In the first half of the Blue Devils’ 84-79 loss on Saturday, Kyle Filipowski of Duke denied purposefully tripping Harrison Ingram of North Carolina. The play appeared to invigorate both sides of the rivalry. Following the play, UNC coach Hubert Davis expressed his displeasure to the referees, who conversed with Filipowski without issuing a foul call or blowing a whistle.
“To be honest, I’m not really sure how that whole situation happened,” Filipowski remarked following the match. Actually, I was just getting up. My foot slid. How I managed to catch him is beyond me. Really, that’s all I have.
After Ingram went to the ground, Filipowski said he was unaware that the player was following the action.
Former Duke standout Grayson Allen, who was suspended for tripping during his time as a Blue Devil, appeared to have made a similar move. After becoming the target of Wake Forest’s court-storming earlier this season, which left the 7-foot sophomore with a non-serious injury, Filipowski recently made headlines across the country.
After the Blue Devils’ shocking defeat, Filipowski collided with a supporter on the floor and needed assistance from teammates and Duke coach Jon Scheyer to the locker room.
At the end of Saturday’s game against the Tar Heels, Filipowski scored 23 points to lead Duke.
In general, we didn’t play our best basketball, according to Filipowski. We continue to be among the top teams in the nation. UNC does not define our season.”
