The article was written by Bob Sutton, an
Associated Press employee.

DURHAM, N.C.

Kyle Filipowski returned to the starting lineup just four days after injuring his knee, and had a solid performance with nine points, 10 rebounds, and six assists as No. 10 Duke defeated Louisville 84-59 on Wednesday night in Durham, North Carolina.

Unfortunately, Filipowski, who was named as a preseason All-American by the Associated Press, sustained an injury during Saturday’s defeat against Wake Forest when he collided with a spectator. With the assistance of team managers and coaches, the talented sophomore was safely guided away from the excited crowd and off the court.

Filipowski explained that the quick recovery was not too difficult. After experiencing a tough loss, the team needed to reassert themselves.

In the recent game, Jeremy Roach led the Blue Devils to victory with 19 points, with Mark Mitchell and Jared McCain also contributing strong performances with 17 and 14 points respectively. The team’s record is now 22 wins and 6 losses in the Atlantic Coast Conference (13-4). This win marks the sixth victory in their last seven games. Duke is currently one game behind North Carolina, who holds the top spot in the conference standings. Both teams have three games left in the regular season.

According to Coach Jon Scheyer, the Blue Devils maintained a positive attitude after the chaotic weekend game.

Scheyer stated, “We mustn’t make excuses. Let’s focus on getting 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.

According to Louisville coach Kenny Payne, in order to win against Duke, one must approach the game with a strong and determined attitude. He expressed dissatisfaction with Duke’s 43-24 rebounding lead, stating that it’s impossible to defeat the team without focusing on rebounding.

In the first half, Roach made the first two of Duke’s three 3-pointers within 54 seconds, giving them a 26-13 lead over their opponents, the Blue Devils.

At halftime, Duke was leading 36-23. Louisville’s performance was hindered by shooting only 29% from the field.

In the first half, the Blue Devils had 10 turnovers out of 14, but they consistently took good shots and ended up with 23 assists, the most they’ve had in ACC games 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

The Louisville team has slowed down in their offensive performance since the start of February, despite having some of their strongest offensive streaks this season. However, their poor shooting from behind the 3-point line, making only 3 out of 17 attempts, will not lead them to victory. It is unlikely that the team will be able to rise from their current position at the bottom of the ACC standings.

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 will be playing Syracuse at home on Saturday.

Duke’s next game will be at home against Virginia on Saturday.

___

Subscribe here to receive notifications and updates on AP Top 25 basketball polls throughout the year.

___

The college basketball rankings released by the Associated Press can be found at https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball.

Source: wralsportsfan.com