Standings W L
Men
NU 3 0
Ateneo 3 0
UST 2 1
DLSU 2 1
AdU 1 2
UP 1 2
FEU 0 3
UE 0 3
Women
UST 2 0
Ateneo 2 0
UP 2 0
NU 1 1
FEU 1 1
AdU 0 2
UE 0 2
DLSU 0 2
JHS Boys
AdU 3-0
NUNS 3-0
UST 2-1
UE 2-1
FEU 2-1
DLSZ 0-3
Ateneo 0-3
UPIS 0-3
Games Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena
7:30 a.m. – UE vs UST (16U)
9:30 a.m. – UPIS vs NU (16U)
11:30 a.m. – UE vs UST (Women)
1:30 p.m. – UST vs UE (Men)
4:30 p.m. – UP vs NU (Men)
7 p.m. – UP vs NU (Women)
AFTER hurdling its biggest test of the young UAAP Collegiate Men’s Basketball season, National University faces another tough challenge against defending champion University of the Philippines this Saturday afternoon at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The Bulldogs are enjoying their finest start in the Final Four era, with coach Jeff Napa pleased to see his players on the same page.
NU is currently tied with Ateneo at 3-0, the tournament’s two unlikely leaders after both squads finished at the bottom of the standings last season.
"Yung character kasi, hindi ko na para i-question ‘yon sa mga bata at players ko ‘eh. Especially (Omar John), he changed a lot. Thankful kami talaga na yung pagbabago niya, for the better — as a player and as a person. Nagbi-benefit talaga yung team. Maybe he’s matured enough to understand everything. His teammates really support him well. Siguro ‘yon yung maganda na nangyayari, they trust each other and no one will be left behind," said Napa.
("Their character is something I don’t question anymore, especially with my players. Omar John, in particular, has changed a lot. We’re really thankful for the positive changes he’s made, both as a player and as a person. It’s really benefiting the team. Maybe he’s matured enough to understand everything, and his teammates are supporting him well. I think what’s great is that they trust each other, and no one gets left behind.")
The Bulldogs hope to sustain their high level of play in the 4:30 p.m. duel with the Fighting Maroons.
Behind Gambian center Omar John and leading scorer Jake Figueroa, NU pricked University of Santo Tomas’ bubble on its home floor with a 76-69 win in a showdown of unbeaten teams Wednesday night.
UP finally got over the hump with a 92-75 win over University of the East last Sunday, ending a two-game skid.
For coach Goldwin Monteverde, the victory will serve as a morale booster for the Fighting Maroons as they brace for an inspired Bulldogs side.
"I guess winning this game in this way would make us realize that it’s very important to play together. It’s not just about talent, it’s about having a quick intuition on making decisions din," said Monteverde.
The Growling Tigers aim to get back on track against the Red Warriors in the 2 p.m. curtain-raiser. Sporting a 2-1 record, UST is currently tied with De La Salle in third place, while UE, still searching for its first win under new coach Chris Gavino, is tied with Far Eastern University at 0-3.
In Collegiate Women’s play, UST and UP stake their unbeaten 2-0 records against a dangerous UE and titleholder NU, respectively.
Coming off an impressive 76-62 romp over the Lady Bulldogs, the Tigresses remain wary of the Lady Warriors, who have shown improvement under first-year mentor Ian Valdez, in the 11:30 a.m. contest.
"There’s so much more to improve sa team and day by day naman, kino-correct namin yung mga mali namin and the things that we have to improve para as we go on sa every game namin, we will see improvement until the end of the first round," said UST coach Haydee Ong.
("There’s still a lot we need to work on as a team, and day by day we’re correcting our mistakes and focusing on the areas we need to improve. As we go through each game, I’m confident we’ll see progress by the end of the first round.")
The Fighting Maroons are also aware that the Lady Bulldogs will be eager to vent their ire in the 7 p.m. clash.
"Just like every game namin, we tap ourselves on our shoulders. It was a win we were really dying for, but after that, we’re looking forward to the next game. NU is a big challenge definitely now dahil ganito yung pinakita namin. Hopefully, we can take some positives out of it and we’ll work on our lapses," said coach Paul Ramos after UP nipped UE, 84-75, in overtime.
("Like every game, we give ourselves some credit. It was a win we really needed, but now we’re already looking forward to the next one. NU is definitely going to be a big challenge given how we played. Hopefully, we can take some positives from this and work on the areas where we slipped up.")
In Junior High School Boys' action, unbeaten NU-Nazareth School guns for its fourth straight win against UP Integrated School at 9:30 a.m., following holders UE and UST, who take the floor at 7:30 a.m.
Games air on the Pilipinas Live app, One Sports, and the UAAP Varsity Channel.
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