Humblebola

By Francis De Ungria

Destiny.

UP’s championship last season was like a well-written piece on the art of basketball and everything that comes with it. They were the Avengers, the last hope. It felt like that championship was the culmination of what the UP community endured through its darkest years, and then with a shot from the heavens, they won it.

But this season is different. While last season was their destiny to win the championship and end a 36-year championship drought, this season will add to their legacy as the best UP Fighting Maroons team of all-time, and will certainly be in the discussion for one of the UAAP’s all-time great teams. Posting a league-best defensive rating this season (85.8), UP has clamped down against UAAP’s elite offenses. Their offense is currently ranked second (96.3) behind Ateneo (100.1), but when things clicked, it felt like they were the best offensive team in the UAAP. 

With that in mind, what are the keys for UP to win back-to-back titles and solidify their legacy in the UAAP?

Zavier Lucero needs to show up

Lucero has everything you need for a modern wing, he can shoot, pass, and dribble enough to make him a focal point of your offense. But he also has the physical gifts and defensive instincts that make you wonder about Lucero’s potential as he moves up to the pros. But against Ateneo, he has only averaged 5 points on just 19.7% True Shooting. With the possibility of Carl Tamayo not being 100%, the Fighting Maroons will have to bank on Lucero for offensive firepower.

Defending the three

UP would need to take notes when Ateneo showed a glimpse of how they can dominate teams with their three-point shooting when they faced the Adamson Soaring Falcons in their Final Four matchup. The good news is, UP has limited their opponents to shooting 23.66% beyond the arc. But in their recent game versus Ateneo where they lost, they have allowed the Blue Eagles to shoot 36.0% from three. 

Asserting themselves offensively

The offensive firepower UP has should be unmatched. They have the shooting prowess of Terrence Fortea, James Spencer, and Harold Alarcon. Who could even defend a lineup with Zavier Lucero and Carl Tamayo in it? Not to mention the duo of JD Cagulangan and Malick Diouf who has shown up for UP in the most crucial of times. But that hasn’t been the case consistently. While they do possess the second-best offense in the UAAP, their offense has performed worse when facing UAAP’s elite defense. With the Blue Eagles hungrier than ever, the Fighting Maroons would need to polish their execution and assert themselves as the better team offensively.

Malick Diouf Forever

The MVP holds two key factors to determine UP’s fate in this finals series. On defense, he will need to anchor the league-best UP defense while also clamping down against all-time UAAP great Ange Kouame. On offense, he will need to remain consistent for the Fighting Maroons while also alleviating some pressure off the UP guards as a post hub. 

Prediction

We should be in for another classic matchup between the new-age rivals. At the start of the season, it looked like UP was miles away from the competition, but with Ateneo peaking just before the finals, the Fighting Maroons will need to execute a masterclass on both ends of the court, which they can do. UP in three. 

Six teams down. One more to go.

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter

Dancing through the fire

‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar

Louder, louder than a lion

‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar

The gago gene was on full display. Kiefer Ravena. RJ Abarrientos. Now Kean Baclaan.

With four minutes remaining, off a pick and roll with Malick Diouf, Kean Baclaan pulled up from three. In a game as tight as UP-NU, it felt brash to take that shot at that moment. There was still time left on the shot clock to generate better offense. The jumper Kean took wasn’t exactly the cleanest of looks.

But he took it anyway. Swoosh. That gave the Bulldogs the lead, 59-56. While turning around, Baclaan couldn’t help but roar like a tiger. A fighter who was taking it to the Fighting Maroons.

During that specific instance, it felt like a moment. With the game going back and forth, any psychological advantage would have been beneficial for either team. Makes like that do wonders for a team’s confidence. Momentum was clearly on NU’s side. It felt like the game was theirs for the taking…

… until it wasn’t.

With the Fighting Maroons showing their championship resolve and the Bulldogs’ youth causing them to make costly errors during the last two minutes of the game, UP found a way to escape and book a seat back to the Finals.

By the end of the game, the moment was obviously with UP and their MVP, Malick Diouf. But as a basketball fan, you couldn’t help but marvel at what the NU Bulldogs had achieved this season.

After finishing sixth during Season 84 and losing some key pieces, they made the jump this year and established themselves as a dark horse contender for the UAAP championship. Dark horse. A title normally reserved either for teams with raw, young pieces or a grizzled, veteran team that’s slowly finding its footing in the league.

