UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings: Week 9 of 2011

The unified UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings throws everything into a blender, hits the button, and ducks as it first mashes up, and then sorts out all 18 teams of both leagues. Among other factors, the panel of one takes into consideration: the quality of opponents played in the past week, how the team fared against those opponents, whether or not a team is on a roll, be it an uphill or downhill, and other factors like injuries or internal disarray.

In the second to the last Power Rankings for 2011 (it's hard to do them four teams in the UAAP are ON VACATION), we see just one remaining undefeated squad take the top spot, and some minor jostling around as the NCAA teams can see the halfway point of the second round from over here. We spend some time talking about the offseason already with the booted UAAP teams, as the mid-section of the NCAA starts to settle as teams drop out of the race for the fourth seed, one by one.

One Day Later: UP vs UE, ADMU vs ADU

UE 68 - UP 54
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Biboy Enguio rode off into the sunset with his head high, as the graduating scroer top-scored in this game with 18 points, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Enguio was vital in helping secure win number one for UE when they played NU, scoring 19 late. This time he was the catalyst early, scoring nine in the first period.

UP Positives :

• Miggy Maniego, the 2005 UAAP Jrs. MVP, aptly finished his UAAP career by top-scoring for the Maroons with 14 points. 
• Mark Juruena played his best game of the season, scoring 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting, to go with seven rebounds. Juruena is another former UAAP Jrs. MVP, who sometimes shows flashes of his high school form but who struggles to be consistent. He'd be a nice piece for the Maroons moving forward if he could develop some more. The clock's ticking though, as it'll be his fourth year in Season 75.

UP Negatives :

• The Maroons managed just single-digit points in the second and fourth quarters, as UE continued to roll. Scoring once again was a problem, as their gunners, Mike Silungan, Mike Gamboa (another graduating player) and Jett Manuel combined for just 10 on 4 of 21 shooting. Coupled with no production from Paolo Romero and Alinko Mbah (two points combined), and it's a good thing Maniego stepped up or this would have been over much earlier. 

UE Positives :

• The Red Warriors made better work of their opponents' errors, turning UP's 25 turnovers into 22 points. While UE themselves committed 21 turnovers of their own, the Maroons could only score 12 points off of them, giving the red shirts a 10 point edge in that category. 
• Despite no big men, the Red Warriors put a nice block party, swatting nine shots in the contes,t their most this season.
• The long-term future of UE was on display in this game. Point guard Roi Sumang scored eight points, and added five rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Meanwhile, big man Chris Javier also finished with eight, but he also had seven boards.

UE Negatives :

• Unfortunately, the other two graduating Red Warriors, Paul Zamar and Lucas Tagarda, combined for just six points. It probably didn't matter though, as their team still notched the "W."

Falcons in flight - Adamson has finally ended the streak (pic source)

ADU 62 - ADMU 46
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Player of the Game : Alex Nuyles was aggressive all-throughout the game, exploding for 21 points, 8 for 8 from the foul line, and making Kirk Long look mortal. He also added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal, proving to be too much for Ateneo to handle in this game.

ADMU Positives :

• Ateneo can console themselves with the fact that they're the overall number one seed and have the twice to beat advantage. That's about it. 

ADMU Negatives :

• The Eagles couldn't hit anything today, shooting 1 of 10 from downtown, same as game one versus Adamson, 31.48 percent from the field, a season-low, and 61.11 percent from the line, also a season-low. As a result, Ateneo scored in single-digits in a quarter for the first time all year, and it happened twice, just eight points in the first, and seven in the nightmare quarter.
• For good measure, Adamson also held the Eagles to season-lows in rebounds (the only time Ateneo got less than 40 boards), assists, and blocks.
• The Eagles got what they wanted, Adamson's big men in foul trouble. But once they Rodney Brondial and Austin Manyara were slapped with their fourth fouls, the Eagles did not press their advantage, taking too many outside shots and passing the ball around fruitlessly.

