#UAAP79 Roundup: Tamaraws slip past Maroons and Bulldogs outlast Tigers on Day 10!

Images from Richard Esguerra/ABSCBN Sports.

Day 10 saw the FEU Tamaraws escape the upset axe against the UP Fighting Maroons, while the NU Bulldogs scrambled to beat the UST Growling Tigers.

Here are comprehensive game recaps (adapted from Interaksyon): 

FEU over UP, 51-49
Box scores. 

The FEU Tamaraws needed to fend off a gutsy effort by the UP Fighting Maroons to notch a 51-49 win in UAAP Season 79 action Sunday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Monbert Arong scored 14 points and made crucial baskets down the stretch to help FEU (3-2) pick up its second straight win.

#UAAP79 Roundup: Archers survive Bulldogs while Tamaraws gore Red Warriors on Day 7!

Day 7 of #UAAP79 saw DLSU nearly get upset by NU while FEU bounced back with a win over UE.

Here are comprehensive game recaps (adapted from Interaksyon):

DLSU over NU, 75-66
Box scores. 

The De La Salle Green Archers got tested by the gritty NU Bulldogs, needing to erase a nine-point deficit in the second half to come up with a 75-66 win in UAAP Season 79 action Sunday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Jeron Teng finished with 23 points while Ben Mbala collected 16 markers and 15 boards as the Green Archers improved to 4-0.

#UAAP79 Roundup: Day 5 sees Ateneo upset FEU and DLSU thrash UST!

Day 5 of #UAAP79 saw the Ateneo Blue Eagles upset the FEU Tamaraws even as the DLSU Green Archers outclassed the UST Growling Tigers.

Here are comprehensive game recaps (adapted from Interaksyon):

ADMU over FEU, 76-71
Box scores. 

The Ateneo Blue Eagles traded big runs with FEU but got some crucial plays down the stretch as they clinched a hard-fought 76-71 victory over the defending champion Tamaraws in UAAP Season 79 action on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

#UAAP79 The Good and the Bad: ADMU vs FEU - September 14, 2016

The Ateneo Blue Eagles earned an impressive victory over the defending champions, FEU Tamaraws, yesterday at the MOA Arena. The Eagles started strong as they ended the first quarter with an 8-point lead and their biggest advantage was at 13 points. They had the advantage for most of the game even without the injured Aaron Black.  

However, the Tams cannot be discounted because they made a run during the 4th quarter. They managed to tie the game at 66 apiece with about 2 minutes left but Thirdy Ravena and Anton Asistio closed the door on the comeback attempt by FEU. 

So, the Ateneans won the game 76-71. Great effort and excellent team win. 

Well, here are my observations after that game...

Asistio and Ravena celebrated their win over FEU

(Image from: Arvin Lim)

#UAAP79 Roundup: UST, DLSU, FEU, and NU are big winners on Days 3 and 4!

Image by Arvin Lim/ABSCBN Sports.

Days 3 and 4 of #UAAP79 saw DLSU and NU move up to 2-0, while UST and FEU got good bounce back wins after separate opening game losses.

Here are comprehensive game recaps (adapted from Interaksyon):

UST over UE, 88-87
Box scores. 

The UST Growling Tigers needed to make some big plays in the endgame as they held off a late UE run to preserve a big comeback win over the Red Warriors, 88-87, in UAAP Season 79 action on Saturday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

#UAAP79 Roundup: Bulldogs repulse UE and Archers survive FEU on Day 2!

Day 2 of #UAAP79 was full of action as NU leaned on their size against UE, while DLSU’s deadly duo of Ben Mbala and Jeron Teng came to fore in their win over bitter rival FEU.

Here are comprehensive game recaps (adapted from Interaksyon):

NU over UE, 72-66
Box scores. 

The NU Bulldogs leaned on some steady play in the end-game to outlast the UE Red Warriors, 72-66, in UAAP Season 79 action Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.

The FEU Tamaraws owned 2015, but can they rule 2016, too?

With high preseason expectations and the consensus deepest roster among the eight UAAP schools, Far Eastern University was the obvious and undeniable title favorite heading into Season 78. To suggest otherwise was to try too hard.

For much of the season, however, the Tamaraws were overshadowed by either the UST Growling Tigers’ amazing overachievement, DLSU’s inconsistency, or the off-the-court drama surrounding the Ateneo Blue Eagles. 

