On Tuesday night Oswego East's Jason Buckley became the latest coach to testify on Neuqua Valley's behalf.
"They've got so many options and they run so many guys in and out and (there's) a lot of interchangeable parts," Buckley said after a 75-50 loss in Naperville. "You try and take away one guy, four other guys are gonna step up. They present a lot of matchup problems. That's why (I) think they're a legitimate state championship-type team. (That) doesn't necessarily mean they're gonna win the state championship, but they've got the pieces to do it and certainly make a long run."
Neuqua forward Dwayne Evans, who is drawing looks from Northwestern, said the team is aware of the expectations but not obsessed by those lofty projections.
"We don't necessarily block it out," Evans said. "We accept it (because) we're kind of proud of that, how we're playing right now. (We) take it as a positive, we take it in stride."
What sort of team will it take to beat the Wildcats (22-1) in the playoffs? And where do you think their season will end?
I watched Neuqua at the Hononegah tourney and was impressed. They are the favorites at their sectional, although there are a few very tough teams there. I think they will meet Jacobs at the supers. At this point I see them playing Waukegan at state which would be a really good game.
Although I go to Waubonsie, I must admit that this Neuqua team is for real. Whereas last season I thought WV and NV were basically on the same level, this season we have really dropped off and Neuqua has established itself as a dominant team and is fully capable of making a deep run. I've noticed from reading articles on some of their wins, however, that they sometimes have trouble closing out games. If you get a team that applies constant offensive pressure and keeps the game close throughout, then you can beat Neuqua. East Aurora beat them because they are great in the fastbreak and are able to take control of games in that regard. Neuqua also needs to avoid being the Batavia of last season. Batavia was picked by many experts to finish in the Final Four, but played a barn-burner against Benet and lost their second round game to Bartlett. With that being said, I see NV in the sectional finals, and probably heading back to the super sectionals.