Blue Eagles remain the team to beat

The last thing that Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin could be persuaded to do is give a Final Four prediction in the 81st UAAP men’s basketball tournament which opens Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Baldwin, coach of the defending UAAP champion Blue Eagles, said he is not about to make a forecast which can used as motivation.

“That will only fuel the other teams,” said Baldwin in a press conference yesterday at the MOA Arena. “My opinion actually doesn’t matter. We’re going to worry about ourselves, that’s all we care about.”

Ateneo defeated archrival La Salle, 88-86, in Game 3 of a thrilling three-game showdown last year. The Eagles, who competed in the William Jones Cup in Taiwan last June as part of its buildup, will have an almost intact roster led by Finals MVP Thirdy Ravena and Isaac Go.

The other coaches, however, were less cautious in keeping their thoughts to themselves.

“All the other teams have chance,” said Racela, a second-year coach of FEU. “But the team with the best chance is Ateneo, the way they played in the off-season. I’ll be surprised if they lose a game in the elimination.”

The former Blue Eagle added: “After Ateneo, it’s a fair fight for all seven teams. One loss can make a difference on making it the Final Four.”

Coach Jamike Jarin of host school National University provided an interesting answer in giving his Final Four prediction as he pointed to his right, where Baldwin and Racela, as well as Adamson assistant coach Don Allado and new La Salle coach Louie Gonzales sat.

“On my right, these are the Final Four teams, on my left including me (pointing to coaches from UE, UP and UST), we’ll all try to get to the right side,” said Jarin to loud applause.

The first two matches this season will feature UP against UE at 2 p.m. and NU opposite UST at 4 p.m. this Saturday at the MOA Arena. Ateneo starts its title-retention bid against Adamson at 4 p.m. on Sunday after the 2 p.m. encounter between FEU and DLSU.