Seeking perfection and greatness, Eagles run into dangerous Tigers

A team chasing perfection and a squad that has exceeded expectations battle it out on Saturday as two-time defending champion Ateneo and upstart University of Santo Tomas begin their UAAP Season 82 best-of-three finals before an expected sellout crowd at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Untouchable in the elimination round, the Blue Eagles aim to extend their unbeaten run at 4 p.m. when they go up against the Growling Tigers, who are looking dangerous and confident after surviving three knockout games in seven days.

With a squad armed with experience from three previous trips to the championship round and a system that methodically wears down teams, the Eagles have set the bar high for themselves this season.

No less than a championship will suffice for the team that wants to be remembered as one of the greatest teams in Philippine collegiate basketball history.

“We just want to be the greatest team as coach Tab [Baldwin] has preached to us in our practices,” said Ateneo captain Mike Nieto. “This 14-0 sweep that we did [in the elimination round] doesn’t mean anything without a championship.”

A period of transition with nine rookies in the fold has turned out to be a season full of promise and excitement as the Tigers climbed out of the stepladder semifinals in ferocious form. Advancing to the finals, however, hardly gives coach Aldin Ayo satisfaction.

With momentum on his team’s side and players peaking just at the right time, Ayo believes his team can rise to the challenge.

“We haven’t achieved anything yet,” Ayo said after the Tigers overcame the second seed University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons twice in the stepladder phase to reach the finals. “Of course we are grateful that we reached this far but this is not our main goal.”

The coaching clash between Ayo and Baldwin on the sidelines will be among the interesting sidelights of the series. Both coaches have steered their teams to a championship over the other with Baldwin leading Ateneo past Ayo’s La Salle team two seasons ago, a year after Ayo guided the Archers in the victory over the Eagles in the finals.

The Tigers were actually the team that came closest at beating the Eagles, bowing 71-72 in their first-round matchup more than two months ago. The Eagles will be coming off a 16-day break going into Game 1, while the Tigers will be playing their fourth game in 10 days.