Duke basketball star avoids punishment as charges linger

Duke basketball freshman star Paolo Banchero might have avoided punishment from the team. 

A chaotic Tuesday morning has turned into an interesting Tuesday night in Durham with the Duke basketball team as freshman star Paolo Banchero seems to have avoided public punishment from the Blue Devils.

On Sunday morning, Banchero was charged with aiding and abetting DWI and released from the scene as his junior teammate, Michael Savarino, 20, was arrested on a DWI charge.

The freshman phenom was seen warming up on the court prior to Tuesday’s game against Gardner-Webb. Meanwhile, Savarino, the grandson of Mike Krzyzewski, has yet to be seen inside Cameron Indoor Stadium this evening.

Stephen Wiseman of the News & Observer was the first to report the charges against the two Blue Devils. And David Thompson of The Fayetteville Observer was the first to report that Banchero will play against the Runnin’ Bulldogs.

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Thompson’s report specified that it was unclear whether or not Savarino would be available to play on Tuesday.

Duke announced its starting lineup approximately 40 minutes before tipoff, which included Banchero.

The team has yet to address the pending charges and any potential punishments to follow, except for Mike Krzyzewski’s prepared statement to Wiseman.

Duke basketball continues as the legal process unfolds

Paolo Banchero was named the ACC Player of the Week and averaged 19.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per contest through his first three collegiate games.

This season, Michael Savarino has only played in one game, seeing four minutes in Duke’s victory over Army on Friday night.

Both players have a court date, set for December 8 and December 9, according to the initial report from Wiseman.

The Blue Devils are projected to be one of the favorites to win the National Championship in the final season under Mike Krzyzewski in large part due to the on-court brilliance of Banchero as Duke currently sits as the No. 7 team in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll.