Written by AARON BEARD, AP Basketball Writer

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.

On Saturday, Wake Forest successfully completed all necessary actions to move closer to securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament. This exciting achievement prompted the team’s enthusiastic supporters to rush onto the court when the game clock reached zero.

The collision between Duke’s Kyle Filipowski and a fan during a moment of celebration has sparked debate about the risks of court storming, dampening the excitement of the Demon Deacons’ 83-79 victory over the eighth-ranked Blue Devils.

The tall player was injured when it seemed like he collided his right leg with a fan who was running past him. Filipowski, who had lifted his arms as if preparing for impact, lost his balance and had to hold onto a manager and walk-on teammate Stanley Borden for assistance in reaching the locker room tunnel during the confusion.

After the game, he talked to journalists while his right knee was covered in an ice pack. However, he did not appear to be limping significantly afterwards.

Filipowski expressed his frustration with the chaotic scene that ensued when the fans stormed the court, stating that it can be a dangerous situation and precautions should be taken.

Coach Jon Scheyer expressed concern about court-storming and questioned when it will be banned. He emphasized the potential danger for players who may encounter physical altercations or verbal taunts during these celebrations.

Earlier in the day, the Demon Deacons (18-9, 10-6 ACC) had a significant game, highlighted by Hunter Sallis’ impressive performance of 29 points on 11 of 13 shots. He sealed the game with two successful free throws in the final 1.8 seconds, in a closely contested match that saw 14 ties and 14 lead changes.

After halftime, Andrew Carr scored 16 points out of his total of 18. His performance was particularly impressive in the periods right after the break, where he was consistently fed the ball by the Demon Deacons to either set up plays from the post or score against Duke’s Mark Mitchell in the paint.

After the halfway point, Wake Forest had a 69.6% success rate with 16 out of 23 shots, ultimately ending the game with a 60.4% overall success rate.

According to Sallis, we accomplished numerous tasks that many individuals believed were impossible.

The energy at Joel Coliseum was fitting for the high stakes of the Demon Deacons. The team reported a record-breaking crowd of over 14,700, marking their first sold-out event since 2017. Fans in the lower section donned iconic yellow and black tie-dyed shirts, reminiscent of the team’s past glory and lively atmosphere.

Scheyer expressed that Wake Forest is not receiving the appropriate level of respect on a national scale.

Filipowski was the top scorer for the Blue Devils (21-6, 12-4), followed by Jeremy Roach with 16 points. Despite shooting 53%, Duke suffered a close loss to Wake Forest, ending their five-game winning streak.

Steve Forbes, the coach of the Demon Deacons, deserves a lot of praise for his team’s resilience throughout the game. They never gave up and stayed determined until the end.

BIG PICTURE

Duke: The Blue Devils had won 16 of 18 games since losing their ACC opener at Georgia Tech on Dec. 2, including eight of nine in the past month. But the severity of Filipowski’s injury was unclear, and freshman Caleb Foster played just five second-half minutes before leaving the game with an injury that had him walking gingerly afterward.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons (No. 20 in KenPom, No. 27 in the NET) entered Saturday at just 1-5 in Quadrant 1 games that top a postseason resume, with the win coming against Florida (No. 30 in NET) on Nov. 29. Facing the Blue Devils (No. 12 in NET) was by far the best opportunity left to strengthen their case for an NCAA bid compared to March games at Virginia Tech (52nd) and home against Clemson (25th) to end the regular season.

UP NEXT

Duke will be back at home on Wednesday to face Louisville, who has eight wins.

Wake Forest’s basketball team, the Demon Deacons, will be playing against Notre Dame on Tuesday.

___

Receive notifications and stay updated on the AP Top 25 basketball rankings throughout the season by signing up here. Access AP’s coverage of college basketball at https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball.

Source: wralsportsfan.com