Duke basketball is not quite the feared opponent it once was this season, but the Blue Devils still have one of the best players in the country, Kyle Filipowski.
The sophomore big man put together his best performance of the season so far on Tuesday in Duke's blowout win over Hofstra, coming two assists shy of his first career triple-double. Filipowski finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, adding three blocks and a steal while knocking down a season-high four 3-pointers. Duke won the game 89-68 to improve to 7-3.
Filipowski has been one of the most efficient players in college basketball through the first month of the season. His latest performance vaulted him into second in the KenPom Player of the Year ratings, right behind the reigning National Player of the Year, Purdue's Zach Edey.
Edey has a substantial lead over the rest of the field with his 2.491 rating, while Filipowksi sits behind him with a rating of 1.659.
KenPom calculates several advanced stats on both sides of the ball to determine the ratings. Both team and individual ratings are updated throughout the season. Since its inception in 2002, it's been pretty accurate in determining who the best team in college basketball is, with every national champion since 2015 finishing in the top three, four of them topping the rankings.
A two-man race for Player of the Year?
Rightfully so, Zach Edey is the favorite to retain his title of best player in college basketball. He has a lead in the KenPom ratings and is tabbed by most sportsbooks as the favorite to win National Player of the Year again.
If Kyle Filipowski can lead a turnaround for Duke, currently ranked 21st in the AP top 25, he'll have a say in the race. Don’t count out Kansas' Hunter Dickinson either, who sits between Edey and Filipowski in player of the year odds.
There's no denying that Filipowski is Duke's best player and even though the Blue Devils don’t look like national championship contenders at the moment, that still means something in the college basketball world.
There's a lot of basketball left to be played and with some more non-conference showdowns coming for both Edey's Purdue and Filipowski's Duke, a lot can change.
No. 3 Purdue hosts No. 1 Arizona on Saturday, while Filipowski and Duke will play No. 6 Baylor at Madison Square Garden next Wednesday.
That gives both Edey and Filipowski chances to shine on the national stage and those performances could go a long way and determining end-of-season awards.
Duke basketball would benefit from Kyle Filipowski hitting another gear. Does he have it in him? That question will be answered over the next three months.
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