Throughout all the brouhaha, FEU kept things focused and set — it was all about basketball.

And beautiful basketball it was.

Champs again. Ten years in the making.
(image from Rivals.ph)

The Moraytans’ big three of Mac Belo, Mike Tolomia, and RR Pogoy was clicking on all cylinders. Russel Escoto was finally healthy for one whole season. Newcomer cum transferee Monbert Arong proved to be a big spark for the second unit. Achie Iñigo, Reymar Jose, and Prince Orizu all understood their roles, and played them to the best of their abilities. 

We were treated to the clockwork Tamaraws.

#UAAP78 Roundup: The Tamaraws down the Soaring Falcons, and the Bulldogs rally past the Green Archers!

Adamson could not capitalize on the anemic shooting of FEU’s big three and fell to their tenth defeat in twelve games, helping FEU gain the inside track to a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four. DLSU, meanwhile, failed to hold off a determined and desperate NU quintet in the fourth quarter, squandering a lead of as many as 11 points to tumble to their sixth loss. The Bulldogs are now just half a game behind the Archers for fourth spot.

Here are comprehensive game recaps (adapted from Sports.ABS-CBN.com):

#UAAP78 The Blue Eagles Crashed Against the Tamaraws

Mike Tolomia was hot for the Tams while Von Pessumal went cold from the field
(Photo from: slamonline.ph)

The Ateneo Blue Eagles barely got the chance to take flight during the opening game of UAAP Season 78 in MOA Arena last Sunday. The Blue Eagles were manhandled by the FEU Tamaraws by a whopping 24 points. The final score was 88-64 as the Blue Eagles started their season with a loss against the early season favorites.

Ateneo trailed FEU for most of the game. They trailed by 12 points after the 1^st quarter, by 18 at the half and then by 15 after 30 minutes of action. The Blue Eagles were unable to crack the double digit lead all throughout the game. FEU controlled the game with their ball movement and timely outside shots to keep Ateneo at bay. The Blue Eagles found themselves scrambling on defense too often and their shots were not falling on the offensive end. A lot of the credit should go to FEU for playing a superior ballgame.

#UAAP77Finals: Get Excited for Game 3

The final game of the Seniors Basketball Tournament of Season 77 of the UAAP is only a few days away. The FEU Tamaraws are hoping to bounce back from a Game 2 loss to annex a title they last won nearly a decade ago. The NU Bulldogs, meanwhile, are hoping to sustain the gains of their Game 2 win to be crowned kings of the UAAP for the first time since 1955. 

All bets are off for Game 3 between FEU and NU.
(images from FullCourtFresh.com)

Let’s build up the excitement for Game 3 by  reliving the awesomeness of the first two games of this landmark Finals series.

#UAAP77: Pace Is Power

It’s all about stepping up at the right time on the biggest stage.

And that, UAAP fans, is what Roger Pogoy just did in Game 1 of the UAAP Season 77 Finals against the NU Bulldogs.

With his team down in the scorecards to start the second half, Pogoy caught fire, scoring 10 of his 14 points in the third period to turn the tables on the NU quintet.

The key? The Tamaraws made the necessary adjustments and helped themselves by playing faster and forcing the Bulldogs to play FEU’s pace.

Mike Tolomia and the rest of FEU turned it up a notch in the
second half to beat NU in Game 1.

The Moraytans scored a total of 6 fastbreak points in the first half on only 3 transition attempts.

In the third quarter alone, coach Nash Racela’s wards scored just as many fastbreak points on 4 transition attempts.

Translation?

FEU put the pedal to the metal and forced NU to try and catch up.

2014 UAAP Power Rankings as of August 25, 2014

These rankings are based on each team's Current Efficiency Ratings, the point difference in its game results, and “bonus points” for beating a team based on its “tier” or how strong it is perceived. The formula I used was this:

I calculate Current Efficiency Ratings or CER this way: (points + rebounds + assists + steals + blocks) - (turnovers + field goals missed + free throws missed) — for the remainder of the season, I wil be using team averages for these values.

As per the collected opinion of most UAAP pundits, I chose to segregate the eight UAAP schools into the following tiers (based on the teams’ first round performances):

Tier 1: DLSU Green Archers, UST Growling Tigers, NU Bulldogs, FEU Tamaraws, ADMU Blue Eagles, and UE Red Warriors (all Final Four contenders)

Tier 3: ADU Soaring Falcons and UP Fighting Maroons (Final Four long shots)

Any time a team beats a Tier 1 team, it gets 20 “bonus points.”

