Archie’s on hold after collision

IOWA CITY - It's unknown if Devon Archie will play Sunday or miss a second straight game after suffering a concussion last week at Indiana.

Archie played just three minutes against the Hoosiers and left the game after a hard collision with Victor Oladipo late in the first half. Archie still had concussion symptoms Wednesday and did not play against Wisconsin.

“Concussions are just a funny thing,” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said Friday. “Really, you try to determine the level or seriousness, and some are worse than others.

“The reality is different people react differently to them. Until he doesn't have any headaches, he's going to be on the side, and he's still got to pass the mobility stuff. So we'll see.”

Archie averages about eight minutes a game and could fill vital minutes Sunday against Minnesota's front wall of 6-foot-11 Ralph Sampson III, 6-10 Colton Iverson and 6-8 Trevor Mbakwe.

“We could use him. We really could,” McCaffery said. “He's been playing well, and they're so big. He's a shot blocker and a rebounder and a runner - because we want to run - and he outlets the ball. I'm hopeful he can play and he wants to play.”

Zach McCabe is in the midst of a scoring slump, but McCaffery said he isn't concerned.

McCabe, a 6-foot-7 freshman from Sioux City, has missed both shots from the field in Iowa's last two games and his only points have come from the free-throw line. McCabe averages 6.0 points a game but that's down from 6.5 after a five-point effort against Michigan State.

“Nothing he's doing is wrong,” McCaffery said. “They're guarding him differently. They're up into him, because they know he can shoot.

“I think he's doing a lot of good things. He's putting it on the deck.'

Against Indiana, he was hit three times on three possessions for fouls when Hoosier ballhandlers intentionally drove into him.

With Iowa trailing by one in the second half against Wisconsin, McCabe grabbed an offensive rebound and missed an open layup under the basket.

“He rushed it,” McCaffery said.

But McCabe has value on the court, even if he's not scoring.

He plays multiple positions and grabbed five rebounds against Wisconsin.

“I think Zach has been a real, real solid player,” McCaffery said. “I think his point production is really more of a function of how people are paying attention to him ... more than anything he's doing wrong.”