Ateneo to bolster bid for semis bonus

ATENEO de Manila University looks to bolster its bid for a Final Four twice-to-beat incentive when it battles defending champion University of the Philippines on Saturday in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Blue Eagles face the Fighting Maroons, their tormentors from last season’s championship series, at 6:30 p.m.

Sporting the league’s second best win-loss record of 9-3, a win by the Blue Eagles over the league-leading Maroons (11-2) paired by a National University loss to Adamson University in their 11 a.m. encounter will secure the Tab Baldwin-mentored team a top two finish and a twice-to-beat incentive.

A Blue Eagles loss paired by a Bulldogs win, however, would make Ateneo’s final elimination round game against Adamson on Wednesday a must-win situation to force a playoff with NU for the No. 2 spot.

“If we have serious championship aspirations, we have to play a lot better, we have to shoot a lot better, and make better decisions on the offensive end than we did today [against UE],” said Baldwin, whose team eked out a 69-66 overtime win over the Red Warriors last Wednesday.

Blue Eagles star Dave Ildefonso shared that there is an added motivation for the team to beat the Fighting Maroons since it was the latter who dethroned them last season.

UP, which has already secured a twice-to-beat Final Four bonus after a 78-60 triumph over University of Santo Tomas last Wednesday, also had Ateneo’s number in the first round as the Maroons won in overtime, 76-71.

“Well as everyone knows how last season ended, ending in heartbreak. I’m always looking forward to going up against UP, especially right now they’re No.1, and they probably have one of the best players in the country in Carl Tamayo. They’re a really deep and talented team. We’ll just try to bring down the giants,” said Ildefonso.

While the UP-Ateneo games are now considered a modern-day rivalry in the UAAP, Tamayo said that the Fighting Maroons are just treating their game against the Blue Eagles like an ordinary Saturday game.

“I think it’s just the same [approach for us against Ateneo],” said Tamayo.

“It doesn’t matter whichever team we’ll be facing, I think it will just be big for us if we can win the game. We’ll just go to the game prepared and give it our all we got to get the win.”

Games Today (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

11 a.m. Adamson vs NU1 p.m. FEU vs UST3 p.m. UE vs La Salle6:30 p.m. UP vs Ateneo

Team standings:

UP (11-2); Ateneo (9-3); NU (9-4); La Salle (6-6); Adamson (6-6); UE (4-9); FEU (4-9); UST (1-11)