The first round of the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament has ended, and it looks like we are in for the tightest race to the Final Four in quite some time.
Before UAAP basketball action resumes tomorrow, October 21, with a double-header between the La Salle Green Archers and UE Red Warriors, and the UP Fighting Maroons facing the UST Growling Tigers at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, it is time to review all eight universities’ first-round showings and give a preview of what awaits them heading into the second round.
1. NU Bulldogs
Currently holding the No. 1 spot in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament because of their 72-64 win over the UP Fighting Maroons, the NU Bulldogs have made quite the surge. Many projected them to be out of the UAAP Final Four race before the season began because of the losses of program cornerstones Jake Figueroa, Steve Nash Enriquez, and Gelo Santiago.
However, they’ve done more than keep themselves afloat. They’re succeeding. Aside from collapses in their losses to La Salle and Ateneo, the Bulldogs have proven that they can hold leads and prevent such defeats from happening again.
Veteran bigs PJ Palacielo and Kenshin Padrones have been holding down the paint; elite wing Paul Francisco continues to torch opponents with his scoring and two-way capabilities; star guard Reinhard Jumamoy is orchestrating their attack while getting his shots in—no surprise why he’s the leader for the UAAP MVP award right now. Factor in timely contributions from rookie standout Macmac Alfanta and key pieces like DJ Laconsay and Tebol Garcia, and the Bulldogs find themselves atop the standings at 5-2.
While many expect their momentum to falter in round two (as it tends to happen over the last few seasons), there’s little reason to believe that it will come to fruition. The Bulldogs and head coach Jeff Napa are for real, and they are more than happy to be the underdogs.
2. UP Fighting Maroons
Holding a 5-2 record similar to NU, the UP Fighting Maroons suffered a two-game losing streak after winning their first two games to start UAAP Season 89. They haven’t lost since then, and it appears that such struggles are behind them—for now.
Former FEU Tamaraw Veejay Pre had a shaky start to the season (compared to his showing in UAAP Season 88), but he eventually returned to form and is the main reason why the Fighting Maroons are as competitive as they are right now. Of course, Rey Remogat remains their top dog in terms of scoring, though we’re seeing more of his teammates stepping up when he gets into a cold stretch.
One thing to consider about UP heading into the second round: they’ve been winning games, but it doesn’t feel like they’re the clear-cut favorites to win the whole thing. Yes, they hold wins over preseason faves UST and La Salle, but at the same time, they lost to league leaders NU and currently slumping FEU. Add in the fact that they were in dire straits versus the Adamson Soaring Falcons and UE Red Warriors before their talent shone through to emerge victorious? UP still has a lot to fix.
There is little doubt that the Fighting Maroons have the deepest depth chart in the league. But the question remains whether coach Goldwyn Monteverde can take full advantage of it in the second round and improve their chances of locking down a twice-to-beat advantage.
3. Adamson Soaring Falcons
Arguably the biggest surprises thus far in UAAP Season 89, the coach Nash Racela-led Adamson Soaring Falcons find themselves in the thick of the Final Four race with a record of 4-3. While they went 1-1 to open their campaign, they bounced back quite nicely with a stunning 85-57 demolition of the UST Growling Tigers, and held their own against last season’s runner-ups, the UP Fighting Maroons, in an all-out dogfight that they lost by just two points.
By far their most impressive victory came on the final day of round one action, where they put together a defensive masterclass to stun the defending champs, La Salle Green Archers, 63-60. Granted that there was that annoying glitch with the shot clock that prevented either side from generating decent momentum, Monty Montebon and the Soaring Falcons played through it and handed the champs a 3-4 record.
The running joke (or observation, depending on how one looks at it) for the past few seasons is that the Soaring Falcons’ odds of winning get better when they keep their opponent below 65 points. Funnily enough, that statistic continues to hold up. In all of their wins, their opponents were held to less than 65 points.
Is this a trend that will continue in round two? Based on how Montebon, Matty Erolon, season standouts FSA Precious Jonah and Mahat Edding, and the rest of the Soaring Falcons are playing, it is highly likely. Adamson knows all too well that a hot start means nothing when UAAP math is involved. With how close everyone is in the standings, they’ll need to keep that mentality in round two.
4. UST Growling Tigers
The UST Growling Tigers were among those heavily favored to win it all in UAAP Season 89 after they took home both the PinoyLiga Cup “The Big Dance” and the AsiaBasket NSAC titles in the preseason. But why are they at 4-3 thus far?
Much of those losses can be attributed to them having terrible shooting performances. Their first loss came at the hands of the Fighting Maroons, and the other was them getting walked down by the Bulldogs. The worst loss, though, came at the hands of the Adamson Soaring Falcons. Collins Akowe and the Growling Tigers shot a paltry 31.7% from the field and an even more depressing 2-of-24 from beyond the three-point arc (8.3%).
There is reason to believe that they have finally turned the corner in UAAP Season 89 after taking out the Ateneo Blue Eagles with a thunderous 29-10 third-quarter storm. Devil’s advocate, though? The game was held at the UST QPav, the exact place where they train for the games. Had they lost then, it would bring up even more questions.
While they’re above .500 now, there is still a vocal part of the UST fanbase that is intensely praying that coach Pido Jarencio has some tricks up his sleeve for round two because they will sorely need it. If they can go 5-2 in this crucial stretch, the math works out to the point that they’ll end up either with the second or third seed in the Final Four.
