Adding insult to injury, Wake Forest fans stormed the court after the Demon Deacons’ 83-79 come-from-behind victory Saturday afternoon.
After the final buzzer sounded, Duke University star Kyle Filipovski had to be helped off the court as the court was flooded with black, white and gold.
It appears that a fan made contact with him as he ran from the left side of the court. The fan who appeared to hit Filipovski fell to the court, and Filipovski somehow ended up in the arms of a Duke staff member.
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Fans storm the court to celebrate with Wake Forest players after Wake Forest defeated Duke on Saturday, February 24, 2024 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
As Filipovski was leaving the court, a fan who was filming the chaos on his cellphone waved his finger like Dikembe Mutombo.
One Blue Devils staff member helped Filipovski off the floor and appeared to tell fans to “get out of the way.”
Head coach John Scheier said Filipovski sprained his ankle, and the coach called for a halt to the court attack.
“When are we going to ban court assaults? When are we going to ban them? How many times are players going to get punched, pushed, and yelled at in the face? That’s dangerous.”
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ESPN’s Chris Spatola also called for an end to the courtroom attacks as chaos became certain.
“That shouldn’t happen. That’s why there shouldn’t be any attacks on courtrooms,” he said.
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas made a similar plea after Caitlin Clark was run over by a fan last month.
Iowa State’s Caitlin Clark heads to the locker room after the NCAA Championship Game against LSU on April 2, 2023 in Dallas. (AP Photo/Daron Cummings)
“The passion is amazing. I love the passion. The fans don’t belong on the court. Never before,” he said at the time. “If someone gets hurt, we’re going to take it seriously.”
The Southeastern Conference fined the school $100,000 for storming the court, but that didn’t stop South Carolina fans from being fined after the Gamecocks beat No. 6 Kentucky in January. A second violation will result in a penalty of $250,000, and subsequent violations will result in a penalty of $500,000.
Wake Forest’s Matthew Marsh, 33, celebrates with fans after Wake Forest’s win over Duke on Saturday, February 24, 2024 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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LSU was also fined $100,000 after the Tigers defeated the Wildcats this week. The ACC does not provide penalties for courtroom assaults.
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