When Northwestern center Patricia Babcock whacked her funny bone on the floor during a 6:45 a.m. practice this week, no one found it the least bit amusing.
Instead, an eerie silence filled the gym as Babcock’s teammates watched her shake out the temporarily traumatized arm.
“It was a pretty big fright,” admitted Northwestern women’s basketball coach Don Perrelli, who is understandably jittery after losing five players to injury since the season opened.
Babcock, the Big 10’s leading rebounder with 10.7 per game, recovered. But time will tell if an injury-depleted Northwestern (7-1, 0-1) squad can endure a brutal three-game stretch against Top 5 teams, which includes Saturday’s game against No. 5 North Carolina in the Big 10-ACC Classic at 12:30 p.m. in Charlottesville, Va. Northwestern, which lost to No. 3 Penn State 80-63 Thursday night, also plays No. 2 Iowa on Jan. 16.
“I don’t know of a team that’s ever played three Top 5 teams in a row,” said Ann Myers, who will be providing the commentary for the double-header, which is televised nationally by CBS.
After the Northwestern-North Carolina game, No. 15 Ohio State will play No. 17 Virginia in a rematch from last year’s ACC-Big 10 Classic, when Ohio State’s Katie Smith poured in a career-high 35 points in a 91-84 victory.
The Buckeyes went on to become the NCAA runner-up to Texas Tech. Virginia won the ACC title for the second year in a row and reached the Elite Eight before again losing to Ohio State.
But North Carolina (9-0) is the team to beat in the ACC this year, with all five starters back from last season’s 23-7 squad. Four players average in double figures, led by senior guard Tonya Sampson (16.4, plus 7.2 rebounds). In addition, coach Sylvia Hatchell has found a starting spot for Olympic-class sprinter Marian Jones.
Jones, a freshman, averages 14 points and leads the ACC in steals, averaging 4.2 per contest.
“North Carolina has terrific athletes and that ability can take over,” said Perrelli, who witnessed North Carolina’s impressive come-from-behind win against Alabama.
Northwestern, ranked 18th nationally, only used six players in a non-conference victory over Northeastern, but finished the preseason undefeated for the first time since 1985.
Somehow, all starters have remained healthy, including the trio of outside threats-Maureen Holohan (18 points); former Buffalo Grove standout Michele Ratay, who leads the Big 10 in three-point field-goal percentage (.536); and former Maine West star Moira Kennelly, who set an NU record for three-pointers when she went 6 for 7 against Northeastern.
But the losses of freshman Kenya Key (right knee), freshman Tricia Haugen (walking pneumonia), freshman Mary Connolly (sprained left ankle), junior Anique Whitmore (stress fracture) and senior Melissa Smith (career-ending foot injury) leaves NU with nine bodies, including a walk-on.
Virginia, which holds the nation’s second-longest home-court winning streak of 31, would love to pay back Ohio State for last season’s losses. Although the Cavaliers lost twin towers Heather and Heidi Burge, sophomore Wendy Palmer is averaging 21.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
Ohio State lost three key players from last year’s 28-4 team, but all-American sophomore Katie Smith is back, averaging 20.8 points per game and Adrienne Johnson averages 11 points.
