Tag: Kyle Filipowski

Midseason Awards for Duke Men’s Basketball: Jared McCain and Jeremy Roach have been stars

Handing out midseason awards for the 2023-2024 Duke basketball team.

Duke is fresh off the heels of a 71-53 win over Notre Dame to complete a season sweep of the Fighting Irish and now sits just 1.5 back of first place in the ACC behind only the North Carolina Tarheels and the Virginia Cavaliers.

It’s been an up-and-down season by Duke standards. Of course, they aren’t in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament, but it’s reasonable to believe that one or two head-scratching Duke losses have impacted how we view them in totality.

That said, the Blue Devils have everything in front of them, and they have the offensive firepower to beat any team in the country on a given night. Other components must continue to come together, but Duke is a threat.

With over half of their ACC games done, the Blue Devils are just past the midseason point of their conference schedule, so now’s the perfect opportunity to hand out our midseason awards.

Check them out below.

2024 NBA Mock Draft: Latest first-round projections at midway point of season

Rookie Wire took a look at the 2024 NBA draft class and where the top prospects stand as of Feb. 1.

The top NBA draft prospects worldwide have collectively reached the second halves of their respective seasons as they look to showcase themselves in front of scouts and executives.

The class this year has seen several players help their stock, while others have struggled and fallen down draft boards. Some players have also dealt with recent injuries and other factors that have prevented them from reaching their potential.

The draft is widely considered open at the top of the board, with several prospects in the conversation to be the first selection. Unlike last year, when Victor Wembanyama was the consensus No. 1 pick, there is no clear-cut choice this year.

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Prospects will continue to see their standing fluctuate over the remaining two-plus months of action on the court as scouts have more time to evaluate them. The sheer unknown atop the draft board should create plenty of storylines to follow over the remainder of the season.

The NBA announced on Wednesday that the draft will be expanded to a two-night format, with the first round set to take place on June 26 at the Barclays Center. The second round will be at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York the following night.

Rookie Wire looked at the class and where the top prospects stand at this point of the season. The order was determined by the reverse order of the NBA standings as of Feb. 1.

Note: Player fit wasn’t necessarily taken into account with each pick. Pick protections and other notes courtesy of Tankathon.

Duke, Kyle Filipowski lead ACC men’s basketball preseason voting

The Blue Devils are expected to win the ACC, according to members of the media poll. Kyle Filipowski was named preseason player of the year.

The ACC released its preseason media poll ahead of the 2023-24 season, and the media is bullish on the Duke Blue Devils.

Last year’s ACC Tournament champions received 44 of 51 first-place votes. The Blue Devils will be helmed by Jon Scheyer, who just signed a six-year extension, for the second season.

Duke’s 7-foot sophomore Kyle Filipowski, one of the Associated Press’ preseason All-Americans, was named the preseason player of the year for the conference after he received 35 of the 51 votes. Filipowski averaged 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, as well as 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks.

North Carolina‘s Armando Bacot, a fellow AP All-American, finished second with 13 votes. His Tar Heels teammate Elliot Cadeau was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year.

Here’s how the conference’s voters see the ACC shaking out this season.

Preseason Poll Results

Rank Team Points
1 Duke 757
2 Miami 693
3 North Carolina 670
4 Virginia 593
5 Clemson 570
6 Wake Forest 440
7 N.C. State 420
8 Virginia Tech 390
9 Pittsburgh 380
10 Syracuse 321
11 Florida State 294
12 Boston College 227
13 Georgia Tech 157
14 Louisville 108
15 Notre Dame 100

Preseason All-ACC First Team

Player Team
Kyle Filipowski Duke
Armando Bacot North Carolina
P.J. Hall Clemson
Reece Beekman Virginia
Norchad Omier Miami

Second Team

Player Team
Judah Mintz Syracuse
Nijel Pack Miami
Blake Hinson Pittsburgh
Tyrese Proctor Duke
Quinten Post Boston College

Duke’s Filipowski leads 20 power forwards on Karl Malone Award watch list

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame named 20 power forwards to its watch list for the position’s best, including Duke’s Kyle Filipowski.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame released its watch list for the Karl Malone Award on Thursday, highlighting the 20 players expected to compete for the title of the nation’s best power forward.

Duke’s Kyle Filipowski offered the most star power on the list. A preseason Associated Press All-American, the 7-footer averaged 15.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game as a freshman a year ago. He helped lead the Blue Devils to an ACC Tournament title before their second-round loss to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament.

Mississippi State’s Tolu Smith, a senior who averaged 15.7 points and 8.5 rebounds last season, also featured on the list. Smith injured his foot in practice earlier this month, but should he come back early enough in the season, he should be one of the SEC’s best.