The Bulldogs were the former. A lot of the names they boasted of, outside of John Lloyd Clemente, were up-and-coming players who were still finding their place in the crazy world of college basketball. Paul Palacielo. Ian Manansala. Omar John. Steve Nash Enriquez. Jake Figueroa. Kean Baclaan.

They boasted of arguably the deepest roster in the entire UAAP but they were lacking just one thing: superstar-ready talent who could elevate them to the mountaintop.

That’s why Kean’s shot against the Fighting Maroons felt like a moment. For a player to take AND make a contested pull-up three in a critical moment of a game requires incredible skill, extreme confidence, and most importantly, guts; all qualities of a superstar-ready talent. It was the cherry on top of the delicious sundae he built that entire game versus the Fighting Maroons on masterful playmaking and genius creativity on display the whole game.

Baclaan wasn’t the only player showing superstar-ready qualities. Supporting Kean was a player who may have lacked singular, memorable moments versus UP, but made up for it with incredible, all-around excellence that was on display all throughout the game.

Jake Figueroa was making a leap. From steady, young talent, who did the little things, the former UAAP Juniors MVP was putting on a showcase against the giants of the Fighting Maroons. He looked like the kind of athletic, skilled wing any UAAP team would want to have in their teams. Incredible effort on the boards, feasting on transition opportunities when the opportunity presented itself, and providing elite perimeter coverage on the defensive end. This was the Figueroa Soaring Falcons fans wanted to keep and Bulldogs fans now get to enjoy.

Both their efforts may not have been enough to propel the Bulldogs to a do-or-die against the Fighting Maroons and that’s okay. Kean’s shot may have not been THE moment of the game, but a glass-half-full perspective offers us another moment for NU Bulldogs fans to ponder on: that entire game against the Fighting Maroons was the moment the NU Bulldogs proved they were no longer just the future, but they were the present. They’re a problem other UAAP programs will have to deal with for years to come.

Jeff Napa’s excellent coaching. Kean Baclaan’s playmaking wizardry. Jake Figueroa’s all-around brilliance. NU’s sneaky good program built on elite recruitment and development.

The NU Bulldogs have the eye of the tiger, a fighter, that’s dancing through the fire. Sooner than later, they could be champions, and you’re gonna hear them roar.

Ladies and gentlemen, this December 7, a Wednesday afternoon, will be the first matchup of the UAAP Season 85 Final Four and it’s all set to be one heck of a fight. So let’s get to know the challengers.

Introducing first, out of the blue corner – a talented team of upstarts that anyone outside of a handful of fans gave a shot at making the Final Four. Coming in with a record of 9 wins and 5 losses placing them at the third seed, from Sampaloc, Manila, the National University Bulldogs.

In the red corner, a team that needs no introduction. Coming in with a record of 11 wins and 3 losses pacing them at the second seed, all the way from Diliman, Quezon City, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.

_{The writer is coming off 16 hours of ONE Championship coverage last Saturday, so forgive the man. But let’s actually talk about the two teams now.}

Elimination Round Summary

The NU Bulldogs making the Final Four is an absolute shock for most UAAP fans and I’ll admit I overlooked them on my personal rankings before the season began, opting to put in the DLSU Green Archers instead. But I can also admit that this team quickly won me over. NU is an extremely deep team that has different players leading the team in scoring almost every game, resulting in a surprising 5-2 start. The Bulldogs were made to have an extremely well-rounded team and it showed in their victories against DLSU, UP and UE in the first round and in their shock victory against Ateneo in the second round. Though they stumbled to a 4-3 record in the second round after struggles against Adamson, DLSU and UP, the Bulldogs have already made a statement and now have everyone’s attention.

The UP Fighting Maroons are the kings of the UAAP and their quality showed early and often. Terrence Fortea and Zavier Lucero were the stars of the show for UP after combining to lead the team in scoring in six games to start the season. The second round saw James Spencer’s breakout party against FEU while stars Carl Tamayo and Malick Diouf continued their run as the best players at their respective positions. This team had nothing to prove to the rest of the competition after winning their first title in 36 years last season, but UP is hungry for a back-to-back and no one can fault them for that goal. Yes, they suffered upset losses against Ateneo, DLSU and NU and that fact is not lost on them. Winners want to keep winning and that’s the only thing in their mind entering the Final Four.

