ACC

Duke basketball's Jon Scheyer: 'Probably' can't reach Sweet 16 without Filipowski scoring

Alex Abrami
Burlington Free Press

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — If Duke basketball wants to advance to the Sweet 16, it must create more shooting opportunities for Kyle Filipowski, its All-American center.

One field-goal attempt and three points won't cut it in the Round of 32 against No. 12 James Madison. The fourth-seeded Blue Devils (25-8) meet the James Madison Dukes (32-3) in Sunday's second-round NCAA Tournament tilt at Barclays Center.

"Probably not. You know, probably not," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said when asked about the chances of defeating James Madison without Filipowski's scoring contributions. "I mean, Flip, we have to get him more than one shot. That's on me."

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Filipowski, Duke's leading scorer at 16.7 points a game, went 0 of 1 from the floor Friday night in the Blue Devils' 64-47 first-round NCAA Tournament victory over a No. 13 Vermont Catamounts squad determined to make other Duke players beat them. But the 7-foot sophomore found other ways to be productive and impact the game, recording 12 rebounds and four blocks while handing out four assists in 37 playing minutes.

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"They decided to double Flip early in the post and we countered to that," Duke guard Tyrese Proctor said. "I don't think it's smart to double Flip in the post because he's one of the best passers in the country."

Guards Proctor, Jeremy Roach and Jared McCain and forward Mark Mitchell combined for 57 points in the Duke win over Vermont.

"Just shows like how versatile we are," Proctor said. "Everyone can do everything, and when we are all connected on a string, it helps our team."

Still, Filipowski's total points and total shot attempts were season lows for last year's ACC freshman of the year who was coming off back-to-back 20-point efforts.

"Now one shot, that's not good for us at the end of the day," Scheyer said. "He needs to take more than one shot, and I need to help him do that."

Duke vs James Madison start time in NCAA Tournament

  • Date: Sunday, March 24
  • Time: 5:15 p.m.

Duke plays James Madison on Sunday (5:15 p.m, ET) at Barclays Center.

What channel is Duke vs James Madison in NCAA Tournament?

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

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