MANILA, Philippines – Two-time defending champion Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles will not only aim to achieve a three-peat but will also strive to score their first win over the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 73.The league’s Top 2 teams met twice this season, with FEU winning both games by no more than 3 points (72-69 on July 11 and 74-72 on September 11).
For basketball analyst Chris Soler of inboundpass magazine (http://www.inboundpass.com/), the FEU vs AdMU clash will surely be something to watch out for.
“This is going to be a very intriguing and intense series. I know that a lot of people have already played it up and rightfully so. It’s just going to be a dead heat. You’ve got both teams—FEU being the top offensive team in the UAAP and Ateneo being the premier defensive squad so it’s gonna be a battle of opposing philosophies as well,” Soler told “Dateline Philippines” on Monday.
Inboundpass covers Philippine collegiate basketball—the UAAP, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Filoil Flying V, Philippine Collegiate Championship, and Fr. Martin’s Cup.
When asked about which team has the momentum going into the Finals, Soler picked Ateneo despite not being able to get past FEU this year.
“Psychologically, I think Ateneo is on a high considering that they managed to dispose of Adamson in a much easier fashion compared to FEU but let’s not forget that Ateneo failed to beat FEU in the Season 73 elimination round. So I think that’s gonna play an even bigger part coming into the series,” he stated.
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The Tamaraws reached the finals by topping the elimination round with a 12-2 record. They ousted the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers in a tough Final Four match last Thursday, 69-59, in overtime.
Ateneo, meanwhile, finished with a 10-4 card in the eliminations, then dominated the Adamson University Soaring Falcons in their semi-final match on Sunday, 68-55.
Soler noted that Ateneo’s easy win over Adamson did not come as a surprise to him.
“Ateneo is at its best when it comes off of losses. The FEU defeat stung so the Blue Eagles had extra motivation entering yesterday’s ball game and they showed that they have that killer instinct. They’ve been criticized for the lack of a killer instinct in those close losses in the eliminations so it wasn’t that surprising,” he said.
The Blue Eagles boast of battle-tested stars Ryan Buenafe, Nico Salva, Eric Salamat and feisty point guard Emman Monfort.
The Tamaraws, on the other hand, are led by tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) RR Garcia, super rookie Terrence Romeo and big men Reil Cervantes and Aldrech Ramos.
“It’s gonna be pretty, pretty difficult to predict and to call which team is gonna pull through in the end,” said Soler.
But when the Ateneo alumnus was asked to forecast who will take the first game, he relented by saying, “I think FEU is gonna get Game No. 1.”
The UAAP Finals will be aired live over ABS-CBN’s Channel 2 and BALLS HD 167. – With a report from the ABS-CBN News Channel
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