Come Dec. 6, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons will know who they are fighting in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 88 men’s basketball finals: the National University Bulldogs or the De La Salle University Green Archers.
These teams, the first and fourth seeds, respectively, will meet in a winner-take-all battle on Saturday for the right to face the Fighting Maroons for the UAAP championship.
How does UP, the defending champion, stack up against them?
During the two elimination rounds, UP won twice against NU but lost both its games against La Salle. It appeared that UP had NU all figured out but could not subdue La Salle, whether or not La Salle had a full lineup of players.
The key to the La Salle puzzle is Michael Phillips. The Green Archers captain is a do-it-all player who never gives up. For UP to win against La Salle, it has to contain Phillips the way it did Collins Akowe of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, whose team UP narrowly eliminated in their Final Four matchup.
A championship series against NU may be a somewhat predictable affair compared to the thrilla that a best-of-three against La Salle will be—another exciting chapter in the storied rivalry between UP and La Salle.
(In the meantime, the other team in what used to be a three-sided rivalry, the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, has been slain. Ateneo rose from a dismal campaign in Season 87 — 4-10 win-loss, the last of eight teams — last year to a mediocre one this year, tallying a 6-8 win-loss record. Ateneo has to rebuild but may return to contention in a couple of years yet.)
La Salle is the greater challenge to UP, and the worthier foe.
While NU is certainly talented and well-coached, once the flow of the game is set, NU doesn’t seem to be able to deviate, bounce, or claw its way out. When trailing, it could finish strong but still not close the game. Statistically, NU in its two games against UP on the average had a lower effective field goal percentage than UP (45.7% vs UP’s 50.5%) and also a lower average free-throw percentage (63.1% vs UP’s 66.3%).
NU is also heavily dependent on its starters—led by Jake Figueroa, Steve Nash Enriquez and Omar John, whereas UP has a deep bench that is as good as the starting five.
La Salle is even more dangerous now because it seems to be peaking at the right time, especially with the return from injury of key players Mason Amos and Kean Baclaan. But so is UP. After a wobbly first elimination round, UP streaked through the second round and even secured a finals slot ahead of top-seeded NU. UP just has to bring it to another level by shackling Phillips and outpacing La Salle, which is actually UP-like in grit and determination to win in the clutch.
Hopefully, UP will indeed level up, with its speedy guards getting speedier and more accurate, and bruising big men Francis Nnoruka, Isagani Stevens and Sean Alter attacking the boards to secure rebounds or taking second-chance shots.
Nnoruka is reminiscent of Francis Lopez, UP’s Season 87 finals hero. Nnoruka gallops from one end of the court to the other in a few long strides and dunks the ball like he hates the sight of it. Plus, he has the looks of an African warrior you would not want to go up against in a battlefield.
Stevens, although less graceful, is similarly fierce and goes for the ball no matter what. He is a decent free-throw shooter as well.
Alter is the personification of UP’s peaking. From being seldom used and scoreless, he is now a reliable sub who is not afraid to shoot under the basket.
UP’s guards are its spearhead. They exemplify its fast game, throwing long passes, running hell for leather into a string or a wall of defenders, or shooting from 3-point territory. Are they sprinter snipers or sniper sprinters? The fortunate answer for the UP fan is: They are both.
Led by Harold Alarcon, Gerry Abadiano and Terrence Fortea, they are the “firemen” who can extinguish hot teams or pull a game out of the fire — and, with the rest of the team, successfully defend its title.
Abangan!
Read more: UP’s shaky path to Final Four in UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball
