THE University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University will face off in the Battle of Katipunan on Sunday afternoon at the SM Mall of Asia Arena to conclude the opening round of the 86th Season of the UAAP Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The Fighting Maroons overcame De La Salle University 67-64 in a tense encounter last Wednesday to record their best-ever start in UAAP men’s basketball after going undefeated in the elimination round.
The defending champions, on the other hand, have struggled to win consistently this season. The team has yet to score back-to-back victories, with Tab Baldwin’s squad now holding a 3-3 win-loss record after defeating the UST Growling Tigers, 97-77, also last Wednesday.
The last time Baldwin’s “One Big Fight’’ and Goldwin Monteverde’s ‘’UP Fight’’ met was in the Season 85 finals in December 2022, when the Ateneo Blue Eagles dethroned UP and reclaimed the crown.
Today’s Battle of Katipunan is a very different ballgame.
ADMU Blue Eagles
Photo Courtesy: UAAP Media Group
The Ateneo Blue Eagles are the defending champions, but Baldwin says his team is a far cry from the one that played the Fighting Maroons last year.
“It’s definitely not a rematch. The names of the teams might be the same, but we’re far cry from the same team that went out to play them,” Baldwin stated following their triumph over UST.
This season, Ateneo does not have its championship core of Ange Kouame, Dave Ildefonso, BJ Andrade, and Forthsky Padrigao.
The squad is currently led by holdovers Kai Ballungay, Chris Koon, Sean Quitevis, and Gab Gomez. Newcomers Joseph Obasa, Mason Amos, and Jared Brown have also demonstrated glimpses of what the Blue Eagles can become in the near future.
Furthermore, this allows the youthful team to establish a distinct identity for themselves.
“We have a lot to prove, and every game is an opportunity for us to prove things. It’s a great scenario to go up against the team that’s beaten [every team],” he continued.
Baldwin even said that the current Blue Eagles “aren’t champions of anything.’’ He believes the squad will be the underdog in this game against the unbeaten UP.
“We all really love being underdogs and we hate being the favorites. Goldwin can sweat a little bit this week which we want him to. But come game time on Sunday, he’s gonna be very confident in his team,” he remarked.
“He’s gonna be very confident in their performance, their strength but he’s gonna worry, during the week, I think our performance [against UST] gave him a few different things to think about,” he said.
UP Fighting Maroons
Photo Courtesy: UAAP Media Group
During the offseason, UP lost key players. including Carl Tamayo, Zavier Lucero, and James Spencer. However, the team’s roster has clearly become stronger as a result of the commitments of multiple high-profile talents from high school and overseas.
The Diliman team is currently led by reigning MVP Malick Diouf, as well as returning players JD Cagulangan, CJ Cansino, Harold Alarcon, and Gerry Abadiano, who shone in their victory over the DLSU Green Archers.
Rookies Francis Lopez, Chicco Briones, Sean Alter, Janjan Felicilda, Mark Belmonte, Luis Pablo, Seven Gagate, and Reyland Torres will join them.
The Fighting Maroons haven’t lost a game yet, but they have no plans to slow down.
“Sa amin, wala namang hinto talaga eh. Minsan pag tinanong ka kung ‘ready ka ba, sinasabi ko lang there’s always something we could still improve on,” Monteverde said.
“So, kami as a team, we would really take yung good and bad games as learnings and lessons for us. Hahanapin pa rin namin every game, every practice kung anong dapat naming i-improve. Non-stop talaga,” he added.
After defeating La Salle, Monteverde said that the rivalry game versus Ateneo had not crossed his mind yet.
“Honestly, I haven’t thought much about Ateneo. But as all things naman, every time na we play against them, we are really gonna prepare for them,” Monteverde said.
“’Yung rematch, lahat naman (ng teams) magkakaroon ng game at dalawang round ‘to eh. Lahat magkalaban paulit-ulit dito. Importante siguro sa part namin na we try to be healthy before Sunday, have that rest, and then we are gonna prepare for them,” he continued.
Both teams appear to be well-prepared for this match, and two are coming off wins, so fans should expect a competitive clash.
“It’s One Big Fight versus UP Fight,” Baldwin said. “We’ll show up. Don’t lose any sleep over that; we’ll be there,” added Baldwin, whose team is keen on making a statement win.
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