MANILA—Ateneo, with the two leading Most Valuable Player contenders in its fold, seeks to extend its unbeaten run to eight games when it tangles with Far Eastern U Saturday in the 74th UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Blue Eagles coach Norman Black said there should be no let-up for his charges in the 3 p.m. duel with the Tamaraws, whom they crushed, 69-49, last Sunday to end the first round with a perfect record.
“I’ve told my players that once you’ve established a formula for winning, you stick with it,” said Black, whose squad is gunning for a fourth straight title this season.
“Considering that some of my players are at least part of the two championship teams and some of them, they know the goal right now is to stay on top and return to the championship.”
National U meets University of the East in the first game at 2 p.m. with the Bulldogs hoping to nail a third win that will put them within striking distance of a spot in the Top 4.
Except for their narrow win against Adamson at the start of the season, the Eagles have been in ruthless form.
The Eagles have been so dominant that they made their championship rematch against the Tamaraws look so easy last Sunday, using a fourth-quarter blitz to win pulling away.
At the heart of Eagles’ attack are its two newcomers—Greg Slaughter and Kiefer Ravena—who incidentally are leading the race for season MVP after the first seven games based on the numbers released by official statistician Imperium Technology and SmartBro.
The 7-foot Slaughter, a transferee from the University of the Visayas, leads the MVP derby with an average of 65.14 statistical points built on averages of 14 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.
Ravena, who had a scoreless outing against Adamson, has bounced back resoundingly, piling up 62 statistical points per game with averages of 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals.
Despite their impressive form, Black said the road back to the finals will get tougher from here.
“There will probably some adversity somewhere down the line,” said Black. “We just don’t want the guys to relax.”
Running third in the MVP race with 57.4 SPs per game, rookie Bobby Ray Parks will again lead the Bulldogs, who finished the first round in sixth with a 2-5 record.
The Bulldogs are actually seeking payback against the Warriors, who dealt them a stunning 72-71 defeat near the end of the first round. Incidentally, that has been UE’s only win so far of the season.
Paul Zamar will be a marked man for the Warriors as he burned the Bulldogs with 20 points in their first round meeting.
Rounding out the Top 10 in the MVP race are UST’s Jeric Fortuna (55 SPs per game), FEU’s Aldrech Ramos (54.28), Adamson’s Alex Nuyles (53.85), Ateneo’s Nico Salva (51.85), FEU’s Ryan Garcia (51.85), La Salle’s LA Revilla (51.71) and Adamson’s Eric Camson (50.14)