REIGNING titlist Ateneo hopes to stay perfect while Kobe Paras of the University of the Philippines tries to dazzle collegiate fans anew when the UAAP men’s basketball tournament resumes today at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Eagles battle the once feared University of the East Warriors at 12:30 p.m. with the two-time defending champions looking to stretch their unbeaten run to six games.
Ateneo was rampant the last time, blowing past National University, 71-50, behind a fluid as a silk offense and solid as a rock defense.
Still Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin is confident his players will continue to play more consistently and aggressively once their shooting improves and that is a bad news for UE active consultant Lawrence Chongson.
“Our field goal percentage doesn’t flatter our play really, at 40 percent. It’s something we need to continue to work on,” he said.
Baldwin, however, credited his team’s defense against NU and hoped he’d see more of it in their future games.
“Our defense is doing a good job. It’s generating turnovers and converting those into easy points on the fastbreak,” he said.
Thirdy Ravena and Ange Kouame remain the Eagles’ go-to guys with their all-around plays and will get ample support from brothers Matt and Mike Nieto and Gian Mamuyac.
Meanwhile, UE seeks to bounce back from a 62-56 loss to University of the Philippines on Saturday that put them at 1-4.
Alex Diakhite is expected to fuel the Warriors after posting 21 points and 17 rebounds the last time while Rey Suerte hopes to regain lost spark after being limited to four points against the Maroons.
In other matches, National University aims for the elusive first win against Far Eastern University at 10:30 a.m. while Paras and the Maroons tackle the La Salle Archers at 4 p.m.
The Bulldogs still struggled in their last five matches while the Tamaraws are out to recover from an 82-74 defeat against the University of Santo Tomas Tigers on Sunday for 2-3.
The Maroons, meanwhile, seek to improve their 4-1 mark against the Archers, who are coming off a 68-61 triumph over the Adamson Falcons for 2-3.
Displaying his versatility as well as on-court leadership, he has helped the Fighting Maroons notch three straight victories and move to solo second in the standings.
Paras lit up the scoreboard for 25 points on 10-for-22 shooting against the Bulldogs and as an encore, showcased his inside game versus the Red Warriors with a 12-point, 10-rebound, three-block outing. (Kristel Satumbaga)
