Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Adamson, Ateneo, La Salle, NU, predictions, UAAP, UE, UST
La Salle’s nothing short of heartbreaking, two-point setback to UE last night, 66-64, gives UST a good chance to prop up their semis bid as they take on the lowly NU at the 2pm game.
Meanwhile, Ateneo positions itself to grab the twice-to-beat bonus as the Eagles square off with upstart Adamson, who, in return, hopes to boost their honestly flickering final four hopes with a much-needed win today.
As the Archers move to one game and a half behind Tigers in the standings following a four-game tailspin, UST needs to hurdle past today’s assignment to build cushion coming in to Thursday’s battle against La Salle. The winner of that game will virtually secure the coveted final spot in the semis.
Hopefully, I don’t jinx it.
Predictions:
versus 
The Sports Minded: UST by 14 points.
The Tigers is in a must win situation here to put one foot on the final four. This should be a statement game for them. They should start showing what they are made off. They need to peak starting this game.
KC13: UST by 12 points.
It’s going to be the battle of the offensive strides since NU isn’t capable of tenacious D alike. UST will come firing on all cylinders and expect them to run the breaks. Catch them if you can, Bulldogs.
On Point: UST by 16 points.
The Bulldogs also play a fast pace game and that’s a no-no when you;re up against the Tigers, who are the number one offensive team in the league. NU got blown out in the first round ’cause they played UST’s game and look for another rout later.
versus 
The Sports Minded: Ateneo by 12 points.
Ateneo are now reaching their unstoppable form. The fighting spirit of the Falcons might be dead after losing so many close games.
KC13: Ateneo by eight points.
Ateneo will kill any hopes left in Adamson with this win. Ateneo will dominate in the stretch as Adamson might succumb to another faltering endgame sickness, only if Adamson manages to stay close.
On Point: Ateneo by nine points.
The Falcons managed to come with in striking distance against the Eagles in the first round, where Coach Leo and his boys were still on a mission to get to the final four. Now, I don’t see the fire in Adamson anymore though I expect them to hang around early while Ateneo goes for the kill late in the game.
The De La Salle Green Archers (4-6), who are holding on for dear life to stay in contention for a semi-final berth, will clash with the uprising Univ. of the East Red Warriors (6-4), who are finally living up to their potential as one of the top dogs pf the league after a so-so first round, in the main event.
La Salle, who suffered a sorry loss to spoilsport State U, is in a hostile situation with an egregious four-game slump, while UE tries to build on to their momentum as the semi-final round draws near.
Meanwhile, after being assured of a final four stint following a win against Adamson last week, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws (9-2) are now setting their sights on the twice-to-beat edge when they face the resilient University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons (3-7) in the first game at 2pm.
FEU versus UP
thesportsminded: FEU by 11 points.
The Giant killers are once again in a match against a top ranked team. Can they pull another one? I just don’t think so. After losing to UE, the Tams wants to gain a much needed momentum going into the final four.
KC13: FEU by 12 points.
The dangerous UP squad might have gotten the hang of playing party pooper to final four hopefuls, but they wouldn’t be able to pull the same trick on Coach Capacio’s watch. FEU is hungry to take what they think is rightfully theirs—a twice to beat incentive coming into the semis and unfortunately for UP, they’re first on the to-do list.
OnPoint: FEU by 15
As a team, defense beats offense. Plus, the Tams just won’t allow back-to-back losses and they are out with a vengeance after that embarrassing loss to the Warriors the last time out.
DLSU versus UE
thesportsminded: UE by eight points.
Here’s the situation for La Salle: Win or Kiss the final four goodbye. They’re not officially eliminated if they lose but they’re more or less paralyzed as their chance won’t be fully in their hands anymore. This one, unlike UE’s runaway first round massacre, would be closer but I just don’t think La Salle has it in them to pull this one off.
KC13: UE by nine points.
UE has become virtually invincible downlow as of the late. There is now way La Salle could match UE’s intensity in the paint with just the rookies taking charge.
OnPoint: UE by 15 points.
Look for another disappearing act by the trio of Barua-Malabes-Mangahas. UE, meanwhile, is finally figuring the pieces out. Scary. End of the story.
Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops | Tags: Arellano, Ateneo, FEU, Final Four, Letran, NCAA, NU, UAAP, UE
FEU hit their strides in the second half after a slow start to finally grab a ticket to the semi-finals, after being stopped on its tracks by the resurgent UE last Sunday, with the 84-75 drubbing of Adamson yesterday.