Any time a team beats a Tier 2 team, it gets 10 “bonus points.”

These are the top four teams right now, but are they all Final-Four-bound?
(images from Burn Sports)

2014 UAAP Power Rankings as of August 15, 2014

Ateneo, DLSU, NU, and FEU make up our top four  after the first round.

These rankings are based on each team's Current Efficiency Ratings, the point difference in its game results, and “bonus points” for beating a team based on its “tier” or how strong it is perceived. The formula I used was this:

I calculate Current Efficiency Ratings or CER this way: (points + rebounds + assists + steals + blocks) - (turnovers + field goals missed + free throws missed) — for the remainder of the season, I wil be using team averages for these values.

As per the collected opinion of most UAAP pundits, I chose to segregate the eight UAAP schools into the following tiers:

Tier 1: DLSU Green Archers (defending champs and title favorites)

Tier 2: UST Growling Tigers, NU Bulldogs, FEU Tamaraws, ADMU Blue Eagles, and UE Red Warriors (all Final Four contenders)

Tier 3: ADU Soaring Falcons and UP Fighting Maroons (Final Four long shots)

The Games That Play Us: Well That Was Fun

It was a great weekend of UAAP action again as Ateneo, NU, and UE, remained
unbeaten while UST defeated FEU.

The De La Salle Green Archers might just be the most fun (or at least most interesting) team to watch this season. 

0-2? Sure, but consider the following:

- Last weekend, their coaching staff wore apple green pants that would make green apples scream, “APPLE GREEN!”
- In their loss to Ateneo, Arnold Van Opstal thought Ren Ren Ritualo was his teammate and, of course, threw the former King Archer a baseball pass from the low block.
- Admittedly, Jason Perkins is a beast, and that smirk after every made basket reminds me of DLSU players of old (Hello, Mac Cardona!).
- And, again, AVO provides some entertainment even after the game by possibly getting himself penalized for a forearm (closed fist?) to the back of former teammate Ponso Gotladera’s head. (http://www.rappler.com/sports/university/uaap/dlsu/63974-uaap-considering-suspension-arnold-van-opstal)

Man, these Archers might be staring at the other teams from the bottom of the barrel, but there isn’t any dull moment with them.

But on to the games now.

2014 UAAP Power Rankings as of July 14, 2014

How do the teams stack up after opening weekend?
(images by Jan Dizon/Inboundpass.com)

These rankings are based on each team's Current Efficiency Ratings, the point difference in its game results, and “bonus points” for beating a team based on its “tier” or how strong it is perceived. The formula I used was this:

I calculate Current Efficiency Ratings or CER this way: (points + rebounds + assists + steals + blocks) - (turnovers + field goals missed + free throws missed) — for the remainder of the season, I wil be using team averages for these values.

As per the collected opinion of most UAAP pundits, I chose to segregate the eight UAAP schools into the following tiers:

The Games That Play Us: Of Statement Games and Green Pants

It's that time of the year again! #CollegeBasketball #UAAP77
Those green pants tho...

UAAP Season 77 opened with a bang this past weekend thanks to some statement games from UE, FEU, Ateneo, and NU, while DLSU made, well, its own fashion statement.

UE with a statement game against lowly UP

Raise your hand if you pegged Dan Alberto to lead UE in scoring in its first game of the season. Yes, he had that great game against Ateneo in Season 76, scoring 14 points in the Warriors’ first round W (72-68) over the Eagles. This time around, Alberto canned 5 triples on his way to a team-high 15 markers, leading the Reds to a rousing blowout of the hapless Maroons. This was unexpected, of course, but perhaps even more surprising was ace playmaker Roi Sumang dropping just 7 points. Sumang shot 3/8 from the field overall and was visibly content being the main facilitator for his teammates. He handed out a game-high 6 assists.

UAAP Season 77 preview – UP, UE, DLSU, FEU

The UAAP begins today and so we preview the first four teams who’ll see action – the Fighting Maroons, the Red Warriors, the Green Archers, and the Tamaraws!

Top left: Kyles Lao hopes to lead UP to its first win in years.
Top right: Roi Sumang is due for an MVP-type season.
Bottom left: Jeron Teng should lead DLSU back to the title.
Bottom right: FEU is now Mike Tolomia's team.

UP FIGHTING MAROONS

Last season: Finished last with zero wins.

