Duke notes: Kyle Filipowski excels without piling up points

NEW YORK – Kyle Filipowski is the engine that drives the Duke basketball team.

The sophomore All-American usually does that by scoring. So if you were to hear Friday night that Filipowski took all of one shot in the Blue Devils’ first-round NCAA Tournament game against Vermont, you’d figure Duke had joined Auburn and Kentucky as high seeds that got beat.

But the Blue Devils didn’t need Filipowski's offense Friday. All of the other things he did were more than enough.

The future NBA first-round pick scored three points, all from the line, but had 12 rebounds, two steals, and three blocked shots in Duke’s 64-47 triumph.

“I didn't know he only had three points,” Duke forward Mark Mitchell said. “He just did what it took to win. “We ran our offense through him and we got good looks and open shots and that's all you can ask for.”

“So many guys get caught up in stats, especially young players, it can be about scoring,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “He does so much for our team. But for him to be such a willing passer, and we have so much shooting on the floor, I thought it was just a big-time game by him to be honest with you. And it's a lesson for any high school player that's trying to make it. Like he impacted the game taking one shot.

“Do we need to get him more shots? Yes. But I thought he made some great reads,” Scheyer said.

Filipowski, a second-team All-American, was doubled and harassed in the paint by the Catamounts all night. In the second half he rarely even looked for his shot, content to wait for the double team he knew was coming, then find Tyrese Proctor or Jared McCain for open jump shots.

It was an impressive display of patience from Filipowski, one that fellow big man Ryan Young noticed.

“Maybe he doesn’t do that last year, or earlier this year, but it was a great job by him,” Young said. “He stayed patient and affected winning in a number of ways.”

Junior guard Jaylen Blakes has been spending a ton of time on the bench this season, especially lately.

The defensive whiz had only been in for 35 minutes the past eight games, but Friday night, with McCain picking up two first half fouls, Blakes had his biggest impact in months.

He made three steals in the opening half and gave Duke eight solid backcourt minutes when they were sorely needed.

“Coming off the bench, it’s just providing another wave,” Blakes said. “We have a saying called ‘high tide,’ just us bench guys coming out and providing energy. I think tonight I did that defensively, provided that spark, with the steals.

“We’re not going to talk about the two turnovers (off the steals), though,” he added with a laugh.

For Blakes, the lack of consistent minutes isn’t as hard as you would think.

“For all of us, the work we do behind the scenes determines how we do when the lights come on,” Blakes said. “The guys on the bench hold each other accountable. For some guys it might not be easy, but for us it’s easy and we know we’re ready to contribute.”

“You could feel him on the court, his defensive intensity,” Scheyer said. “He knows what he's doing.”

Much has been made of freshman forward Sean Stewart’s connection to Duke legend Grant Hill, and Friday night the Florida kid who has wowed with his athleticism this season got a chance to play as a collegian in front of Hill for the first time, as Hill broadcast the game for CBS.

Stewart played six minutes and made one free throw and had one rebound. Did Stewart get a pregame pep talk from the man he calls “Uncle G?”

“Yeah, he talked to me for a minute,” he said with a smile. “It was all good.”

Duke has historically been very good at getting to the foul line, in many years making more than their opponents took (this season the Blue Devils have made 462, while the opponents took 509, heading into Friday).

Points from the line made a difference against Vermont; in the first half Duke was 11-16 from the stripe, while the Catamounts missed all three of their first-half free throws.

For the game Duke shot 20-29 FTs, while Vermont was 2-for-6 from the stripe.

Lots of freshman guards have struggled in the first two days of the NCAA Tournament (cough, cough, the ones at Kentucky) but Jared McCain was certainly not one of them.

The rookie played a solid game for Duke Friday night, with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. He had early foul trouble but managed it well, and him being unafraid of the moment surprised no one in the Duke locker room.

“His maturity, the way he carries himself on and off the court is absurd, for a person his age,” Young said. “With the limited experience he’s had in college basketball, there are moments where he’s been the steadiest guy on our team.

"He's as mentally a strong and special a freshman as I’ve been around.”