Also nearing a twice-to-beat incentive is the league-leading Ateneo following an easy win over NU yesterday, holding them to one of the worst scoring outings in a quarter with only three points then finishing them off, 75-54.
Another win would give Ateneo a commanding twice-to-beat advantage to further solifiy their title defense.
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Letran and Arellano, two teams who are fighting to shatter the idle fourth place tie (7-4),clash today in a crucial setto that will determine the remaining final four cast after San Beda, JRU and San Sebastian have virtually occupied the first three spots with their impressive campaign.
Arellano tries to repulse Letran anew after their 81-72 meeting that went in favor of the Chiefs in the first round. Letran, however, looks to avenge their loss with the help of the rejuvanted RJ Jazul, who was held to a low eight points their last meeting, but has been lights out in their latest victories.
Emilio Aguinaldo College and Perpetual Help, who are prematurely out of the contention with 2-9, 3-8 cards, respectively, square off at 2pm.
Predictions:
versus 
The Sports Minded: Perpetual Help by six points.
It’s just a matter of who would have a great game today.
KC13: Perpetual Help by eight points.
Perpetual has better scorers, expect them to give it all.
versus 
The Sports Minded: Letran by five points.
This would be one heck of a game. Both teams are equally talented and it will all boil down to poise and killer instinct down the stretch. Experience plus Coach Louie Alas’ brilliance will be enough.
KC13: Letran by four points.
These two teams have waited for this day to come after they have been lodged in a tie for so long. It’s one of the better match ups in the league where two of today’s best scorers in Giorgio Ciriacruz and RJ Jazul are tasked to lead their team. The one who will execute better in the payoff period will win it.
Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops | Tags: Aldrech Ramos, Ateneo, Dylan Ababou, FEU, Final Four, La Salle, Pari Llagas, Paul Lee, predictions, UAAP, UE, UP, UST
FINAL FOUR PREVIEW?
As La Salle’s chances for a semifinals bid started to ebb away following UP’s clobbering of the Green Achers, 83-78, earlier today, UST and UE, who boast of an identical 5-4 record prematurely completing the final four, will face a tough challenge in shattering the third place tie as they go against the league’s top two teams tomorrow.
The Tigers, who bowed down to the same team in a rout in the first round, tries to pull an upset over the rejuvenated Eagles in the first game at 2pm while the Warriors shoot for a first win over the Tamaraws in the main event pegged at 4pm after putting up a tight contest almost three weeks ago.
Predictions:
versus 
The Sports Minded: Ateneo by nine points.
Ateneo is playing big right now. Only a flawless game by UST can give them a chance. Anything less won’t get it done.
KC13: Ateneo by 15 points.
Pick your poison. UST, despite its explosive gunners and athletic forwards, still hasn’t learned to play D as we’ve seen in that awful showing against UP. They will face a double whammy in limiting Al Hussaini’s production down low while preventing Ateneo’s outside stringers. Theydon’t have a center who plays big in the paint that will be able to provide them interior D. If they are lucky to be able to pick the less deadly’ poision in the two and make Ateneo play their running game, they have a shot. Although pulling off a high-scoring venture would favor them, if they start giving away counterpat baskets on the offensive end, forget about winning this game, or even another championship.
P.S. If Ababou goes into early foul trouble, forget everything.
On Point: Ateneo by 10 points.
The main weapon for the Tigers is their offense. If UST’s three-point shooting shows up, this will be a tight contest. If not, this will be another rout. Again, the Tigers must control the boards to be able to run. Ababou’s outside shooting must drop to open the lane for Teng and other slashers of UST. For Ateneo, they would want to attack the inside early to create open shots for their jump shooters. UST can’t afford not to double-team Al-Hussaini thus, Salamat, Reyes and co. will be open. If the Tigers don’t close-out quickly, Ateneo will have a field day from downtown.
versus 
The Sports Minded: FEU by 14 points.
FEU will make this a statement game.
KC13: FEU by single digits.
This is actually one of the better matchups to watch in the league right now. UE can keep up with FEU’s size. Especially downlow where Aldrech Ramos thrives, they have Pari Llagas and Elmer Espiritu to patrol. One of FEU’s edge lie on its backcourt. UE may have Paul Lee, but he’s more of a scoring point. With that, ball movement will be the key knowing that some of UE’s players have the tendency to take ill-advised shots.
On Point: FEU by eight points.
