By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

HAD it tough in the Final Four of Season 80 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament, the Ateneo Blue Eagles are bracing for yet another difficult battle at hand as they take on the defending champions and rivals De La Salle Green Archers in a best-of-three finals series.

Narrowly escaped being upset by the lower-seeded Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws with an 88-84 overtime win in their do-or-die game last Wednesday, the Eagles, the number one team heading into the playoffs, said that while they are happy with being back in the finals, they know a tougher challenge lies ahead for them as they seek to get back at the Archers for the finals loss they were dealt last year.

“It’s going to be tough [in the finals]. La Salle is the defending champion. They got the MVP [in Ben Mbala] and have very good players. If you look at it man for man it’s a tough task for us but we are not going to look at it as such. Instead we will look at ways at how we can match up well as a team. That is how we should approach it to get an upset over La Salle,” said Ateneo deputy coach Sandy Arespacochaga after their win over FEU.

“Mbala. That is the first thing we have to deal with [against La Salle]. We have to find ways to stay out of foul trouble against Mbala. But at the same time La Salle is not a one-man team. There is a reason why they are in the finals, waiting in the finals. It’s not going to be easy against them. You have to dig deep and give your all and find a way to overcome things,” he added.

In barging into the finals for the second straight time, the Eagles needed to consume their twice-to-beat advantage against the Tamaraws and get clutch plays from their players down the stretch of their sudden death, particularly guard Matt Nieto and big man Isaac Go.

Nieto and Go provided the needed plays on both ends of the court as regulation expired and in the extra period to tow their team to the victory.

It is a showing Ateneo is hoping to build on as they head into the finals against La Salle.

“It was a learning experience for us. It was an opportunity for us to grow as a team and hopefully it serves us well in the finals,” said Mr. Arespacochaga.

He went on to say that they welcome the opportunity to play for the championship again and bent on taking it as far as possible.

“We have matured a lot from last year but at the same time this is a good opportunity for us to write our own history. It’s not going to be easy but it’s a good test of character for us. We are thankful for the opportunity to compete for the championship,” Mr. Arespacochaga said.

The latest championship encounter between Ateneo and La Salle is the sixth time that the two rivals will go at it in the finals in the UAAP.

The Eagles hold the lead in their head-to-head finals encounter, 3-2, but the Archers won the last in 2016 by sweeping Ateneo in their best-of-three finals.

Ateneo and La Salle split their previous two games this season with the former taking the game in the first round of the eliminations, 76-75, while the latter coming back in the second round, 79-76, to thwart the Eagles’ sweep bid in the classification phase.

La Salle booked its spot in the finals last Saturday after making short work of the Adamson Soaring Falcons in their Final Four pairing.

Game One of the UAAP finals is set for tomorrow, Nov. 25, at 4 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.

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