Woodbury involved in another eye incident

IOWA CITY - Iowa center Adam Woodbury tied a career high with 16 points in a 71-55 win Sunday, yet his defensive actions late in the first half overshadowed one of the junior's best performances.

With the Hawkeyes leading Maryland 28-12 and about 5 minutes, 30 seconds left in the first half, Woodbury touched the eye of Maryland guard Melo Trimble, who dropped the ball and fell to the ground. Woodbury initially was not whistled for a foul but later officials went to the monitor and ruled Woodbury committed a flagrant-one foul. Maryland guard Dez Wells shot Trimble's free throws.

It was the second high-profile eye-poking incident involving Woodbury this season. At Wisconsin on Jan. 20, Woodbury poked the eyes of Badgers Frank Kaminsky and Nigel Hayes. Woodbury was not called for a foul either time, but ESPN broadcaster Dan Dakich took issue with the incident, calling Woodbury's actions 'cowardly” and 'gutless.” Dakich also called for Woodbury's suspension.

Woodbury apologized for his actions the next day. Sunday, he did the same thing.

'No way on that stage was I trying to poke anybody in the eye, the Wisconsin game ...,” Woodbury said. 'It's too hard to do anyway, those guys are too damn quick. It just happens in the game. Too fast.”

Trimble said Woodbury apologized to him twice during the game, once after he poked him and then during postgame handshakes.

'I think it was just an accident,” Trimble said. 'He tried to make a play on the ball, and he accidentally hit me in the eye.

'He said he was sorry.”

Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery, who took issue with Dakich's comments three weeks ago, called the officiating crew 'excellent.” McCaffery then became upset with a question about Woodbury's repeated offenses.

'Next question,” McCaffery said. 'Ask an intelligent question.”

Another reporter asked why the previous question wasn't intelligent, McCaffery replied, 'Because I said so.”

After the Wisconsin game, McCaffery was incensed after Dakich's on-air comments, saying Dakich was 'out of line. He crossed the line. He is out of line.” Dakich stood by his choice of words, and McCaffery spent seven minutes of his radio show on Jan. 21 going after Dakich.

Woodbury said the situation hasn't affected his play over the last few weeks.

Sunday's game was particularly physical. Iowa forward Aaron White was a cut over his right eye when he was fouled hard by Wells going to the basket.

'Things happens in a game,” Woodbury said. 'I get hit in the mouth, get hit in the face all the time, Sappy (Anthony Clemmons) got hit in the mouth. Whitey got hit in the face. It just happens in the game.”

Trimble re-entered the game and finished with a game-high 20 points. Earlier in the first half Trimble ran into a cameraman under the basket, and the camera fell on top of his head.

'He's fine,” Maryland Coach Mark Turgeon said. 'It looked worse than it is. No blurry vision, no nothing. He iced it, and it's a lot better. There was no pain. He played like it wasn't bothering him.”

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