Storied recent programs like Gonzaga and UConn got names on the list as well. Read below to see all 20 names recognized by the voting committee.

Player School
Enrique Freeman Akron
Grant Nelson Alabama
Keshad Johnson Arizona
Trevon Brazile Arkansas
Fousseyni Traore BYU
Tristan da Silva Colorado
DaRon Holmes II Dayton
Kyle Filipowski Duke
Graham Ike Gonzaga
J’Wan Roberts Houston
Coleman Hawkins Illinois
Oso Ighodaro Marquette
Julian Reese Maryland
Norchad Omier Miami (FL)
Tolu Smith Mississippi State
Jevon Porter Pepperdine
Bryce Hopkins Providence
Adem Bona UCLA
Alex Karaban UConn
Drew Pember UNC Asheville

The list will be narrowed down to 10 in January, then five players the month after that. The winner will be selected from the five finalists in March.

Bulls select 7-foot Duke center in early 2024 NBA mock draft

In a recent way-too-early 2024 NBA Mock Draft, the Chicago Bulls select a seven-foot center with their lottery pick.

The 2023 NBA draft just wrapped up, and despite not having any picks heading into the night, the Chicago Bulls made some noise. They traded into the second round, nabbing pick No. 35 from the Washington Wizards and selecting Tennessee forward Julian Phillips. Then, after the night was done, they signed undrafted free agent center Adama Sanogo of UConn to a two-way contract.

Now, heading into the league year, the Bulls will shift their focus to competing for the postseason. Arturas Karnisovas stated he has no intentions of rebuilding the roster. While they may not try to rebuild, staying afloat in a packed Eastern Conference could prove a tough feat.

In ESPN’s way-too-early 2024 NBA mock draft, the Bulls land the 10th pick, putting them out of the playoff race. With the selection, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have Chicago selecting Duke center Kyle Filipowski.

Filipowski just wrapped up his freshman year with the Blue Devils and is headed back to school for a second season, during which he will attempt to improve his draft stock.

In his first year in college, the seven-foot big man appeared in 36 games (starting all of them), averaging 29.1 minutes per contest. He averaged 15.1 points, 9 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game on 44.1% shooting from the field and 28.2% from behind the 3-point line.

If, by this time next year, the Bulls decide they are ready for a rebuild, it’s safe to assume that Nikola Vucevic would not be a part of those plans. In that case, Filipowski could slot in as the Bulls’ starting center on a young, rebuilding roster.

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Kyle Filipowski announces decision on his future

Filipowski makes a decision on NBA draft or returning to Duke for the 2023-24 season.

Duke Blue Devils big man Kyle Filipowksi was among the players in the 2023 NBA draft class that had yet to announce his intentions. Would he be another one-and-done prospect at Duke or would he return to Cameron Indoor Stadium?

On Tuesday, the 7-footer made his intentions known through his social media channels, particularly on Twitter. The consensus five-star recruit from New York announced that he would be returning to Duke for the 2023-24 college basketball season.

Filipowski appeared in 36 games this past season with an average of 15.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. His best performance of the season came against the Pitt Panthers on Jan. 11. Filipowski scored 28 points while snagging 15 rebounds, four of which came on the offensive side.

Respect his decision to return to the hardwood among the Cameron crazies this next season.

Filipowski will join Tyrese Proctor, who announced he would return to Duke back on Mar. 27. This gives second-year head coach Jon Scheyer a boost to his team as they look to make another run at an NCAA Championship next season. The latest odds have Duke with the second best chance to win it all behind the defending champions, UConn.

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Contact/Follow us at the College Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of College Sports news, notes, and opinions.

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Notre Dame nearly pulls off shocker at Duke

Can’t say the Irish didn’t care about this game.

No one is going to give Notre Dame any moral victories this season, especially when the season has been such a disaster. But all things considered, its game against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium is as close as they’ll get to one this season.

With Mike Krzyzewski on hand to watch former assistant [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag]’s final game in Durham, the Irish put up way more of a fight than anyone expected. Still, the result was the same as the Blue Devils won, 68-64.

The Irish (10-16, 2-13) fell behind by as much as 14 in the second half, but the Blue Devils (18-8, 9-6) let them hang around. They cut the deficit to four a couple of times before [autotag]JJ Starling[/autotag] hit some big shots to get the team even closer. A 3-pointer with 1:27 left got them within two, and he put them within one on a layup with 35.5 seconds to go. That was as good as it got as Mark Mitchell subsequently hit a corner 3 with 10.8 seconds left to put the Blue Devils up four and essentially ice the contest.

While the Irish did still have a chance, it was a slim, and it quickly became nonexistent. [autotag]Ven-Allen Lubin[/autotag] converted a layup with 3.9 seconds left to bring the deficit back to two. Forced to foul, [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] sent Tyrese Proctor to the free-throw line. Proctor sank both free throws to erase any remaining doubt.