Roster:

Name	Height	Position
AMAR, Agustini	6’2	G/F
ASILUM, Henry	5’9	PG
BEDERI, Darwish	6’7	C
DARIO, Diego	5’8	PG
ESCALAMBRE, Carlo		G
GALLARZA, Joseph	6’5	PF
GINGERICH, Moriah	6’2	SF
GONZALES, Nhomer
HARRIS, Andrew	6’4	PF
JURUENA, Mark	6’5	PF/C
LAO, Kyles	6’0	SG
LIM, Jarrell		G
MORALDE, Dave	6’2	SG/SF
PASCUAL, Martin	6’5	C
REYES, Mikee	5’9	PG
VITO, Angelo	6’5	C

UAAP Season 77 Men’s Basketball Team Rosters

The official UAAP Season 77 Men’s Basketball Tournament rosters have been released! Check them out below!

Notably absent, of course, are Jerie Pingoy and Hubert Cani from Ateneo.

Some lineups, however, reflect more than 16 names even if 16 is the limit. AFAIK, the following are NOT part of their team’s final roster though their names appear on this official list:

Ateneo: Anton Asisitio (confirmed he’s part of Team Glory B and not Team A).
UPDATE as of JULY 5, 2014: Anton Asistio, apparently, is part of Team A. It's Paul Siarot, instead, who got cut.

FEU: Spin.ph reported that Arnie Padilla and Billy Joe Belga were cut from the final 16.
UST: Former Hope Christian HS star PG Janrey Garrido is cut from the team after coach Bong Dela Cruz finally decides to let DLSZ product Renzo Subido play in Team A.

Are you ready for the new UAAP season?

The 2014 Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup: April 28, 2014 Roundup

Action in the 2014 Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup this past Monday with big wins coming from Lyceum and CEU, and the RP-Youth team finally making its debut!

The 2014 Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup continues to heat up!

Roundup:

In the day’s opener, the Mapua/Malayan Junior Cardinals bounced back from an opening day loss and turned back the UPIS Junior Maroons, 85-54. David Velvez erupted for 20 points on 8/11 FG shooting on top of 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals to lead MIT. The trio of Jasper Salengga, Dainiel Aguirre, and Lorence Victoria effectively backed him up with a combined 35 markers and 25 boards. Allane Barles led the way for UPIS with 19 points in 22 minutes. The Junior Maroons, however, fell to 1-2 in the team standings.

Allane Barles pulls up from the wing.

David Velvez goes up for the easy deuce.

The second game saw the Letran Squires storm back in the second half to scrape by the JRU Light Bombers, 59-58. Letran had a slow start and trailed at the half before rallying in the third quarter to tie the game and eventually outlast the Bombers in the endgame. Jerk Balanza was terrific for the Squires, scoring 17 points on 7/12 FG shooting while also grabbing 6 rebounds, handing out 3 assists, and getting 1 steal. Kylle Dungan backed him up with 10 markers and 4 boards. On the other end, JRU was paced by the dynamic duo of Darius Estrealla and Andrei Dada. Estrella racked up a sublime double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Dada scored 15 markers on the strength of 4 treys.

The 2014 Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup: April 26, 2014 Roundup

Action in the 2014 Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup heated up yesterday as the men’s teams took to the hardwood. At the end of the day, FEU, San Sebastian, San Beda, and De La Salle all came away with debut wins.

(Left) Arthur Dela Cruz saves the ball, (Middle-Top) Terence Mustre debuts for DLSU,
(Middle-Bottom) Mike Tolomia drives strong, and (Right) Jaymark Perez impresses anew for Baste.

Roundup:

In the day’s opener, the San Sebastian Golden Stags leaned on their frontline to fashion out an 81-78 win over the UP Fighting Maroons. Rhanzel Yong led the Stags here, shooting 7/13 from the floor to finish with 16 points in just 18 minutes of action. He was backstopped by Jaymark Perez, who recorded an all-around stat-line – 14 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Fil-Aussie Bradwyn Guinto also impressed, recording 11 markers, 4 boards, and 2 blocked shots. It was a tight game all throughout, but the Stags held sway mainly because they clobbered the Maroons on the glass, 59-39, and had 22 second-chance points to just 2 for UP. Former San Beda Red Lion Dave Moralde led UP with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists, while the backcourt trio of Henry Asilum, Kyles Lao, and the returning Mikee Reyes combined for 42 markers.