Besides Ateneo, UE is the only other team that can bang with FEU down low. The only problem for the Red Warriors is who will they use to defend the wing players of the Tamaraws? Plus, UE is loaded with players with a shoot-first mentality thus, their players tend to look for their own shots whether it’s forced or hurried which will hurt them ’cause FEU, on the other hand is known for limiting its opponents to just one shot per possession.
Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops | Tags: Adamson, Ateneo, La Salle, UAAP, UE
Heartbreak kids no more.
Adamson this time played the heartbreaker role as they toppled La Salle, 61-55, yesterday at the start of the second round of the 72nd Season of the UAAP at the Big Dome.
The Falcons, led by as much as 16 points as they limit the Archers’ offense to an abysmal 20% shooting from the two point area including a shameful four point total in the opening period.
La Salle’s veteran big three of James Mangahas, Bader Malabes and PeeJay Barua did another disappearing act that left multi-titled coach Franz Pumaren searching for offense.
Meanwhile, Reigning MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini shook off a sprained ankle to post a season-best 30 points as he led Ateneo past University of the East, 80-75.
Al-Hussaini, who suffered a minor injury on their last game, took care of business as he pounded the Llagas-less Warriors in the paint with 12 boards.
The Eagles stay in first place-tie with the Tams at 7-1 while, the Warriors and the Archers share seats at fourth place with a 4-4 ledger.
Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops | Tags: Ateneo, FEU, La Salle, Pari Llagas, Reil Cervantes, Suspension, UAAP, UE, UST
The UAAP Disciplinary board served UE’s Pari Llagas and FEU’s Reil Cervantes with a one-game suspension following a literal push-came-to-shove square off that led to eventual ejection of both bigs in the Tamaraws-Warriors game last sunday.
Cervantes, who eerily reminds me of former UST stalwart Jervy Cruz (but I’m not saying they look the same, they just strike me the same in terms of, hmm, well, physique?), will be missing in action in the UST game on Saturday. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves now. Carry on.
Meanwhile the Warriors will be without one of their towering mainstays as they battle *the* Ateneo Blue Eagles, who probably are still hung over from their big win against bitter rivals, in the main event pegged at 4pm. Speaking of rivals, *the* La Salle Green Archers will square up against the Adamson Heartbreak kids in the curtain raiser at 2pm.
Predictions:
The Sports Minded: Adamson by six points.
The heart broken squad might just had enough. They might finally play to their full potential in the second round.
KC13: La Salle by single digits.
Like I’ve said in the past, Adamson is actually a good team but they really fail miserably at crunch time. La Salle, on the other hand, usually starts hitting the strides in the latter part of the game, especially down the wire. That’s inversely proportional. Go figure.
On Point: Adamson by five points.
Dubbed as ‘the heartbreak kids’ this season, enough is enough. After this game, the heartbroken Falcons will now be called “Heartbreakers.” Canada-Alvarez’ play will be crucial.
versus 
The Sports Minded: Ateneo by four points.
It is still uncertain if Rabeh Al Hussaini will play a hundred percent tomorrow. We all know he landed awkwardly and sprained an ankle last Sunday. However, the Eagles proved they can win (at least 10 minutes) without Muslim clogging the paint.
KC13: Ateneo by 10.
The loss of Llagas might hurt UE. He has the capacity to take over during clutch and he pairs up well with Espirutu to beef up UE’s front court. Ateneo has to take advantage.
On Point: Ateneo by twin digits.
Even with Pari Llagas playing for UE, I’d still pick Ateneo to win by 8, unfortunately for the Warriors, they will be without their man in the middle. Expect the Eagles to attack the paint and that Acuna guy to hog the ball, he just shoots tooooooooooooooooo much.
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Today’s games open the second round joust (which is the crucial one. Make or break, guys!) Updated second round schedule is a gift from God. But this I ask, God, why do I have classes on Thursdays!?!?!?
Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops | Tags: Ateneo, Chris Camus, Dylan Ababou, Joshua Webb, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Suspension, UAAP, UE, UST
Ateneo’s Rabeh Al Hussaini will suit up for Thursday’s game against the UE Red Warriors to open the second round festivities in the UAAP.
According to Mr. Ricky Palou, Ateneo’s athletic director, Rabeh just suffered a minor sprained ankle after an awkward landing on someone’s foot in their last game against La Salle, but he says Rabeh is good to go.
Although I doubt he’s going to a be a hundred percent because he might still be a little bit shaken. (He’s gotta take care of those ankles, you know. He’s going to need those healthy), this is still great news for Ateneo. But it’s one tough assignment after the other for them.
