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| Coach Louie Alas will serve his one-game suspension against FEU. UAAP Season 89 Media Team (file photo) |
MANILA—League-leading Far Eastern University seeks to sustain its best start in 11 years when it tangles with Ateneo de Manila University on Saturday in the UAAP Season 89 men's basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Tamaraws, who last opened a season with a 4-1 record in 2015 during their championship run, are bracing for a major Blue Eagles rebound in their 5:30 p.m. matchup.
National University, meanwhile, is also wary of a bounce-back performance from University of Santo Tomas when the two teams collide in the 3 p.m. curtain-raiser. The Bulldogs are tied with fierce rivals Ateneo and De La Salle University at 3-2, while the Growling Tigers are in a three-way logjam with Adamson University and University of the Philippines at 2-2.
Another must-watch matchup this weekend is the duel between the Green Archers and the Fighting Maroons, the league's most recent champions and emerging rivals, at 6 p.m. on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The standings remain tightly contested heading into the final five game days of the first round, with every win or loss potentially triggering a major shakeup in the leaderboard.
With three wins in their first four games, FEU is looking to build as much momentum as possible in its determined bid to return to the Final Four for the first time since Season 84 in 2022, when the league held its bubble tournament.
Gradually producing the results he envisioned since taking over the program in 2024, Tamaraws coach Sean Chambers knows this is not the time for complacency.
"As I told them in the locker room, good enough, never is. This is good, but this is not where we want to be at the end," Chambers said.
"If we’re gonna learn anything from the past, when I first got here, UE got a big start in the first round, and then they hit a wall. I don’t think they won a game the rest of that second half."
"We’re gonna learn from people in the past. It’s game by game because in the UAAP, it doesn’t matter if we had won or lost this game; the next game is just as big. You have to continue to win to make sure you get to that Final Four."
"At the end of the day, it’s still so early. if we had lost these past two games, we’d still be saying the same thing. It’s still early. So, same for UP; it’s still early. There’s plenty of time for everyone to bounce back, diba?"
Led by Kirby Mongcopa and reigning MVP Janrey Pasaol, the Tamaraws snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Fighting Maroons with a 90-79 victory last Sunday.
The Blue Eagles, meanwhile, are hoping to regroup after falling to the Green Archers, 83-76, in their 100th UAAP encounter last Wednesday.
However, Ateneo will be without interim head coach Louie Alas, who was handed a one-game suspension after accumulating three infractions for unsportsmanlike behavior in the tournament.
UST may have absorbed a lopsided 85-57 loss to Adamson, but NU coach Jeff Napa knows his Bulldogs must remain prepared for the challenge ahead.
"Hindi naman kami magbabago ng mindset. Ang approach pa rin namin, we’ll always need to be ready, despite iba-iba kalaban naming teams, iba-ibang scouting. Ang kailangan namin ay ang right mindset muna, kasi doon nagsisimula ang lahat. Kung tama ang mindset ng team, sa practice pa lang, alam ko na panalo na kami," Napa said after NU drubbed Adamson, 85-66.
"Doon talaga nagsisimula, pag sa mindset nila, makikita mo maganda yung atmosphere, confident ako na may mangyayaring maganda para sa team na ito."
"Ang nasa board namin is 'understanding the game' para at least lumabas talaga yung laro nila," Napa added.
PJ Palacielo, Paul Francisco, and Malian big man Mo Diassana have been leading the way for the Bulldogs, who are looking to put last season's disappointment behind them after missing the Finals despite topping the elimination round.
Meanwhile, reigning women's champions UST and NU collide at 10 a.m., while FEU and Ateneo, featuring Asian Games Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 silver medalists Amyah Espanol, Victoria Pasilang, and Kacey Dela Rosa, face off at noon.
The Tigresses and Lady Bulldogs are both unbeaten at 3-0, while the Blue Eagles, who hold a 1-2 record, are part of a four-way tie for fourth place.
FEU-Diliman and La Salle-Zobel open the second round of the 16-under tournament at 8 a.m.
