Games Saturday
(Mall of Asia Arena)
10 a.m. – FEU vs NU
1 p.m. – UE vs UP
4 p.m. – UST vs AdU
7 p.m. – DLSU vs Ateneo
By CARLO ANOLIN
Ateneo and De La Salle put their unblemished record on the line as they dispute the top spot – and the bragging rights that go with it – in the UAAP Season 84 Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City today.
Tipoff is set at 7 p.m. with both the reigning champions Blue Eagles and Green Archers out to put a new chapter to their classic rivalry in a match that will cap off the quadruple-header.
Ateneo also guns for its 30th straight victory dating back to 2018 but head coach Tab Baldwin dismissed the possibility and shifted his focus in beating De La Salle.
The coaching staff has done the scouting job for Baldwin but the three-time UAAP champion admitted that he hasn’t seen much yet of the Archers.
“I’ve just seen a little bit and watched on television and they look fast and they’re a big team,” said Baldwin. “I think the Phillips brothers (Michael and Ben) give them some depth on frontline, Balti (Justine Baltazar) is playing well, Deschon Winston looks like a serious talent and we know that with [Evan] Nelle and [Mark] Nonoy, the point guard lineup, there’s a lot of talent there.
“So it’s a very good La Salle team. They like the pressure game so it should be an interesting matchup.”
De La Salle coach Derrick Pumaren, for his part, hopes to use their 3-0 momentum as a springboard when the Archers try to hunt down the Eagles.
The Ateneo-De La Salle showdown also highlights a mini-reunion as Ange Kouame, Dave Ildefonso, and SJ Belangel take on their Gilas Pilipinas teammate in Baltazar, who had a stellar performance of 20 points and 11 rebounds in the Archers’ 75-65 win over the Far Eastern University Tamaraws.
FEU and National University, which share 1-2 slates, begin the action at the 10 a.m., University of the Philippines takes on winless University of the East in their 1 p.m. encounter, and University of Santo Tomas and Adamson, also with 1-2 records, clash at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, the UAAP is set to welcome limited spectators at the MOA Arena beginning next Tuesday.
Just like other leagues such as the PBA and the PVL, fans will be also required to show their vaccination cards upon entry.