle."

“Disappointed we lost, but for me, I’m more concerned about the well-being of our guys,” Scheyer said. 

“Flip sprains his ankle. When are we gonna ban court storming? When are we gonna ban that? How many times does a player have to get into something where they get punched or get pushed or get taunted right in their face. It’s a dangerous thing.” 

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Filipowski had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists to lead Duke (21-6, 12-4 ACC), which had its five-game winning streak snapped. After the loss, reporters asked Filipowski about the postgame incident on the court.

“I absolutely feel that it was personal – intentional, for sure," Filipowski said. "There’s no reason where they see a big guy like me trying to work my way off the court and can’t just work around me. There’s no excuse for that.” 

"I hope he's OK," Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said.

"I don't like court stormings; never have. I've been a part of those before as a coach. Just don't feel safe. I'm sure the next time that happens we'll do a better job of taking care of that situation."

Court storming has received more scrutiny since Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark collided with an Ohio State fan after the Buckeyes’ upset of the Hawkeyes in Columbus on Jan. 21. 

"When I played, at least it was 10 seconds (after the game)," Scheyer said. "Now, the buzzer doesn't even go off and they're running on the floor. ... That needs to stop."

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.