ADU Positives  :

• In the pivotal 23 to 9 third quarter, Adamson shot a whopping 7 of 13 from the field, 8 for 8 from the line, and scored 15 points off eight Ateneo turnovers. Meanwhile, the Eagles were a miserable 3 of 11 and earned just a split at the line.  
• By winning this game, the Falcons retained the Final Four format and with it, twice-to-beat, an incentive they could have lost, with possible two-way and three-way ties emerging in now irrelevant cases. 
• The Falcons were a whopping 19 of 19 from the foul line, after going 11 for 11 in the first round encounter. That right there is proof of how badly they wanted to beat Ateneo.

ADU Negatives :

• Though it seemed like the Falcons were making everything they were throwing up, they actually had a pretty below-par shooting night. They were just 3 of 16 from beyond the arc, with Lester Alvarez going 1 for 8, and 17 of 41 on two-pointers. Combined with their perfect free throw night and the invisible rim covering the Ateneo basket though, it didn't really matter.

UAAP Picking Record: 40-14

UAAP S74: UP vs UE

History Lesson:
The UP Fighting Maroons bucked cramps to Mike Gamboa and Mike Silungan down the stretch, as Jelo Montecastro and Jett Manuel helped UP tally their first win in ages, 69-61, against the UE Red Warriors. Leding 39-31 at the half, the Maroons needed nine straight points from Manuel to maintain their lead at the closing of the third period. Though they would go scoreless for the final quarter's first five minutes, allowing UE to catch up, 61-55, the Maroons were able to hold on, as Gamboa came back to nail a clutch triple, securing the win for the squad that went 0-14 last season. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• This is a battle to avoid winding up in the cellar, as both teams boast of identical 2-11 records. To the winner, 7th place. To the loser, last place.

UP Stat to Watch : The Maroons got a season-high 31 fastbreak points in a close loss to DLSU last week, after averaging just 7.25 in the rest of their second round games. Their previous high was 23, against this same UE team, so you can expect UP to want to get out and run again in this rematch.
UP Player to Watch : Alinko Mbah has been in a free-fall, as foul trouble has limited his effectiveness on the floor. The short and jump-shot happy UE team then ought to be a nice match-up so that he can end the season on a high note, though when they first met, all Mbah could put together was four rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes

UE Stat to Watch : UE has never repeated a starting five in the 13 games that they've played, and they've used some pretty bad ones, such as the Duran-Enguio-Montelibano-Chavez-Tagarda quintet that they used in round one versus UST that scored just two points, and the Javier-Flores-Chavez-Sabangan-Montelibano five that got eight points, all from Flores. It will be interesting to see if UE has finally found a decent starting five or if we'll see yet another random mishmash of players.
UE Player to Watch : Paul Zamar has been the man for UE all season long, averaging 12.8 points on 34 percent shooting, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists. It would be nice to see him end his career on a high note, carrying his team to a victory.

Prediction: UP Fighting Maroons

UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings: Week 8 of 2011

The unified UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings throws everything into a blender, hits the button, and ducks as it first mashes up, and then sorts out all 18 teams of both leagues. Among other factors, the panel of one takes into consideration: the quality of opponents played in the past week, how the team fared against those opponents, whether or not a team is on a roll, be it an uphill or downhill, and other factors like injuries or internal disarray.

As the UAAP winds down, teams begin to shuffle all over the place as the Final Four picture starts to crystallize. There's a ton of movement in the NCAA as well, as squads continue to jockey too for the fourth seed. More importantly, the committee of one has saved the last two spots for two "special" teams who showed spectacular inability this past week in either defense or offense, as anyone who watched either of those games got to catch a bit of basketball history.

One Day Later: FEU vs UE, DLSU vs UP

FEU 78 - UE 69
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Congrats Terrence Romeo, you did not mess up this week. I'm still not giving you this title though, because I feel like RR Garcia deserves it more. His two triples in the fourth quarter sealed the game for FEU when they gave the Tams a 15-point lead, much too big for UE to counter. Overall, his line of 21 points on 8 of 18 shooting, plus three rebounds, two assists and three steals just excites me more than what his teammate Romeo put up.

FEU Positives :

• FEU's three-point shooting came online at the best possible time, in the fourth quarter, with UE looking to string together an extended rally. The back to back by Aldrech Ramos kicked things off, and then RR Garcia dropped two more, no doubt, causing UE to regret switching to a zone in that instance. 
• Mark Bringas had a solid game, scoring eight, to go along with his eight boards, five on the offensive end. That's really the sort of game he needs to contribute each week, if FEU is expected to go far.

