Duke University star Kyle Filipowski sprained his ankle after Wake Forest fans stormed the court after the Demon Deacons’ 83-79 win over the No. 8 Blue Devils on Saturday, his coach announced. .
Despite being unranked, Demon Deacon was actually well-liked in the game.
But when it comes to courtroom raids, the Las Vegas line doesn’t necessarily matter. An unranked team defeated a conference rival ranked in the top 10 in the country.
The situation was ripe for fans to flock to the court.
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Wake Forest students storm the courtroom after the Demon Deacons beat the Duke Blue Devils at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. (Corey Knowlton/USA Today Sports)
Considering that Wake Forest was actually expected to win, ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg placed much of the blame for Filipowski’s injury on Wake Forest’s administration.
“Wake Forest… dropped the ball,” Greenberg said. “You have to have a plan. If you’re playing this game and you expect to win, you have to hire extra security. We have to plan so that we can get off the court safely. We need to have something in place, such as ensuring that students on both sides are not allowed onto the court.
“Shame on Wake Forest and its administration.”
Attacks on courthouses have been a hot topic lately, especially after the incident involving Caitlin Clark last month.
On CBS Sports, Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis called for limits on courtroom attacks.
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)
“The penalties have to be severe enough to deter incidents from happening,” Kellogg said. “Security is part of the solution, but we need to be prepared. And I think we need very dissuasive penalties to ensure that we don’t experience this.”
“Because somebody could get seriously injured and you don’t want that to happen before you’ve done what you need to do in terms of safety.
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“I think you just shut it down. … a minute and a half after the game … if you want to storm the court, you can do that. Players, coaches, officials have to be given room to get off the court. “It must be safe.” ”
Davis added, “The court is for the people who have earned the right to be there, the players and the coaches. The fans don’t have the right to be there.”
Duke head coach John Scheyer called on the NCAA to ban fans from the court.
Wake Forest’s Matthew Marsh, 33, celebrates with fans after the Demon Deacons’ victory over Duke on Saturday, February 24, 2024 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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“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.”
Chris Spatra, the game’s color commentator, also said the courtroom attack “should not have happened.”
This week, LSU was fined $100,000 after the Tigers defeated Kentucky and fans stormed the court. The ACC does not provide penalties for courtroom assaults.
