Tag: Kyle Filipowski

Andy Katz puts Duke second in way-too-early power rankings for next season

Andy Katz released his way-too-early Power 36 rankings for the 2024-2025 season, and the Duke Blue Devils ranked No. 2 overall.

Andy Katz released his way-too-early Power 36 rankings for the 2024-2025 season, and the Duke Blue Devils ranked No. 2 overall.

Duke came in one spot behind the Houston Cougars, whom the Blue Devils defeated in the Sweet 16 this past NCAA Tournament.

Duke boasts the No. 1 recruiting class for next season. Cooper Flagg, the top-ranked player in the Class of 2024, will likely be the face of the Blue Devils next season. Duke’s recruiting class features three other five-star recruits alongside Flagg, including South Sudanese center Khaman Maluach and North Carolina Mr. Basketball Isaiah Evans.

Katz is one of the rare few with someone other than the Blue Devils atop his projected rankings. Duke came in first in the early 2024-25 rankings from USA TODAY Sports, The Athletic, and ESPN.

The team’s roster turnover is still ongoing. As of now, forward Mark Mitchell and center Christian Reeves have entered the transfer portal.

Guard Jared McCain and Kyle Filipowski are both getting NBA Draft lottery projections but have yet to announce whether they’ll return to Duke for another season.

ESPN lists Duke as the No. 1 team in their Way-Too-Early Top 25

Duke the top team in the country in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.

Less than 48 hours after Dan Hurley’s Connecticut Huskies completed one of the rare college basketball feats of repeating as national champions, the page has already turned to 2024-25 for the rest of the college basketball world.

ESPN made sure to get its Way-Too-Early Top 25 up late on Monday night, and the number one team in those rankings resides in Durham, NC.

Duke bowed out of the NCAA Tournament this season in the Elite Eight to an NC State team that spent the last 12 games playing incredibly inspired basketball. Duke led in the first half, but State overwhelmed Duke with incredible shotmaking and suffocating defense in the second half to send the Blue Devils home.

Duke is now in the process of reflecting and retooling for next year. There’s a renewed energy around the program as Scheyer will welcome the nation’s top recruiting class, highlighted by one of the most heralded number one high school basketball players since LeBron James, forward Cooper Flagg.

ESPN staff writer Jeff Borzello, who put the rankings together, said this about his decision to put the Blue Devils at the top spot.

“Duke entered this past season as a national title contender, but never quite seemed to put it all together for an extended stretch and ultimately fell in the Elite Eight. Jon Scheyer will have two of the best NBA prospects in the country next season, in No. 1 recruit Cooper Flagg and projected top-five NBA draft pick Khaman Maluach, but the Blue Devils could have point guard issues if Jeremy Roach decides not to take advantage of his fifth option year.”

Borzello also published a projected starting five that featured Flagg, Tyrese Proctor, Caleb Foster, Mark Mitchell, and Maluach. The issue is that Mitchell announced his intent to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday afternoon, so he will not be on the 2024-25 version of the Duke Blue Devils. Duke will likely opt to find a shooter to help space the floor with Flagg and also give those minutes vacated by Mitchell to rising sophomore Sean Stewart should he opt to return.

Tyrese Proctor has not announced whether he plans to enter the portal, opt for professional opportunities, or return to Duke. If we assume Proctor returns, he’s likely a captain and must leap like Wendell Moore. There’s a lot of talent there, but it needs to become consistent. A decision from Jeremy Roach also remains up in the air, and having a fifth-year senior could be massive.

All that aside, Duke plans to utilize the transfer portal, too, so Duke’s roster construction for next year is far from done, with more names expected on their way out, i.e., Kyle Filipowski and Jared McCain, expected to be drafted in the first round.

Filipowski, McCain both go top 20 in ESPN’s post-Elite Eight mock draft

ESPN released a new NBA mock draft after the Elite Eight, and the Blue Devils had two players drafted in the top 20.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo released an updated NBA mock draft on Monday morning in light of the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games.

