Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops | Tags: Adamson Falcons, Ateneo, Joshua Webb, La Salle, Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Ryan Buenafe, UAAP, UE Red Warriors, Yutien Andrada
In just a short span of time, Ateneo and De La Salle are once again set to rock the Big Dome for round two of their much anticipated showdown this season at 5pm while, the University of the East and Adamson University will try to at least emulate or surpass their double-overtime thriller back in the first-round.
In the main event, the Blue Eagles at 7-1, look to remain side by side with the Tamaraws at the hill while, the Green Archers at 4-4, need this win not only to avenge their sorry defeat in their first encounter but more importantly to stay afloat with fellow-fourth placers Tigers and Warriors.
Meanwhile, the Red Warriors also at 4-4, will now have their leading scorer and rebounder Pari Llagas back, after serving a one-game suspension while, the Falcons with a 2-6 mark, had enough heartbreaks after an impressive game against the Archers the last time out and instead have set to build on a two-game roll with a win.
Predictions:
University of the East Red Warriors versus Adamson Falcons
The Sports Minded: Adamson by six points
Adamson wants to be on a roll and I feel like they are still on a high after beating La Salle. I expect them to continue their surge tomorrow.
KC13: UE by not less than 15.
UE will seek revenge after their last setback, and with the comebacking Pari Llagas, it won’t be too hard to execute the plan.
On Point: UE by single digits
The last time these two teams met, it was a double-OT nailbiter won by UE. It could’ve gone either way. I expect this curtain raiser to be a darn good one. Don’t be deceived by the Falcons losing record. Remember that all of their losses are games that they could’ve won. For UE, it’s a homecoming for Pari Llagas. Expect a hard-fought game with UE earning a hard-fought win.
Ateneo Blue Eagles versus De La Salle Green Archers
KC13: Ateneo by 10
It’s getting too old to predict but I will try anyway. Ateneo will dominate their archrivals in a way that will give you your thousands of money’s worth. Al Hussaini, who is fresh from a 30-point feat, will likely prevail…only if he doesn’t get intimidated with *gulps* ‘Muscle Man’ Yutien Andrada, who had a monster game for a rookie the last time against Ateneo.
On Point: Ateneo by 7
La Salle’s veterans continue to hurt this team while Rabeh just busted out of his season 72 slump with a 30, 10 output against UE. Buenafe will show up, Baclao also. Expect coach Franz to put Andrada on Al-Hussaini once again. Another block party by ‘Tayshaun’? We’ll see.
Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops | Tags: Ateneo, Bader Malabes, Elmer Espiritu, FEU, La Salle, Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, UAAP, UE
So yeah, what’s with Sundays and classic UAAP games? It’s a great way to start the week!
Today was a crazy, crazy game day to put a cherry on top of a very intense first round. FEU and Ateneo are now atop the heap with an identical 6-1 win lose record while UE , La Salle and UST are lodged in a three-way jam at second place with 4-3. Well, and then the rest of the UAAP follows.
The Tams launched a full tirade in the first quarter, taking the lead early on but after the Warriors came back, I knew it was going to boil down to the final posession and not just this or that. So, I’m going to bet that all Red Warrior fans were forced to the edge of their seats when forward Elmer Espiritu fell to the floor, after receiving an inadvertent elbow while fighting for the rebound, with his hand on his face with that unpaintable expression of pain painted all over him.
When Espiritu sat down, blood gushed forth his forehead all the way down his face (it reminded me of Mo Williams, East conference finals) and some in his hand and arms. I scowled instantly because watching that while eating carbonara for a late lunch isn’t really the best combination, you know. But more importantly, I immediately wondered how this would impact the game especially that UE was starting its spirited comeback. Ofcourse, they would miss Espiritu’s inside presence.
Espiritu eventually checked back in the crucial part of the game when UE was already giving a FEU a tough fight, after being stitched up in the dugout. He was a little too late, though.
Second game also showcased some nasty unfortunate injuries, but really didn’t affect the outcome of the game. Center
Rabeh Al Hussaini, who by the way has been on a slump lately (I wonder why), stepped on Bader Malabes’ foot while battling for the rebound. Very bad landing. He was screaming in pain while holding on to his left foot, so you know it was
bad. Plus, the game was already REALLY heating up (read: kicking? oh you know.) so Rabeh’s loss could have hurt them. He never came back in the game, and something tells me he’ll be sitting out some more games. A sprained ankle can be nasty.
Nonoy Baclao also nearly suffered the same fate as Rabeh. Thankfully, and probably to the whole Ateneo community’s relief, it was his left hand that was beaten up in a battle for the lose ball and not the other one. He works his shot blocking magic in his right hand so, he was like, “no worries,” because his heroics in the overtime period totally gave Ateneo a head start. But he didn’t actually say that. LOL.
So Ateneo went on winning today’s epic battle. But kudos to La Salle for putting up a tough one. :)
I can still recall some memorable moments in today’s game. Like Apeton Built Body’s choice of winners. That always cracks me up. Kidding…not. :P
Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops | Tags: Al Hussaini, Archers, Ateneo, Kobe Bryant, La Salle, Nonoy Baclao, Ryan Buenafe, UAAP, Yutien Andrada
Nico Salva’s Kobe-esque jumper helped Ateneo to escape with a 76-72 overtime victory against archrival La Salle in their first tiff at the 72nd Season of the UAAP.
Wow! I blew my game prediction on this one. I understated the fact that this is a clash between Ateneo and La Salle and not just a typical rivalry game.
I gotta agree with Boom Gonzales when he said that when it’s the Eagles against Archers you gotta throw the stats away because you’ll never know who’s gonna go out on top.
We all know that with Rabeh Al Hussaini being the cornerstone of your offense and Nonoy Baclao protecting the paint, Ateneo has the best frontline in the UAAP today.
La Salle meanwhile, is not that beefed up at the front court.
Arvie Bringas? Give him one more year to be a legit go-to guy down the stretch. Yes, he unleashed 21 points and 8 boards against UST the last time around but, prior to that he averaged 3 points per game. He’s just not yet consistent enough to be a presence in the middle.
Looking at these points, you expect Ateneo to go all out and pounce on La Salle’s interior D, however, as things turned out, it was the Eagles’ inside defense that got pounded.
The Green Archers converted 24 of their 40 points from the paint at the end of the first half alone. Plus, Joshua Webb went berserk, firing 17 of his game-high 24 points in the first half.
Webb went 11-for-12 from the free throw line, 6-for-7 from the field and a perfect 1-for-1 on kicks thrown but unfortunately he ran out of steam in the end game.
Another factor why Ateneo never dominated the game is Rabeh’s sub par performance. Well, yeah, he did get injured at the six-minute mark of the fourth but still, he’s not in his MVP form all throughout.
Not to mention, Yutien “Tayshaun” Andrada checked him well enough with two resounding blocks.
The rookie Andrada played like a vet today, he finished with 2 points, 5 boards, 3 blocks, 2 steals and a smile after his first block on Rabeh.
Good thing for Ateneo is that Kobe Bryant taught Nico Salva well. After a traveling violation while doing a Kobe jab step move and a costly error, he made up with the game sealing basket with only 14.7 ticks left in OT to finish with 10 points.
Also, the Eagles have to thank Salamat for his 13 points, 5 assists and 3 steals.
Lastly, why did some still wore their respective shirt colors when everyone is expected to sport a yellow shirt for Tita Cory? I don’t get it. Even Joseph Yeo wore green.
Anyway, this was another classic. Stay tuned for round two. Ciao!
Triangle Offense 
