SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – Both protagonists of the 75th UAAP men’s basketball crown gained their finals seats in almost similar fashion: grind-it-out, hard-earned wins that set the table for a rematch of the 2006 tussle.
In its quest for a 5th straight title, Ateneo has remained the most dominant team in the league, with its trio of Kiefer Ravena, Greg Slaughter, and Nico Salva staying as the best offensive crew in the UAAP.
On the other hand, UST has been a master of comebacks, essaying epic uprisings when they’re down to stay in the hunt for that elusive crown they won 6 years ago.
Personnel-wise, it’s really tough to pick one who has a significant advantage. The Blue Eagles are top-heavy, evidenced by the least bench points in the tournament. Their starters have been solid, if not spectacular, while their reserves have been simply good enough to let the regulars take a breather.
The Growling Tigers, meanwhile, use a tight 8-man rotation, occasionally disrupted by the rise of some of its bench mainstays.
Blue Eagles vs Growling Tigers in the season series: 1-1
Point guard: Juami Tiongson started strong, averaging 6.5 assists with just 0.3 turnovers in his first three games. But “Magic” cooled down with regards to his passing game but continued his rise as a legitimate starter as the season went on.
A couple of years ago, Jeric Fortuna was in Tiongson’s shoes and needed playing time to prove himself. Now, in his final year for UST, Fortuna emerged with the best assists average in the UAAP (5.5 per game) and though his scoring numbers have dipped, he has 4 other offensive monsters to dish to when the going gets tough.
Rappler says: Advantage UST
Shooting guard: Left out of the Mythical Five, Kiefer Ravena proved naysayers wrong by destroying De La Salle University on Saturday, September 29. “The Phenom” displayed his heart and skill while punishing their arch rivals with 16 fourth-quarter points. Whoever Coach Pido Jarencio assigns to guard him (most likely is high school nemesis Kevin Ferrer) will have nightmares.
Jeric Teng, with his gun-slinging antics, has one of the deadliest three-point shooters in the UAAP (37.7% for the season). He has the ability to explode offensively (like he did in the first quarter of their second-round matchup against Ateneo) but needs to be more consistent in contributing for the whole 40 minutes.
Rappler says: Advantage Ateneo
Small forward: Ryan Buenafe and Oping Sumalinog alternate for Ateneo in this position but Buenafe gets more burn because he’s proven he owns big-game chops. He may be slow on defense, but when it comes to orchestrating the Eagles’ attack or hitting clutch shots, call Buenafe and he’ll be there.
After spending his high school career as a scoring machine, Kevin Ferrer has added lockdown defense to his arsenal. Jarencio has entrusted him to stop the opposing team’s best scorer and he’s been successful so far. Plus, as evidenced by his 15 first-half points against National University last week, he can still bring it on on offense.
Rappler says: Even
Power forward: Nico Salva possesses the best midrange game in the UAAP–his 20-foot jumpers are almost always a sure thing. Despite this, Salva has remained average in the other aspects of the game, namely defense and rebounding. Don’t forget, though, that this guy has 4 championship rings in the last 4 years.
Meanwhile, Aljon Mariano, after missing last season due to an ankle injury, has shown talent that had Black harping him as a player to watch even before the season began. He’s drilled in some big shots, posted solid all-around numbers and has given the Tigers another weapon to go to come crunch time.
Rappler says: Even
Center: UST was able to limit Greg Slaughter to pedestrian numbers in their elimination round tussles. This might be a concern for Black, but his ward is still a seven-footer matched up against a six-foot-eight center.
Slaughter must assert himself this time, forget about complaining over bum calls and non-calls and simply plow his way into the rack. The Tigers will gang up on him for sure, but the Fil-Am will definitely make his presence felt on both ends.
Karim Abdul fell short of winning the MVP plum even after tallying brilliant stats. The Cameroonian, though, has won his battles with Slaughter so far and averaged 16.5 points (to Slaughter’s 9.5) in their first two games. If he’s able to keep delivering on offense while containing the giant on defense, then the Tigers have a much better chance at victory.
Rappler says: Advantage UST
Bench: None of the two teams rely on their bench too much. After all, they have supremely-talented starters and usually need to call on their reserves for spells.
Nevertheless, UST owns a slim 1.3 points advantage over Ateneo in bench scoring, thanks to the explosive Clark Bautista, who will be the Tigers’ most important reserve in this series.
The Eagles have Tonino Gonzaga and Justin Chua, who, two years ago, looked like the UAAP’s next big thing before Slaughter’s arrival scuttled his rise to fame.
Rappler says: Advantage UST
Coaching: Norman Black has dominated the collegiate ranks over the past half-decade. And in his final year for Ateneo, Black brings a cerebral approach to the game that has his Eagles working like a Swiss clock.
Pido Jarencio, on the other hand, feeds off energy and emotion to send his message across his players. He has a flair for the theatrics and the Tigers’ place in the Finals has shown that his unique approach is working.
Rappler says: Advantage Ateneo
Intangibles: They say that experience is the best teacher. Four championships in the last 4 years cannot be denied and this would be Ateneo’s trump card when push comes to shove. They also have that rowdy crowd who will form a sea of blue to cheer and jeer in all games of the Finals series.
“Pride, puso and palaban” will be UST’s battlecry again and although they’re short on championship experience, they will make up for it in heart (they have the most come-from-behind wins this season), lest you forget about that wild and roaring Tiger Nation that will yell “Go USTe!” no end.
Rappler says: Advantage Ateneo
Again, both teams are almost evenly matched on paper. But as the sports cliche goes, it will most likely come down to who wants it more.
Ateneo spotted UST a 19-point lead in the first half of their first round matchup. But UST rallied behind Mariano to win, 71-70. In their second round tussle, Tiongson came up with a huge third period to help the Eagles build a sizable lead before fending off a last-ditch comeback by the Tigers.
This will be a classic matchup for sure, but in the end, championship experience would win this for the Katipunan-based squad.
PREDICTION: Ateneo in 3 games. – Rappler.com
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