Kyle Filipowski Injured in Chaotic Court Storming After Wake Forest Upset

Wake Forest pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season on Saturday, defeating the #8 ranked Duke Blue Devils 83-79 on their home court. However, the excitement of the Demon Deacons win was dampened as their fans stormed the floor immediately. After the buzzer in a chaotic celebration that resulted in Duke star forward Kyle Filipowski suffering a leg injury.

As the fans rushed to join in on the celebration of Wake Forest’s victory over the basketball powerhouse Duke. The 7-foot Kyle Filipowski was trying to make his way off the court. Video showed the big man bracing for impact as screaming fans engulfed the floor. He appeared to bang his right leg on a fan running by him, spinning him off balance. Filipowski had to be helped to the locker room by teammates.

Concerns About Safety of Court Stormings

The incident has reignited the debate around allowing fans to storm the court after big wins. Both Duke coach Jon Scheyer and Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes expressed displeasure with the tradition, citing safety concerns. “When are we going to ban court storming?” Scheyer asked. “How many times does a player have to get into something. Where they get punched, or they get pushed, or they get taunted right in their face? It’s a dangerous thing.” Forbes agreed, saying “They just don’t feel safe.” The status of Filipowski’s leg injury is still unknown as Duke awaits further evaluation.

Wake Forest Athletic Director John Currie issued an apology to Duke Vice President Nina King and the ACC regarding the incident. While security procedures were in place, he acknowledged “we clearly must do better” in protecting both teams given the national phenomenon of court stormings. As one of the nation’s top players, Kyle Filipowski’s health and availability for the remainder of Duke’s season remains a major question mark following his collision with a fan in the frenzied celebration that ended with an unexpected injury to the big man.