Two fierce rivals still searching for their finest forms clash in an early UAAP showdown.
Ateneo and La Salle face off earlier than usual this season in a blockbuster battle set to test their young guns in the men’s basketball tournament today at the Araneta Coliseum.
“We’re still a work in progress at this point,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black of the Blue Eagles, the back-to-back champions still favored on paper despite the graduation of former MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini.
“I’m still trying to find the players who will be productive for us. I’m trying to establish an 11-man rotation and find out who can step up and compete at this level.”
Game time of the anticipated sell-out match is at 4 p.m., with both the Green Archers and the Blue Eagles shooting for their third triumph in four games.
La Salle coach Dindo Pumaren also said his rookie-laden crew expects more tough games ahead.
“We have to be more consistent,” said Pumaren. “We have to concentrate on our defense and sustain our aggressiveness and energy.”
Earlier at 12 noon, a surprisingly competitive National University targets a second victory against the winless University of the East.
Tickets for today’s two featured games are sold separately.
Idle Far Eastern University, this season’s title favorite, owns the solo top spot after the Tamaraws stretched their unbeaten run to three games.
The Eagles and the Archers remain tied for second at 2-1 along with the University of Santo Tomas Tigers and the Adamson Falcons.
“It doesn’t really matter what your records are going into a La Salle-Ateneo game,” said Black. “It’s going to be a tough game for us mainly because of the crowd, the intensity of the game and the players are all fired up.”
The Eagles have drawn solid contributions from Nico Salva and Emman Monfort, while third-year big man Justin Chua also had a breakout game to fill in for the injured Eric Salamat.
“I have to figure out how to keep Eric healthy,” Black said of Salamat, the Ateneo skipper bothered with a knee contusion.
“He’s supposed to be our leader this year in scoring, assists and steals. When he’s on the floor he plays well, I just can’t keep him there all the time.”
La Salle star Joshua Webb has yet to flash his typically fiery game, but Simon Atkins, Maui Villanueva, Sam Marata and rookies led by Papot Paredes have given the Archers a big lift.
“We just have to take advantage of our speed because Ateneo has a bigger lineup,” said Pumaren.