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After being slapped with an unsportsmanlike foul because of a “kicking incident” on Ateneo’s Bacon Austria, many ask if La Salle’s Joshua Webb would be suspended for next game against Adamson. Probably not. In the case of UST’s Dylan Ababou and Chris Camus, both were not served a one-game suspension (sneaky Dylan) because of inconsistencies in the calls of the referees. It’s this simple: for a player to be suspended, he needs to be actually thrown out of the game after a flagrant two foul. (Flagrant one would mean two free throws plus subsequent possesion.)
Since Webb’s foul was only caught on replay (which I thought wasn’t allowed, but the refs obviously didn’t catch the the actual motion), it wasn’t a sound basis for getting ejected. Webb went on playing in the game armed with his pretty face and his game high, 24-point futile efforts. So don’t worry folks. He might just extend this hot streak until next the game. :)
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: FEU, Red Wariors, Tamaraws, UAAP, UE
The Tams staved off a spirited comeback by the Warriors en route to a 76-72 victory led by Aldrech Ramos’ double-double of 14 points and 10 boards.
Here at Triangle Offense, we predicted a double-digit win by FEU. Well, we almost got it right after FEU blew the the game open when they led by as much as 20 points.
But there are a lot of surprises that caught us off guard.
One is the 28-12 advantage of UE on bench points that is supposed to be in favor of FEU because of their depth.
The other is the stingy defense played by Raffy Reyes on Andy Barroca. Reyes shadowed Barroca all throughout the game. Forcing Barroca to exert more effort to get the ball.
The last is the Tams woeful shooting at the stripe. They went 9-for-20 from that area and that’s 11 free shot misses which could’ve put them out of reach, even if they have converted at least half of those misses.
However, UE downplayed RR Garcia’s ability to score. C’mon man, the kid has game. He can light it up from the outside, he can create his own shots and the most important thing is, this former RP youth team member is always in control of the ball. And with that talent he torched UE with 14 points and 4 dimes and a steal that sealed the game.
The Warriors also failed to convert from the outside. As I’ve pointed out on my game prediction, Elmer Espiritu has to score from the perimeter for them to win because it will make FEU’s bigs to close out on him that will create open lanes for the guards of UE, especially Paul Lee.
I guess that’s about it for this game. By the way, UE drops to 4-3, joining UST for fourth place while FEU claims the erstwhile first place with a 6-1 slate- a win more than the Eagles, which is still battling the Archers at press time.
I’ll get back with you guys after the Ateneo-La Salle clash.
Filed under: Basketball, College Hoops | Tags: Ateneo, FEU, La Salle, UAAP, UE
Tomorrow will be last day of the first round eliminations of the UAAP and it’s going to be a very interesting Sunday for everyone. University of the East Warriors (4-2) will face the Far Eastern U Tamaraws (5-1) in the firs game while the most awaited battler of the season will pit the Ateneo Blue Eagles (5-1) against their archrivals De La Salle Green Archers (4-2) in the main event.
Predictions:
versus 
The Sports Minded: FEU by 12 points.
Depth, size, athleticism, talent over experience. Three national team members against none. Big disparity in talent.
KC13: FEU by double digits.
Defense will win it for FEU. They will be able to keep up with UE’s shooters as well as their insider players.
On Point: FEU by 10 points.
Tams will control the game with there defense. UE’s guards will have a hard time scoring inside against the FEU bigs. If Elmer Espiritu’s outside shooting clicks they’ll have a chance.
versus 
The Sports Minded: Ateneo by 8 points.
Frontline supremacy will be the factor. Arvie Bringas and company will be pounded inside that paint. Too many weapons, too much depth.
KC13: Ateneo by 10 points.
Bringas will have a hard time posting a follow up of his last 20-point performance, especially against the solid front line of Ateneo. Ateneo’s inside game will be the key to the win.
On Point: Ateneo by at least 15 points.
Ateneo’s frontline is just too big and too talented as compared to La Salle’s. Look for a monster game from Rabeh Al Hussaini. Sorry guys, but this one’s not your typical rivalry game where it will go down the wire. Experience over youth.
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The Tamaraws and the Eagles are the unanimous pick to win it all tomorrow. The Tamaraws, being the number one defensive team in the league right now, will rely on their defense to halt the warriors’ hot offense. Meanwhile, the Eagles will bank on their frontline, starring reigning MVP Rabeh and defensive player Nonoy Baclao, to weather the Archers’ scoring from the inside.
This is going to be a regular thing for us here at Triangle Offense, so check back as often as you can. :)
Triangle Offense 
