This is the moment Kyle Filipowski dreamed about when he was making his decision to return to the Duke basketball program for his sophomore year -- the postseason.
It begins Thursday night (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN) for the Blue Devils against either North Carolina State or Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament and Filipowski is embracing the challenge and pressure.
"Obviously, we had a great season so far, but now we are in the moment we want to live for," he told Ball Durham.
"Being in that position, you have to make the most of it and you have to be all-in."
Filipowski was promoting his recent partnership with Great Clips, the Official Hair Salon of March Madness, for the “Wrights & Wrongs” campaign, which educates fans on the “wright” and the “wrong” ways to enjoy March Madness.
He joked that he thinks it's a "wright for fans to watch games in the stands rather than on the court," poking fun at the court storming incident that happened when the Blue Devils were beaten by Wake Forest.
The real dub this #MarchMadness is a fresh haircut at @GreatClips and entering for a chance to win a trip and tickets to the @ncaa 2025 #FinalFour. 🏀👏 Download the Great Clips app to get started! #ad pic.twitter.com/mdLaahRngY
— Kyle “Flip” Filipowski (@kylefilipowski) March 13, 2024
"We're such a special group with how we play together and our chemistry."
The Blue Devils earned the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament and are in the mix to try and land a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a strong performance in Washington D.C. this weekend.
Filipowski has led the way for Duke, being named as an All-ACC First Team selection, averaging 16.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game.
"It's been one of the most special teams that I've been apart of," the potential All-American candidate continued.
Duke was pegged as one of the favorites to win the National Championship in the preseason with four returning starters from last season but flew under the radar for most people after three losses in its first eight games to Arizona, Arkansas, and Georgia Tech.
Filipowski says he expects the Blue Devils to play with a "chip" on its shoulder in its pursuit of a title this season, although most of the team has the experience of winning an ACC Championship a year ago.
"We've been through it before and we can go through it again," he explained.