Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer on teams defending Filipowski: 'Kind of seen it all'
Alex Abrami
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Kyle Filipowski is a consensus second team All-American who leads fourth-seeded Duke basketball into Friday's first-round NCAA Tournament game vs. No. 13 Vermont at Barclays Center.
The 7-foot, 248-pound sophomore center looms large over Vermont's tallest bigs, and it's easy to wonder how the Catamounts will attempt to contain one of the country's best players. For Duke coach Jon Scheyer, it's a guessing game from his perspective on the other bench — and that's not a surprise.
"I don't know. Do you have any ideas? I wish I knew exactly," Scheyer said during Thursday's news conference in Brooklyn, New York. "The one thing I would say is this season, I feel we've kind of seen it all. I don't want to say we've seen it all because I'm sure there's something different."
March Madness links:Coverage of Duke vs Vermont basketball in the 2024 NCAA Tournament
More:Why Duke will, and won’t reach Final Four in our 2024 March Madness predictions
Duke's opponents this season have tried to slow Filipowski's influence with double teams, help defense and cross-matches. Last year's ACC freshman of the year, Filipowski is averaging 17.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He went for 28 points and 14 rebounds in the Blue Devils' last game, a disappointing defeat to North Carolina State in the ACC quarterfinals.
"You know, obviously he's a key guy for us with not only how he scores, but how he can create," Scheyer said. "We'll be ready. But he's got to be himself. That's the biggest thing, no matter how they guard him, we want him attacking, aggressive, and just like he was last game.
"And so I do feel confident in however they are playing, that we've seen it before, or we know how we have to attack it," Scheyer added.
What channel is Vermont vs Duke?
- TV channel: CBS
- Stream: Watch FUBO (free trial)
Vermont vs Duke start time in NCAA Tournament
- Date: Friday, March 22
- Time: 7:10 ET
Vermont will tip off vs. Duke on CBS at 7:10 p.m. at Barclays Center. Streaming options include NCAA March Madness Live app and Fubo, which offers a free trial. Announcers for the game are Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill. Tracy Wolfson will serve as sideline reporter.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.
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