What We Learned From Their Two Meetings:

The Bulldogs are versatile as all hell. In their first meeting, they pulled off the biggest upset of Season 85 after stunning the Fighting Maroons with an 80-75 victory which came off the backs of Omar John, Jhay Baclaan, John Figueroa and Steve Nash Enriquez (best name in the UAAP, don’t @ me) putting up double digits. UP’s offense stalled and you can credit that to NU’s non-stop press defense, generating 27 turnovers and converting it into 25 points of their own. Sharing the wealth is a big point of emphasis for coach Jeff Napa and this team is unafraid of giving everyone a chance to contribute. Everyone on this team knows their role and the game plan to a T and that makes them such an underdog of a team.

The Fighting Maroons know how to respond to tough losses. That’s why they’re the defending champions. UP took their lone first-round loss to heart and bounced back hard in their second matchup. Zavier Lucero continued to step up his game and led the way for UP while bench pieces Henry Galinato and Harold Alarcon continue to produce in their own ways. They were able to quickly address their turnover concerns when they limited it from 27 to just 14 in the rematch and won it by 12 points – a sign of the Fighting Maroons’ championship caliber. Anyone who says that UP is cooked after losing to the Ateneo Blue Eagles is talking nonsense ahead of the Final Four is taking the piss.

What Will Each Team Rely On:

Flexibility and not in the “I can do the Kapotasana yoga pose” sense. Look, the Bulldogs won’t blow you away with fancy highlight reel moments because that’s not their style. However, they will definitely make you feel them on every single play on both offense and defense. They are not the tallest team in the UAAP by any stretch, but coach Napa can plug and play his wards into practically any position. Enriquez dropping dimes like his namesake, John Lloyd Clemente doing JLC things, Germy Mahinay doing his best Regirock impression and everyone being absolutely capable of getting buckets. No one on this team is afraid of contact and it’s extremely hard to try and punk them, so you might as well not try. NU doesn’t heavily rely on one single star to run their team and that’s what makes them such a credible threat to UP. Everyone is a danger and the Fighting Maroons can ill afford to underestimate them.

It would be negligent of me not to mention how important Omar John’s matchup with Malick Diouf will be. Diouf had a tough time matching up with the Buldogs big man as he only had seven points on a horrible 3-of-8 shooting night despite being a plus-13 for the Fighting Maroons. What’s even more curious is that he had an extremely tough time against John in the second matchup after only making 2-of-6 shots with a team-low minus-10. John was a plus-6 and plus-2 respectively which seems to indicate that he has the back-to-back MVP’s number going into their matchup. He’s just a massive force inside the paint with a massive wingspan to boot and he can make shots if given enough space to do so. The numbers don’t lie and they spell disaster for UP if they can’t find out how to help Diouf break free from John’s defense.

It’s honestly tempting to say star power for the Fighting Maroons, but what gives them over the edge is championship experience. It’s cliché as hell, but it just rings true for the Diliman-based squad. One does not simply become a champion by getting a lucky knockout blow from the left wing in the finals (last ONE reference, promise). UP scratched and clawed their way to a finals berth and continued to wear their hearts on their sleeves during Season 85’s eliminations because that’s their identity. Matatapang. Matatalino. Walang takot kahit kanino. Add in the fact that guys like Zavier Lucero, James Spencer, Harold Alarcon and RC Calimag are putting in the work to support their core of Carl Tamayo, Malick Diouf and Terrence Fortea, and you have a team that’s poised for another championship.

For the Fighting Maroons to succeed, Season 84 Rookie of the Year Carl Tamayo needs to put on a show. As I’ve mentioned above, the two big men are likely to cancel each other out which leaves another opening for Lucero to put up big numbers like in their previous matchups. But if I was in coach Goldwyn Monteverde’s shoes, I’d draw up every play for Tamayo. There’s a reason that everyone sees him as the future of the UAAP (and possibly of Philippine basketball abroad) and it’s his skills. He can afford to take some time off the defensive end of the ball since he has guys to back him up there, however, it’s the Final Four. The greats always come out to play then and Tamayo has to start acting like the big dog having a couple of Bulldogs in his yard. UP has to find a game plan that will give Tamayo the space he needs to operate and possibly dominate.

Grab your popcorn and keep your eyes peeled on this No. 2 versus No. 3 matchup, because an upset is definitely possible. So, UAAP fans…

HERE. WE. GO. (I lied.)

PREDICTION: NU wins, 69-68.

NU wins their first meeting by a narrow margin, UP retaliates with a massive statement victory to advance to the finals.