USC's Archie on bench with injury

COLUMBIA ¬­-- South Carolina's basketball team didn't get the best news possible Monday about injured forward Dominique Archie. Could've been a lot worse, though.

An MRI exam revealed Archie has a sprained right knee, but there aren't any significant tears that will end the fifth-year senior's career at USC.

There is no official timetable for his return, but Archie is expected to miss 4-6 weeks - which would extend right up to the team's SEC season.

Archie went down Sunday in the first half of the Charleston Classic championship game against Miami. USC struggled without him, falling 85-70 to the Hurricanes.

Archie is averaging 14.4 points a game, second on the team to point guard Devan Downey. It was glaring how much South Carolina (4-1) missed Archie after he left the game Sunday.

When Archie went from the Carolina First Arena sports medicine area to the team's locker room during halftime, he was accompanied by several school and team officials, including athletic director Eric Hyman.

After swelling in Archie's knee went down, he had the MRI exam Monday morning. The news means, at least for the next few weeks, the Gamecocks will have to learn to play without one of their leaders.

South Carolina returns to the court Friday, when it hosts Jacksonville. The Gamecocks bring in Horn's alma mater and last coaching stop, Western Kentucky, on Dec. 2. Then they travel to play Clemson on Dec. 6.

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