The two analysts think Duke’s two stars, All-American 7-footer Kyle Filipowski and South All-Region Team member Jared McCain, both made the top 20 picks in the projections.

Filipowski went 16th overall to the Phoenix Suns after he averaged 16.4 points and 8.3 rebounds in his sophomore season. McCain went 19th overall to the Toronto Raptors after he averaged 21.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game during the four-game March Madness run.

The two players have gotten lottery hype, Filipowski due to his combination of size, passing ability (2.8 assists per game), and speed, and McCain because of his shooting prowess.

Despite the mock draft being two full rounds, no other Blue Devils made the 58 picks that Givony and Woo built out.

Potential Thunder draft prospect Kyle Filipowski struggles in Duke’s loss to NC State

Potential Thunder draft prospect Kyle Filipowski struggles in Duke’s loss to NC State.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to convey to OKC than the latter.

With the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament concluded, the top prospects were in the spotlight as they drew national attention for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is Duke center Kyle Filipowski. He finished with 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting, 5-of-5 from the free-throw line and nine rebounds in 30 minutes in No. 4 Duke’s 76-64 loss to No. 11 NC State in the Elite Eight on Sunday.

 

Filipowski has been the offensive hub for Duke this season. The 7-foot center can stretch the floor and pass when needed. He has an NBA-ready frame at 248 pounds, which means he should immediately contribute and not be physically overwhelmed.

In his second year at Duke, he’s averaged 17.1 points on 51% shooting, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 blocks. He’s shot 35% from 3 on 3.2 attempts. The 20-year-old has led Duke to a 24-8 record and the No. 4 seed in the South Region.

The Thunder could hope to add Filipowski to add some serious size at their center spot. He could start alongside Holmgren for jumbo lineups. He’s also versatile enough to fit with OKC.

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NC State storms back in second half to eliminate Duke in Elite Eight

The Wolfpack couldn’t make a shot in the first half, but they couldn’t miss in the second as they stormed back to win the South region.

For the second time in the 2024 postseason, underdog NC State stunned Duke. The Wolfpack dominated the final 20 minutes to storm back for a 76-64 victory on Sunday, clinching a spot in the Final Four.

The in-state rivals battled for the third time in the month of March on Sunday, just weeks after NC State bounced Duke from the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. Neither of the first two contests held the same stakes as this Elite Eight matchup, however.

The two North Carolina teams combined for an inefficient, mistake-prone first half from the floor. Neither team finished above 31% from the floor, and the Wolfpack and the Blue Devils went a combined 3/14 (21.4%) from behind the 3-point line. Duke coughed up the ball five times in the first 20 minutes.

Despite the inefficiency, freshman Jared McCain found a way to shine through once again. He helped take the lid off of the basket early with a transition 3-pointer, stopping on a dime with the NC State defense still not settled around him. The bucket gave Duke the lead back five minutes into the game, and his five free throws over the next two minutes extended the advantage to three points.

He couldn’t match his torrid early pace from the James Madison game in the second round, when he buried six first-half triples en route to a 30-point game, but he did score 13 points before the break.

The Blue Devils fought through their offensive struggles to take a 27-21 lead into the locker room. The Wolfpack fared even worse, making just one of their 11 layup attempts and one of their seven 3-point efforts.

Sophomore 7-footer Kyle Filipowski, who scored just two points on five shots in the first half, laid in an easy bucket a minute and a half into the second half, and Duke led 29-23.

The Wolfpack kept themselves alive, however. The two DJs, forward DJ Burns and guard DJ Horne, traded baskets as NC State went on a run. Horne made a layup, Burns made a bucket, and the lead shrank to four. Horne fed teammate Mohamed Diarra for a dunk before burying a 3-pointer to pull within one.

