By John Bryan Ulanday
UNSCATHED leader Ateneo is determined to maintain perfection against rival La Salle while University of the Philippines (UP) and National University (NU) tussle in a bid to stay inside the top four as teams begin to jockey for playoff positions in the pivotal UAAP Season 84 second round at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Enjoying a lone view at the summit with a pristine 7-0 card and a 33-game win streak since 2018, the reigning champion Blue Eagles collide with the third-running Green Archers (5-2) at 7 p.m. with hopes of mirroring their 74-57 win in the first round to sustain their drive for a fourth straight University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) diadem.
The Fighting Maroons (6-1), for their part, seek to stay within striking distance from pacer Ateneo against the No. 4 Bulldogs (4-3) in the curtain raiser at 10 a.m. of the four-game bill that also features crucial duels between struggling squads.
Lurking behind the Final Four with a 3-4 slate, Far Eastern University (FEU) locks horn with Adamson (1-6) at 12:30 p.m. followed by the 4:30 p.m. clash of Santo Tomas (2-5) and winless University of the East (UE) (0-7).
But all eyes will be on Ateneo, which clipped its first-round challengers by an average winning margin of 15.6 points — making its target on the back way bigger this time around.
“Every game in the second round is really going to be a dog fight. We’re not looking at our record or how many wins we have,” said deputy Sandy Arespacochaga as Ateneo gets another crack at La Salle with fans in attendance this time after playing behind closed doors in the first round.
The same goes for UP and La Salle, which have been tagged as the strongest threats to Ateneo’s reign, as they eye revenge after bowing in the first round to stay on the coattails of their rival.
“We have to get as many wins as we can. So far, we have five. We want to stay on the path as we’re trying to catch up with Ateneo and UP,” said La Salle coach Derrick Pumaren.
“It doesn’t matter where we are in the standings right now. What’s important is staying prepared and ready to battle. The desire for us is to unleash our best every game,” noted UP tactician Goldwin Monteverde.
The UAAP will take a break after Tuesday’s lone playdate for the Holy Week before plunging back to action next Tuesday.