FEU Negatives :

• Hard to imagine a top-notch defensive unit like FEU surrendering 50 percent shooting to a squad like the UE Red Warriors. 
• Losing Russel Escoto to a wrist sprain hurt FEU's depth in this game, but they still managed to win despite him playing only six minutes. A bigger problem is if he has to miss games in the future. If he's unavailable when they play UST, that means the job of defending Karim Abdul will fall solely on the shoulders of Aldrech Ramos. 

UE Positives :

• UE used to get by with one or two guys doing most of the scoring, but in this game, they were able to find five players in double-digits, Zamar, Sumido, Sumang, Noble and Santos. It's easy to see why FEU had such a hard time defending them with that kind of a spread. 
• Roi Sumang had a nice outing, showing the sort of play that made UE run in last year's Fr. Martin Cup. Sumang scored 11 in 27 minutes, while also plucking down five rebounds, dishing out six assists and making two swipes, all of that to just a single turnover.

UE Negatives :

• I'm a firm believer that you need to start your best players all the time. Fine, some coaches try to reward players who have good practices, others try to balance out the scoring from the reserves and the starters, but I do not see the logic of starting someone, and then benching him for the rest of the game. Case in point, UE had Jess Sabangan, Nico Montelibano and Von Chavez start, and then never saw the light of day past the first quarter. Meanwhile, Biboy Enguio, Lord Casajeros and Erwin Duran, guys who carried you in previous games, got few minutes. Why does this happen?

Rise above - down 20, the Archers survived to stay in contention (pic source)

DLSU 73 - UP 72
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Player of the Game : With Alinko Mbah barely registering an impact in his nine foul-plagued minutes, Norbert Torres was able to run amok in the UP interior, scoring 15 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in 26 minutes of play. His numbers were pretty solid, 4 of 5 from the field and 7 of 9 from the line. We'll simply ignore his ill-advised three point attempt.

DLSU Positives :

• The big rally to start the fourth, led by LA Revilla and Almond Vosotros not only gave La Salle the lead, it also stole all momentum from UP, who had done an okay job surviving up to that point. Sent backpedaling, the Maroons couldn't string together enough shots to win.
• The players recognized that the 2-2-1 press employed was being broken too easily, and thus asked head coach Dindo Pumaren if they could switch back to just a simple fullcourt press. Luckily, Pumaren assented and the Archers used it to wreck havoc on UP. 

DLSU Negatives :

• La Salle's flat start that saw them score just seven points in the first quarter, later allowing UP to build a twenty point lead, has to be a low for the Archers this season. UE never got that sort of separation, and UP was playing out of their minds defense, clearly sensing weakness on the part of DLSU.
• A familiar woe, freethrow shooting, nearly cost DLSU the game, as Torres' split at the line could have just as easily been two misses, given how erratic the Archers have been when it comes to free throws all season-long. Conversely, they could have also been two makes, shutting the door definitively on any thoughts of a UP rally.

UE Positives :

• In the first half, UP was able to do what they're best at, getting out to run. The Maroons got 17 turnover points from 15 DLSU errors, coupled with 14 huge fastbreak points. 
• Credit to UP, they did fold early in the fourth, instead battling back to try to pull off an upset. They got 10 more field goal attempts, coming mostly from an 8-1 offensive rebound score, but weren't able to convert when it mattered, especially from outside where they were 1 of 6. Big props though to a surprising 10 point fourth quarter effort from Miggy Maniego, as he terrorized La Salle on the break.

UE Negatives :

• UP needed all hands on deck to win this game, especially when the slumbering Archers woke up. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't make it happen. All six of Jelo Montecastro's points came in the first. Alinko Mbah tallied five fouls in a blink of an eye. Mark Juruena could not connect (2 of 11 shooting) though his 12 boards were a big help. Lastly, Jett Manuel simply could not get it going, as the smaller DLSU guards ate him up. 
• Even up close, the Maroons could not connect, finishing 20 of 49 on points in the paint, 8 of 22 in the second half. While some of that is because of La Salle's height advantage, there were plenty of easy layups muffed as well.

