Stretching their winning run to 16 will be the order of business for the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles.
But getting a better shooting percentage is also something to consider for the Blue Eagles when they meet University of the East Warriors at 12:30 p.m. today at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Having good accuracy from the field will help the Blue Eagles in their bid to stay on top of the standings in the 82nd University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.
“Our field-goal percentage doesn’t flatter our play really at 40 percent. It’s something we need to continue to work on, but also at the other end of the floor, our defense is doing a good job. It’s generating turnovers and converting those into easy points on the fastbreak,” said Blue Eagles’ coach Tab Baldwin.
The Blue Eagles are going for their sixth straight win and 16th overall since the start of the first round last season.
After turning back the National University Bulldogs, 71-50, last Sunday, Baldwin feels that the Blue Eagles need to fine-tune their game further.
“We want that tempo, but we want to generate it through pressure. And we don’t like it when the game slows down too much. But I think even in a slow game, it helps our offense a little bit,” added Baldwin.
The Warriors (1-4) are considered a dangerous team by Baldwin, following their 56-62 loss to the University of the Philippines Maroons.
“We can’t take anybody lightly and it’s disrespectful and I don’t think we want to be characterized as a program or a team that’s disrespectful to anybody or anything in our game,” said Baldwin. Peter Atencio
UP, which trails the Blue Eagles at 4-1, battles the La Salle Green Archers at 4 p.m., with the Diliman-based squad seeking to hike its record in third (4-2).
The Far Eastern University Tamaraws, who absorbed a 74-82 loss to the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, will make a bid to bounce back in their 10:30 a.m. confrontation with the Bulldogs.