What happened to Kyle Filipowski last night? Wake Forest fans' court storming incident explained

The joyous chaos of a court storming took a painful turn for Duke sophomore Kyle Filipowski on Saturday.

After the final buzzer sounded on Wake Forest's 83-79 upset over the No. 8 Blue Devils, swarms of Demon Deacon fans flooded onto the court to celebrate. Filipowski was making his way off it when he was blindsided and collided with the rushing Wake Forest fans.

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What happened to Kyle Filipowski last night?

Kyle Filipowski was near the Wake Forest logo when he was suddenly slammed into by a wave of celebrating Demon Deacons fans storming the court. While one fan rushed into the 7-foot center, another made contact with his legs.

The Duke sophomore appeared to be instantly injured in the collision. Blue Devils players and staff quickly surrounded Filipowski and helped escort him off the floor.

Despite Filipowski's strong performance of 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Duke's five-game winning streak was broken. After the defeat, the 21-6 Blue Devils dropped to 12-4 in ACC play.

During the postgame interview, reporters questioned Filipowski about the incident.

“I absolutely feel that it was personal – intentional, for sure," Filipowski said. "There’s no reason where they see a big guy like me trying to work my way off the court and can’t just work around me. There’s no excuse for that.”

The ACC does not have a provision to stop fans from storming the court. It is the only Power Five conference that does not levy fines on teams for such events.

Did Kyle Filipowski get hurt?

Yes, Kyle Filipowski was left injured following Saturday's court-storming incident.

After the game, conflicting reports emerged on the nature of Filipowski's injury. Duke coach Jon Scheyer said in his press conference that Filipowski suffered a sprained ankle. However, reporter Conor O'Neil posted on social media that Filipowski himself told media members it was actually his knee that was hurt, not his ankle.

“Disappointed we lost, but for me, I’m more concerned about the well-being of our guys,” Scheyer said.

“Flip sprains his ankle. When are we gonna ban court storming? When are we gonna ban that? How many times does a player have to get into something where they get punched or get pushed or get taunted right in their face. It’s a dangerous thing.”

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Why did Wake Forest fans storm the court?

Storming the court after emotional home victories has become an increasingly popular way for college basketball fans to celebrate this season. Students and supporters rush from the stands onto the floor to mob their team in joy after taking down a highly-ranked opponent.

Similarly, Wake Forest fans wasted no time flooding the hardwood at Lawrence Joel Coliseum after their team knocked off visiting No. 8 Duke.

The practice of fans storming the court has faced heightened criticism in recent weeks after several unsafe situations for players. This includes Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark colliding with an Ohio State fan when the Buckeyes faithful rushed the floor following their 100-92 upset over the Hawkeyes on Jan. 21 in Columbus.

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