Ateneo-La Salle rivalry take the UAAP spotlight on Wednesday

THE UAAP Season 86 quadruple header will be headlined by the rivalry between the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the De La Salle Green Archers on Wednesday, October 4, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. 

Every season, fans look forward to the legendary college basketball rivalry between the two schools.

They need not wait long. Fans will be treated to a blockbuster game at a very early stage of the season, as the two teams will meet on the hardcourt on October 4 at 6 p.m.

Topex Robinson, the Archers’ first-time UAAP coach, said in a post-game interview that the team has no plans to change the way it has been preparing for the game against the defending champions.

“It’ll always be the same. It’s all about us, we, and ours. Obviously, we know who we’re going to be up against. but we’ll just focus on what we have and that’s us,” Robinson said.

“Andami nga dapat naming i-improve right now, but whoever it is that we face is just an opportunity for us to get better. Kumbaga, ‘yun ‘yung isang bagay that we always want to focus on,” he added.

Robinson said he understands how much excitement and drama this much-anticipated game delivers to the league and its fans. However, his thoughts are on competing against, and learning from, possibly the most talented coach, Ateneo’s’ Tab Baldwin, he said. 

“But one thing’s for sure, it’s gonna be an exciting game that we’re gonna play and I’m just excited to be part of it,” he added.

Ateneo, on the other hand, is seeking to bounce back after a disappointing start to its title defense season, falling to the NU Bulldogs 77-64 last Saturday.

“We should be, and we are, very disappointed in our performance. I think the words that mean so much to Ateneans, ‘One Big Fight,’ the word ‘fight,’ was left out today, and that’s inexcusable,” Baldwin said after the Eagles’ disappointing loss.

Despite coming off a loss, the Blue Eagles coach thinks his team will battle harder in their upcoming game against the Green Archers.

“We’ll prepare, we’ll do a game plan for La Salle. Hopefully, our players exhibit a little bit more pride, and I think they will,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the UP Fighting Maroons will face the UE Red Warriors at 10 a.m. to begin the quadruple header.

At 12 p.m., the NU Bulldogs will take on the FEU Tamaraws. At 2 p.m., the Adamson Soaring Falcons will face the UST Growling Tigers.