The Villanova and Duke basketball programs are two of the more well-known brands in college basketball. On Saturday afternoon, the teams played in Washington, D.C., but no one was able to watch.
The head coaches of both programs, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Neptune, decided to hold a “secret scrimmage” in which neither team is allowed to discuss the game in detail but media leaks make the entire nation aware of it.
Although the scrimmage was most likely not a conventional 40-minute game, the final score has not been made public. However, some insightful remarks regarding Duke’s performance against the Big East rival have been made.
Following two hip surgeries in the offseason, Kyle Filipowski appeared VERY GOOD in today’s secret scrimmage against Villanova,” wrote college basketball insider Jeff Goodman on social media.
ALSO READ: Kyle Filipowski flaunts new hips with emphatic dunk
Filipowski, the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, has been working his way back to full health after the hip surgery he underwent in March has allowed him to become more athletic and move on the court without pain.
The 7-footer showcased his athleticism last week during the team’s scrimmage at Countdown to Craziness with a baseline dunk that would have been inconceivable for him to execute last season.
Filipowski only had five points and three rebounds in that 16-minute scrimmage but hearing that he performed well against a veteran and talented frontcourt of Villanova is certainly promising.
Other Duke basketball players standout in scrimmage
Two Blue Devils that did not have their best showings in the Countdown to Craziness scrimmage were freshmen guards Jared McCain and Caleb Foster.
Whether it was being overwhelmed by the moment of a packed Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time in their careers or just a poor shooting night, the two 5-star recruits combined for eight points on 4-of-13 shooting and missed four 3-pointers.
On Saturday, that seemed to change.
READ ALSO: Kyle Filipowski, a forward for Duke, is the newest All-American
“It was also mentioned that the rookie guards, Foster and McCain, performed admirably for Duke,” Goodman continued.
Jared McCain is probably going to start for Duke when the season kicks off against Dartmouth on Monday, November 6 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ACC Network. The Blue Devils’ only public exhibition game is scheduled for Wednesday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra against UNC Pembrook.
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