Horne, an All-ACC Third Team member, drew a foul on the next possession, and his two ensuing free throws pushed the Wolfpack in front for the first time since the opening minutes. After a three-point play from Filipowski, Burns and Horne traded three more baskets between them.

All told, the two DJs combined to score or assist on 21 of NC State’s points during the 25-11 run, and the Wolfpack led 48-40 with eight minutes to play.

When NC State’s Michael O’Connell buried a triple to balloon the lead to nine with seven minutes on the clock, the game felt officially out of hand.

The Wolfpack run officially slowed down at 35-15, and they outscored Duke 55-37 in the second half for the 12-point victory. Burns and Horne teamed for 49 combined points, and the duo shot 14/18 from the floor over the final 20 minutes. Duke, as a team, shot just 11/33.

NC State advances to play Purdue in the Final Four.

Potential Thunder draft prospect Kyle Filipowski helps Duke in 54-51 win over Houston

Potential Thunder draft prospect Kyle Filipowski helps Duke in 54-51 win over Houston.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to come to OKC than the latter.

With the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament underway, the top prospects are in the spotlight as they draw national attention for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is Duke center Kyle Filipowski. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting, nine rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes. He shot 3-of-5 from 3. No. 4 Duke escaped with a 54-51 win over No. 1 Houston in the Sweet 16 on Friday.

Filipowski has been the offensive hub for Duke this season. The 7-foot center can stretch the floor and pass when needed. He has an NBA-ready frame at 248 pounds, which means he should immediately contribute and not be physically overwhelmed.

In his second year at Duke, he’s averaged 17.1 points on 51% shooting, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 blocks. He’s shot 35% from 3 on 3.2 attempts. The 20-year-old has led Duke to a 24-8 record and the No. 4 seed in the South Region.

The Thunder could hope to add Filipowski to add some serious size at their center spot. He could start alongside Holmgren for jumbo lineups. He’s also versatile enough to fit with OKC.

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Jeremy Roach and Kyle Filipowski lead Duke to the Elite Eight after beating Houston 54-51

Duke hangs on in a rock fight of a game to advance to Elite Eight.

Friday night in Dallas felt like a fight night.

Kelvin Sampson and his No. 1-seeded Houston Cougars made the three-hour trip up I-45 South to Dallas to take on the Duke Blue Devils.

Much of the build-up to the game centered around Houston’s defense and Duke’s methodical yet explosive offense, and when the ball went up for tipoff, that was precisely what surfaced immediately. Houston hit Duke in the mouth early, going up 6-0 after forcing two Jeremy Roach turnovers.

Jon Scheyer called a timeout immediately to settle his team down, and from then on, it was game on. Duke worked back into the game, trading blows with the Cougars for the remainder of the half.

Just past the midway point of the first half, Houston’s fearless leader and Naismith Player of The Year candidate Jamal Shead drove to the rim but rolled his right ankle hard as he planted to rise for the layup. Shead fell to the floor and wouldn’t get up until after the game was stopped. He eventually tried to walk off the court under his power, but trainers helped him the rest of the way to the locker room. He would be diagnosed with a severe ankle sprain and would never return.

With Shead out, Duke eventually fought back to take a 23-22 lead into the break.

Houston, indicative of the toughness they have become known for, would not go away in the second half. Ramon Walker drilled a huge contested 3-pointer to cut the game back to a single possession with nine minutes to play. J’Wan Roberts, another senior leader for Houston, got a tough left-handed layup in the paint to cut it to just one point one minute later.

But that was as close as the Cougars got.

Jeremy Roach, Duke’s senior captain, has a highlight reel of big plays from his March exploits over the last four years. Tonight, he added to it with a masterful second-half performance. He locked in and poured in all 14 of his points after the break, including a dagger mid-range jumper to put Duke up 6 with just over a minute left.

Duke held on to secure its first win over a higher seed since the Blue Devils knocked off No. 1 seeded Purdue in the 1994 NCAA Tournament, then led by 19 points from former Duke assistant Jeff Capel.

