Red-hot Blue Eagles, Bulldogs part ways

Undefeated Ateneo takes a crack at another hot team in the Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup Friday when the Blue Eagles tangle with National University at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. with the 4-0 Blue Eagles shooting for a win to claim a tie for the Group A lead with idle La Salle while also snapping the Bulldogs’ three-game winning streak.

After a lethargic start, National has made heads turn in the tournament with that three-game run putting the Bulldogs at .500.

And the Bulldogs will be battling an Ateneo crew that would likely be without heady big man Isaac Go, who is injured.

Ateneo will also be coming into the game fresh from a team building session out of town, which puts the Eagles’ sharpness in the spotlight.

Meanwhile, the Gilas Cadets tackle Emilio Aguinaldo College in the 4:30 p.m. game, with the Nationals looking to employ the gains of a 63-61 win over University of the East last week.

In more Group A action, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons look to continue to solidify their spot for a quarterfinals berth when they battle University of the East in the 2:15 p.m. game.

Like NU, the Maroons also lost their first three games to open their stint here but have rebounded well enough to string together four wins and look like shoo-ins for the playoffs.

The Warriors, on the other hand, have a 2-3 record and have shown vast improvement since Joe Silva took over the head coaching job about a month ago.

The lone Group B match pits struggling Jose Rizal University against a surprising Arellano University at 12:30 p.m., after the lone juniors match between San Beda and La Salle Greenhills.