Surprise UAAP leaders UP, UST part ways Sunday

No one had certainly guessed that two of the tailenders last season will be fighting for the early solo lead in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament this weekend.

University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas pulled off shockers against two league heavyweights on Wednesday to share the No. 1 spot at 2-0, making their battle Sunday as the surprise main game.

The game has been making rounds all over the Internet, with fans billing it a separation of church and state. UST has been the bastion of Catholicism among the country’s universities while the state-funded UP has long been the home of the “Iskolar ng Bayan.”

“I believe in these boys,” new UP coach Rensy Bajar said of his Maroons, who are off to a 2-0 start for the first time in 10 years. “Everyday, I see in practice their hard work and sacrifice. So I’m not surprised that we’re at 2-0 now.”

The Maroons and the Tigers will dispute the solo lead at 2 p.m., while Far Eastern University and La Salle—the two squads stunned by the underdogs—will try to rebound from the upsets in the second game at 4 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena.

“It’s morale-boosting for the team and the players, but we won’t stop there,” said UST coach Bong dela Cruz. “We’ll continue to prepare against our opponents.”

The Tigers, who wound up sixth with a 5-9 record last year, nipped the season favorite Tamaraws, 72-71, Wednesday, a week after downing Adamson, 70-64.

A cellar-dweller for many seasons, the Maroons also followed up their opening-day win versus the University of the East, 62-55, with a 71-66 shocker over the Green Archers.

“It was made clear before hand, when we were doing our training camp, everyone has a role,” said UP veteran guard Jett Manuel. “We accepted our roles. I can’t stress enough the roles of each member of the team, that’s what we played out [against La Salle].”