Sophomore Kyle Filipowski played one of his best all-around games, contributing 16 points, nine rebounds, and two assists. Ryan Young was a massive X-factor off the bench, and the 6-foot-10 senior gave Duke four points and four rebounds while playing tough defense, helping Duke stay in the game when Houston punched first.

With the win, Duke ensures that at least one ACC team will make the Final Four. The Blue Devils will take on the NC State Wolfpack in the final game of the Elite Eight on Sunday at 5:05 PM EST.

Duke features eighth-best five-man lineup in the Sweet 16 by Net Rating

Duke’s starting lineup rankings eighth in net rating among the Sweet 16 teams through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Of the teams in the Sweet 16, the Duke Blue Devils’ lineup of Jeremy Roach, Jared McCain, Tyrese Proctor, Mark Mitchell, and Kyle Filipowski has the eighth-best Net Rating through two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

The lineup posted a net rating of +35.1 through the first and second rounds, which ranks in the 91st percentile.

The Blue Devils’ offensive (126.6) and defensive (91.5) ratings were 85th and 83rd percentile, respectively. Only five of the other 15 teams (Marquette, Connecticut, Houston, Purdue, and San Diego State) were in the 80th percentile or higher on both ends of the floor.

Duke also brings a lot of consistency, as it was one of only two five-man lineups with more than 40 minutes played together through the two games.

The Blue Devils rolled over Vermont and James Madison in the first two rounds, beating the latter by 38 points, but will have their hands full against the 1-seed Houston Cougars on Friday night.

The Cougars’ main lineup posted the third-best net rating through the first two rounds, which is good for the 99th percentile in the field. Their offensive and defensive ratings sit in the 93rd and 97th percentile, respectively.

Potential Thunder draft prospect Kyle Filipowski helps Duke in win over James Madison

Potential Thunder draft prospect Kyle Filipowski helps Duke in win over James Madison.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to come to OKC than the latter.

As the NCAA Tournament progresses, the top prospects are in the spotlight as they draw national attention for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is Duke center Kyle Filipowski. He finished with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 21 minutes of Duke’s 93-55 win over No. 12 James Madison in the round of 32 on Sunday.

Filipowski has been the offensive hub for Duke this season. The 7-foot center can stretch the floor and pass when needed. He has an NBA-ready frame at 248 pounds, which means he should immediately contribute and not be physically overwhelmed.

In his second year at Duke, he’s averaged 17.1 points on 51% shooting, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 blocks. He’s shot 35% from 3 on 3.2 attempts. The 20-year-old led Duke to a 24-8 record and the No. 4 seed in the South Region.

The Thunder could hope Filipowski would add serious size at their center spot. He could start alongside Holmgren for jumbo lineups. He’s also versatile enough to fit with OKC.

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Potential Thunder draft prospect Kyle Filipowski helps Duke collect win over Vermont

Potential Thunder draft prospect Kyle Filipowski helps Duke collect win over Vermont.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to go to OKC than the latter.

As the NCAA Tournament progresses, the top prospects are in the spotlight as they draw national eyes for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is Duke center Kyle Filipowski. He finished with three points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals in 37 minutes in No. 4 Duke’s 64-47 win over No. 13 Vermont in the Round of 64 on Friday.

Filipowski has been the offensive hub for Duke this season. The 7-foot center can stretch the floor and pass when needed. He has an NBA-ready frame at 248 pounds, which means he should immediately contribute and not be physically overwhelmed.

In his second year at Duke, he’s averaged 17.1 points on 51% shooting, 8.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 blocks. He’s shot 35% from 3 on 3.2 attempts. The 20-year-old has led Duke to a 24-8 record and the No. 4 seed in the South Region.

The Thunder could hope to add Filipowski to add some serious size at their center spot. He could start alongside Holmgren for jumbo lineups. He’s also versatile enough to fit with OKC.

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