The defending champion Far Eastern University Tamaraws are considered the top defensive team in the 79th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.
The Tams, who have held their opponents to just 64.8 points per game, hope to hit that mark against the league-leading La Salle Green Archers when they meet at 4 p.m. today at the Mall of Asia Arena.
FEU has lost its last two games, including a 59-74 setback to the Ateneo Blue Eagles last Wednesday.
Beating La Salle will keep the Tamaraws from falling into complications—which will happen if Ateneo prevails over the University of Santo Tomas in the first game at 2 p.m., and if the Adamson Soaring Falcons gets past the National University Bulldogs on Sunday.
Should the Tams lose to the Archers, and the Blue Eagles and the Soaring Falcons score wins, a three-way tie for the no. 2 seed in the Final Four semifinals will occur.
Meanwhile, National University opens its bid for a second straight title against University of the East today in the UAAP Season 79 juniors basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
Led by ace guard John Lloyd Clemente, the Bullpups are tipped to win in the 3 p.m. clash with the Junior Warriors.
Last season’s runner-up De La Salle-Zobel, which lost three key players to graduation, plays Far Eastern University-Diliman at 11 a.m.
In other opening day matches, Ateneo takes on University of Santo Tomas at 9 a.m., while Adamson University collides with UP Integrated School.
When the Ateneo seniors prevailed over FEU last Wednesday, the Eagles caught their victims in second place. Both teams now share an 8-4 win-loss slate.
But the Soaring Falcons are right behind them at 7-5 after they turned back the out-of-contention Growling Tigers, 76-61.
For now, FEU coach Nash Racela isn’t focusing on such a scenario taking place.
“Right now we just want to focus on the next game, because it all depends on that,” said Racela in their bid to keep their twice-to-beat incentive in the Final Four.
The Green Archers have already secured the No. 1 seed and are comfortably ahead of the pack with a 12-1 slate, leaning on their two all-around players in Ben Mbala and Jeron Teng. Mbala has averaged 21 points and 16 rebounds per game, while Teng has notched 16.9 points.
FEU, however, has dominant rebounders in Raymar Jose (11.4 boards an outing) and Prince Orizu (10.0).
The Blue Eagles, meanwhile, are on a four-game winning streak, has dominant players and are the only ones to beat their archrival Archers this season. Thirdy Ravena, John Wong, Anton Asistio, Chibueze Ikeh, and the Nieto brothers Matthew and Mike have turned Ateneo into the second-best defensive squad this season, and it showed against the Tamaraws.
“We still have two games left. We don’t want to think far ahead because we don’t want our minds to wander. Just focus on UST, and take it one game at a time,” said Blue Eagles coach Sandy Arespacochaga.
Games Today
(MOA Arena)
2 p.m. UST vs Ateneo
4 p.m. FEU vs La Salle