5. FEU Tamaraws
Once the hottest team in the UAAP with a 4-1 record, the Tamaraws find themselves on a two-game losing skid, with the NU Bulldogs handing them a 69-65 loss to close out round one.
FEU’s offense was as explosive as they come, handing double-digit losses to the UP Fighting Maroons and La Salle Green Archers in back-to-back showings. These performances had many fans believing that the Tamaraws were finally back in form and ready to cement themselves as title contenders. Powered by top dog Kirby Mongcopa and Jorick Bautista in the scoring category, plus FSA Mo Konateh showing up every single game, and last season’s MVP Janrey Pasaol leading the attack, everything looked like it was falling into place.
But then, the losses to NU and UST in the latter stages brought them back to earth. Pasaol just hasn’t been as effective as he was last season, while Bautista’s scoring efficiency has fallen off a cliff. Coach Sean Chambers has shown a willingness to give newcomers Cabs Cabonilas, Mark Burgos, and Elias Gish extended minutes, which may be the key for them in the second round.
It has been said that true UAAP title contenders emerge when they can win grind-it-out games. FEU definitely should not be counted out, especially because of how narrow the gap is between all seven Final Four-contending teams. However, the margin of error will only continue to grow as round two progresses. It’s now or never for the Tamaraws, and they know it.
6. La Salle Green Archers
The presumptive favorites heading into Season 89, owing to them being the kings of the UAAP, the La Salle Green Archers are on the wrong end of the standings with a 3-4 record. The loss of Mike Phillips (and EJ Gollena by extension) was the big story heading into the season, and it was evident that they were doing their best to navigate through it somehow.
They allayed such concerns when they outlasted the NU Bulldogs in the season-opener thanks to rookie Joaquin Tovera’s 22-point explosion. However, their frontcourt issues were highlighted in back-to-back losses to UST and FEU. The Green Archers bounced back with back-to-back wins over UE and Ateneo, though they lost all momentum when Adamson defeated them 63-60 in the round one closer.
Guard play has been on par with last season, especially with Tovera helping Jacob Cortez turn out strong outings here and there, while JC Macalalag, Doy Dungo, and Earl Abadam have been holding it down in the wings owing to their scoring from beyond the arc. However, Mason Amos has been struggling mightily as a whole. His best scoring games come when he operates as a clear second or third option that takes catch-and-shoot opportunities. While Luis Pablo, Seven Gagate, and even Henry Agunanne do their best in trying to operate like a “Motor Mike” lite, it just hasn’t worked out thus far.
The defending UAAP basketball champions are still talented enough to make waves in the second round, especially if Amos can have a return to form of sorts and Pablo’s shots start falling more often. However, as it looks right now, they are in serious danger of missing the Final Four altogether.
7. Ateneo Blue Eagles
There is something poetic about the Ateneo Blue Eagles being joined by their eternal rivals, the La Salle Green Archers, at the bottom of the UAAP Season 89 standings with matching 3-4 slates.
Similar to last season, Ateneo got off to a hot start and were even atop the league at one point, holding a 3-1 record—mostly due to the efforts of rookie star Kieffer Alas, veterans Jared Bahay, Ian Espinosa, and Shawn Tuano. It also helps that Drew Bongo had his breakthrough performance in their comeback win versus the NU Bulldogs. Many believed they were poised to keep the ball rolling then, but their late-game collapse against the Green Archers kickstarted their ongoing three-game losing streak.
Much of the discussion has been about what the Blue Eagles need to work on, and the focus should be on how cold they have been in their last three outings. Alas, Bahay, and one-and-done talents Travis Roberts and EJ Kapihe are going through shooting slumps; consistency continues to elude Bongo. When those five primary contributors are having an off-night, Ateneo’s chances of winning drastically go down.
Remember that just a few months ago, this team was unsure whether they would even play this UAAP season. Now that they are on the floor, they’ve shown flashes of brilliance, but have been unable to find that form. Coach Louie Alas can lead this team to a potential Final Four appearance, but unless they go on an absolute heater in round two, those chances appear bleak.
8. UE Red Warriors
The elephant in the room, saved best for last: the UE Red Warriors. The program has been the punching bag of jokes online over the last two and a half seasons as they’re on a historic 27-game losing streak. Then-head coach Chris Gavina resigned after his squad lost their first two games of UAAP Season 89 by an average of 23.5 points.
New shot-caller Paulo Hubalde was brought in as an interim head coach, and while many expected their woes to continue, it appears as if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. His arrival has breathed new life into the program, as their renewed focus on pressing basketball has given them chances to win. Most recently, they were leading against the UP Fighting Maroons all the way until the fourth. It seemed as if a monumental upset was coming, but UP’s talent (led by James Payosing, Chicco Briones, and the aforementioned Pre) eventually overwhelmed them.
Star guard Toper Lagat has proven himself to be an important asset for the program, and he will be the key to breaking the curse that has befallen them. He has the greenest of lights in the league to take any shot that he wants. Mo Tanedo, Gene Carrillo, and FSA JM Edoukou’s offensive firepower will all play an important role in breaking the streak as well.
The Red Warriors will surely be entering the second round of UAAP Season 89 with the belief that they can end the streak, as they’re showing new signs of life. The only question now is who it will happen against.
