One Day Later: NU vs UP, ADU vs FEU

They jump higher - they also score more and defend better. Sorry, UP. (pic source)

NU 65 - UP 43
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Lebron Parks or Bobby Ray James had his usual sort of statline against mediocre teams,  22 points on 8 of 12 shooting, 5 of 7 from the line, seven rebounds, four assists and a block. If only he could go up against Miggy Maniego and Moriah Gingerich more often, hmm?

NU Positives :

• NU's defense held UP to just 13 points in the first half,  6 of 31 from the field, with no free throws and just a single triple. They were then 11 of 32 from that point on, hitting one more triple, and going 6 for 7 from the stripe.
• Parks is starting to look for Emmanuel Mbe now down low, as when you drive down the lane and the defense collapses on you, finding your wide open big man is usually a good idea. Three of Parks' four assists were to Mbe in this game, as the big guy finished with a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds.

NU Negatives :

• Aside from Parks and Mbe though, there really wasn't much offense from anyone else, with Joseph Terso leading the list with seven points. Coach Altamirano freely admitted that he has very little firepower off the bench, but in theory, guys like Denice Villamor, Jul-ashri Ignacio and Cedrick Labing-isa out to be able to put points on the board, with or without Parks' involvement. 
• As bad as UP's seven-point second quarter though, NU scored just 10 in the same period,  attempting one more shot and making two more field goals. Versus any other team, that would have been a catch-up quarter.

UP Positives :

• They didn't lose by 40 points.

UP Negatives :

•  There's not a lot going on with the UP offense right now. Locking down on Silungan and Manuel will often do the trick since Montecastro is a beast in transition, but not so in the halfcourt, and when Gamboa isn't knocking down triples then he isn't much of a threat. The Maroons are trying to free up their guys by running the defender through screens but the screeners must not be doing such a good job because the end result is usually the same: a contested jumper with 2 or 3 seconds left on the shot clock.
• If only UP could bring back the Mike Silungan who shot 41 percent from three-point, 47 percent from the field and replace the current Mike Silungan who averages 16 percent from long-range and 31.91 percent overall.

One-man army - Alex Nuyles couldn't carry his team versus the Tams (pic source)

FEU 62 - ADU 61
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Aldrech Ramos turned in his most dominant effort of the season, winding up with 18 points on 9 of 12 shooting, 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal. The national team forward simply could not be stopped by the Adamson big men, shredding Eric Camson and Rodney Brondial.

ADU Positives :

• Furious rally attempts by the Falcons at the end of the third and fourth periods showed that this is not a squad that is just going to roll over. 
• Adamson ruled the boards, getting 44 rebounds and 20 offensive rebounds to 34 and 10 respectively by the Tams. They also wound up with more assists, steals, and blocks, and spent more time at the charity stripe, going 18 for 25 while FEU was just 8 for 10.

ADU Negatives :

• Alex Nuyles' decision to go for a two-point shot instead of a triple in the dying seconds confused me, especially since they had so many fouls to give still and were not in an immediate penalty situation. It also didn't help that after he converted, the Falcons took their sweet time giving up those last three fouls, trying to go for steals instead of putting a Tamaraw on the line earlier.
• Not much to talk about aside from Nuyles on offense too. Eric Camson was basically a non-threat with his mid-range jumper not falling (3 for 8 from the field). Lester Alvarez had one of those games where all he did was throw up triples. Reserve forwards Harry Petilos and Allen Etrone went 0-for as well. 
• I'm surprised they brought back Roider Cabrera in the fourth after the timeout and actually let him take a shot ice-cold. Though he started, they weren't looking for Cabrera on the on-set like in their game versus NU, instead, taking him out quickly to see if Jan Colina was going to be okay (he wasn't). 

FEU Positives :

• X-factor for FEU in this game? Terrence Romeo, who provided 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Had he just stuck to his averages entering this game, six points, 
• The interior defense was lacking for the Falcons, as the Tamaraws shot 50 percent from inside the arc. In the paint, the number shoots up to 59.38 percent, or 19 of 32 shots, for 38 points.
• FEU held Adamson to just 3 of 17 shooting from outside the arc, their worse percentage there this season. Overall the Falcons were just 20 for 63 from the field, their worst rate since their season opener against Ateneo.

FEU Negatives :

• Romeo gives, but he also takes away, committing a team-high five turnovers, including a crucial wayward pass to Alex Nuyles that cut the lead down to a single-point. Had the Tams lost, Romeo would have been dragged over coals in Morayta for giving away a won ballgame again. 
• FEU had just 10 free throws, converting eight. Conspiracy theorists should take note: since they shot 25 charities versus UP in the first round, the amount of attempts FEU has gotten at the line have been: 9, 12, 8, 10.

UAAP Picking Record: 28-10