Mo Walker said on Tuesday that he isn't too worried about the drama surrounding Iowa following center Adam Woodbury's third eye-poking incident vs. Maryland on Sunday.

But just in case, Minnesota's center said, he'll "be on the lookout for some fingers coming towards my face."

The chatter about Woodbury's antics has reached a fever pitch this week as the Gophers head to Iowa City -- Walker said he saw a "Woodbury poked you" joke going around on Facebook, playing off the social media site's "poking" feature.

Minnesota, though, is mostly trying to downplay it. Coach Richard Pitino, in Tuesday's news conference, called the three incidents -- two times vs. Wisconsin, once vs. Maryland -- a "coincidence."

"How does a 7-foot guy intentionally poke a guy in the eye as they're driving? That's difficult to do," Pitino said. "I don't think the kid is a dirty player. I've played against [Iowa coach] Fran McCaffery now three times, I don't think he coaches like that."

Woodbury has also been criticized for raking his hand over the arm of opposing centers in tipoffs, a move McCaffery also said wasn't taught.

Walker, while admitting that getting poked in the eye during a basketball game is very rare, said it's not hard to understand how it could happen.

"Trying to slap down on a ball, trying to close out, get your hands high -- going after a rebound, throwing your hands up," he said. "It could happen."

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Walker, who played with a wrap on his right wrist for most of Saturday's win over Purdue, said the injury -- sustained when someone came down on him with an elbow hasn't been a concern this week. "The wrist is good, it hasn't been bothering me the last few days," he said.