Kyle Filipowski notches birthday double-double in Duke debut

No Dereck Lively? No Dariq Whitehead? No problem.

Kyle Filipowski, who is celebrating his 19th birthday, had a collegiate debut to remember, notching the first double-double of his young Duke career. The seven-foot true freshman finished the game with 10 points, 12 boards en route to the Blue Devils’ 71-44 victory over Jacksonville Tuesday night.

He proved his versatility on the offensive end, notching two 3-pointers, dishing out three assists and recording two blocks.

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Filipowski was the only one of the three consensus five-star recruits to play in Duke’s season opener. Lively is recovering from a calf injury, while Whitehead fractured his foot in August.

Duke will be back in action Friday night against SC Upstate at 6:30 p.m. ET live at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the ACC Network

Dereck Lively II to miss Duke’s season opener vs Jacksonville

Dereck Lively II, the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class, will not suit up for Duke tonight in the Blue Devils’ season opener against Jacksonville, per the Fayetteville Observer. 

Lively has been recovering from a calf injury, and the 7-foot-1 star big man is considered day-to-day, according to first-year head coach Jon Scheyer. Lively didn’t play in any of Duke’s preseason exhibitions. 

On top of the Lively injury, Duke will also be missing freshman Dariq Whitehead – the No. 2 player in the 2022 class, per the On3 Consensus – after fracturing his foot in August. Whitehead was the 2022 Naismith High School Player of the Year, and will likely miss the first couple weeks of the season. 

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Lively’s injury timeline is up in the air as of now, but Duke fans will hope for him to be back in time for Friday’s game against USC Upstate.