Blue Eagles eye hot start this time; NU wary of Ateneo momentum

ALFRED Aroga of National University blocks Gideon Babilonia of Ateneo in their first-round match won by NU. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

MANILA, Philippines —Ravena thinks the Eagles can’t keep surviving on come-from-behind wins as they take on the dangerous National U Bulldogs at the start of the Final Four of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“Those slow starts definitely kill us every time,” said Ravena. “It’s a bad habit. It’s always harder when you’re playing catchup. We have to make an extra effort to start good, especially with a team like NU that’s so systematic and knows how to handle pressure.”

The No. 1 Eagles take the floor at 4 p.m. toting a twice-to-beat bonus over the Bulldogs.

Far Eastern University, the No. 2 seed also holding a twice-to-beat edge, battles defending champion La Salle in the other Final Four duel at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.

“Our game can sometimes be shaky,” said Ateneo coach Bo Perasol. “But when we’re at our best, we can beat anybody. So we have to look for ways to be at our best.”

The Eagles topped the eliminations with an 11-3 record, highlighted by many thrillers where Ravena bailed them out in the clutch.

But the Eagles have yet to work their magic on the Bulldogs, who swept them in the eliminations for the second straight season.

“You can’t take away the experience of the NU team,” said Ravena.

The Bulldogs dealt the Eagles their first loss in the first round, 64-60, behind forward Troy Rosario.

In their second meeting, the Bulldogs came out even more dominating for a 76-66 victory where Cameroonian center Alfred Aroga had a near triple-double of 15 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks.

NU coach Eric Altamirano, however, knows that scoring a repeat will be tougher.

“It’s a different ballgame come the Final Four,” said Altamirano. “I know we beat them twice, but their confidence is very high coming into the Final Four. So we just have to be ready.”

The Bulldogs had to fight for the last semifinal berth in a playoff after finishing tied at No. 4 (9-5) with University of the East. “Our defense has been our advantage,” Altamirano said after his Bulldogs edged the Warriors, 51-49, in last Saturday’s playoff.

“We just have to focus on our strengths. Our defense got us up to this point, so we have to go with that.”

Perasol also points to NU’s formidable frontline led by Aroga and Rosario as among the Eagles’ big concerns.