UAAP S74: DLSU vs NU

History Lesson:
These two teams traded runs back and forth early in the game, but La Salle seemingly made one that even NU would have a hard time dealing with, dropping a 16-2 bomb in the middle of the second period that put the Bulldogs down 59-36 at the halftime break. But after NU head coach Eric Altamirano was forced to sit Emmanuel Mbe and Bobby Ray Parks due to foul trouble, the Archers suddenly hit a wall, finishing the third period with a mere two points. The drought continued three minutes into the fourth, as NU baskets towed them to within seven points, 61-54, but by then the Archers finally roused, and coupled with the ineffectiveness of a returning Parks, the Bulldogs bowed out of this one, 74-63 (Recap here) 


What's at Stake:

• This is out of the De La Salle Green Archers' hands, as their 5-7 record merely means that any further loss in their remaining two encounters or just one more UST loss equals an early vacation for their centennial team.
• The NU Bulldogs were unceremoniously dumped by the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles last Saturday, held to a piddling 39 points and eliminated from postseason play. All that's left for NU is to try to position Parks as the MVP, and possibly scoring an upset or two. 

DLSU Stat to Watch : After a six-game stretch where the Archers averaged just 11 points from the foul line, aggressive play in the second-half by DLSU got them 19 made charities on 31 attempts. Of course, with all their attacking, they were able to sit down Alinko Mbah and open the paint to their bigs. True, when they pulled this trick off in the first round it resulted in Glenn Khobuntin going nuts,
DLSU Player to Watch : The turnover prone NU Bulldogs have the leading swiper standing against them in this game, LA Revilla (1.8 a game). In their first meeting, Revilla made a career-high six steals, which the Archers easily converted into points. While his minutes have experienced a severe downtick since then, he'll still have plenty of opportunities against the likes of Gelo Alolino and Joseph Terso.

NU Stat to Watch : Out of the 39 point debacle versus Ateneo, Mbe and Parks accounted for 20 of those points, with everyone else combining for 19. NU got 21 points from Glenn Khobuntin in the first round version of this game by his lonesome. So will this be a one-man, maybe two-man show again, or will the supporting cast actually come to play again?
NU Player to Watch : Floor-stretching forward Denice Villamor is so ridiculously hit or miss. He has four double-digit games, perhaps the most among the NU supporting cast, but he has an equal number of 0-point games. NU could use his shooting to draw a Papot Paredes or Norbert Torres to the outside, or force DLSU to shuffle back in Maui Villanueva, if you know, he actually connects on his attempts.

Prediction: NU Bulldogs