A surprising theme to this game was only a few double-digit scorers. Future NBA player Kyle Filipowski was the lone such player for the Blue Devils with 22 points. [autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag], coming off the bench for the first time this season, had a season-high 25 points on an astounding 11-of-13 shooting. Lubin’s layup in the final seconds brought his scoring total to 10.

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

2023 NBA Mock Draft 2.0: Wembanyama, Henderson on top; Freshmen rising in latest projections

Rookie Wire took a look at where the next draft class stands at the midway point of the season.

The 2022-23 basketball season is in full swing as the next wave of prospects across the college level and the professional ranks look ahead to the 2023 NBA draft on June 22.

Of course, Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson remain at the top of draft boards at the start of the new year. Both could shut down their seasons right now and still be viewed as the best two players in the class. In other words: They are locked in at Nos. 1 and 2.

Elsewhere, though, fortunes change seemingly nightly.

Several prospects have improved upon their preseason rankings, while others have struggled and had their stock fall. The latest look at the class even has several freshmen on the rise after some impressive performances through the first half of the year.

Rookie Wire took a look at where the first round stands at the midway point of the season. It is important to note that team needs were not necessarily taken into account with each pick. The projections are rather a look at where each individual player stands at this point of the process.

Note: The order of the draft was pulled from Tankathon as of Jan. 10. The draft will have only 58 picks this year because the Bulls and Sixers were stripped of their second-round picks by the NBA due to tampering violations.

2023 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: An early look at the top prospects next year

Rookie Wire took a very early look at the next rookie class and some of the top prospects to monitor over the course of the 2022-23 season.

With the basketball world over a month removed from the NBA draft, many have started to look ahead to the next rookie class and which prospects may be available.

The class is headlined by French phenom Victor Wembanyama, who is considered one of the top prospects in recent memory. He has performed well in the top basketball league in France and looks to already be locked in as the top pick in 2023.

Elsewhere, there are several other prospects that will be worth monitoring over the course of next season. The rankings will certainly change but it can be a productive exercise to see how prospects moved up and down draft boards ahead of next year.

Rookie Wire took a very early look at the next rookie class and some of the top prospects to monitor as the 2022-23 season approaches in a couple of months.

Note: The order of the draft was determined by the reverse championship odds set by Tipico Sportsbook. The 2023 draft will only have 59 picks after the Bulls were stripped of their second-round pick by the NBA due to a tampering violation involving the signing of Lonzo Ball.

Iowa reportedly set to square off against Duke in the 2022 Jimmy V Classic

Iowa will meet the Duke Blue Devils in the 2022 Jimmy V Classic. Here’s a look at the all-time series history and Duke’s projected starters.

The start of Iowa’s 2022-23 men’s basketball season is still every bit of five months away. Still, the Hawkeyes just received fantastic news with the return of forward Kris Murray to Iowa City.

Paired with several other decisions by Iowa players to either return or exit via the transfer portal, fans now have a pretty clear idea of what the Hawkeyes’ starting five and key reserves will look like entering next season.

Now, Iowa fans know they can book flights and start planning a trip to New York City for a battle against a blue blood.

CBS Sports and College Hoops Today’s Jon Rothstein reported that Iowa is set to meet the Duke Blue Devils in the 2022 Jimmy V Classic from historic Madison Square Garden. Rothstein also reported that the other game in the event is expected to feature the Texas Longhorns against the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Duke is one of the pillar programs in all of college basketball and will enter next season fresh off the Blue Devils’ 17th all-time appearance in the Final Four. Of course, legendary head coach Mike Krzyewski’s 13th and final Final Four appearance ended with the Blue Devils’ archrivals in the North Carolina Tar Heels sending Duke packing, 81-77.

The Kansas Jayhawks would go on to win the national championship over North Carolina, erasing a 16-point deficit in a historic second-half flurry for the largest title game comeback in NCAA Tournament history, topping the Tar Heels, 72-69.

In its history, Iowa has met up with Duke on eight different occasions. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 7-1. The Hawkeyes and Blue Devils last played on Nov. 27, 2001, in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. It was not to be from the jump for an Iowa team led by guard Luke Recker and forward Reggie Evans.

Duke point guard Jason Williams scored 25 points, center Carlos Boozer added 22 and forward Mike Dunleavy chipped in with 18. The then-No. 1 and defending national champion Blue Devils routed Iowa, 80-62, inside the United Center.

Duke is set to replace some serious star power from last season’s Final Four team, but the Blue Devils have reloaded their roster with some serious talent. Here’s a look at the all-time series matchups between Iowa and Duke and a look at the Blue Devils’ projected starting five.