UAAP Picking Record: 38-12

UAAP S74: DLSU vs UP

History Lesson: 
After starting the season 0-2, the DLSU Green Archers desperately needed a win, and they got one against the UP Fighting Maroons, triumphing in a 79-67 blowout. Displaying a sense of urgency, the Archers came out to a 16-4 barrage, never letting UP taste the lead. The Maroons put up a fight early on, getting to within four points on a dunk by Alinko Mbah, and within three after a Mike Silungan triple, but Jarelan Tampus created some separation going into halftime, 36-29. One last-ditch fourth quarter run saw the Maroons throw out three straight layups, but Luigi Dela Paz played fireman and cooled UP down, returning a 20-point lead. Dela Paz led the green shirts with 14, while Mike Silungan's volume shooting garnered him 16 markers. (Recap here)


What's at Stake:

• With UST's win over the Adamson Falcons, the 4-7 DLSU Green Archers are placed in an immensely difficult situation: any subsequent loss in their remaining three games kicks them out, as will any future Growling Tigers win. They haven't won yet in round two, but they snapped a two-game losing streak against this team in the first round. Are the Maroons' UP's slump busters? 
• The 2-10 UP Fighting Maroons won't be returning to the Final Four this year, but at least they're going home with a pair of wins. If they can add to that total, especially with a win over DLSU, then what's not to like about this season for them?

DLSU Stat to Watch : After leading the league in the first half of the season in preventing opponents from getting offensive rebounds, the Green Archers have regressed horribly, becoming the worst in that category, a swing from allowing just 14.14 second chances, to 19.75. As a result, La Salle has gone from conceding 9.57 second-chance points to a league worst 12. Unluckily for them, the Fighting Maroons happen to be tops in second-chance points somehow in the second round. If they allow Alinko Mbah to get on track, La Salle may find itself dropping yet another game.
DLSU Player to Watch : Perhaps someone out there can explain why Jarelan Tampus has gone from averaging 17 minutes a game to 15.5, with 13 and 12 minute stints against UST and Ateneo, essentially must-win games. That cut in minutes obviously affected his scoring. He hasn't hit double-digit scoring in the second round, and when he came close with nine first half markers versus Ateneo, he wound up scoring 0 from that point on. The horrendous UP defense makes this a prime candidate for him to have a bounce-back game, but who knows? He could just as easily spend ten listless minutes on the court before riding the bench.

UP Stat to Watch : The Fighting Maroons are not a sloppy team, contrary to what some might think. They simply can't convert shots. When it comes to turnovers though, UP's actually only giving up 12.20 in the second round, best in the second round. In that same period, La Salle's been forcing 17.5 turnovers a game so we'll have to see which side asserts itself more.
UP Player to Watch : Jelo Montecastro is another member of the horrible regression club. After norming 9.29 points in the first half of the season with three double-digit scoring games to his name, he now has a second-round average of just four points, with nary a double-digit game in sight. Montecastro excels on the break, where he's a tremendous finisher, but he struggles in the half court, with an erratic jumper and no confidence to shoot from outside. If La Salle turns this into a run and gun affair, maybe this former Blazer can regain his groove.

Prediction: DLSU Green Archers

One Day Later: ADU vs UE, UP vs ADMU

Camson to the rescue - the big man gave the Falcons the low post presence they needed to hold off UE (pic source)

ADU 76 - UE 57
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Without a legit center to throw the ball to down low and watch him pulverize the smaller UE players, the Adamson Falcons settled for the next best thing, giving Eric Camson the run of the place, and the big man delivered. Camson scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half, and paired that up with 15 rebounds, two assists and two blocks, helping blowout UE late.

ADU Positives :

• A big second-half showing by the Falcons keyed in their win, going from 11 of 40 shooting in the game's first twenty minutes to 19 of 29 in the latter part of the encounter. Head coach Leo Austria were heaving up shots after one or two passes, looking out for their own points, but after a likely dressing down in the lockers at the break, the Falcons got back on track to overwhelm the Red Warriors.
• Alex Nuyles has had an impressive second-half of the season, expanding his game to include other facets besides just scoring. His first round averages were 15.4 points, 3.8 rebounds 2.2 assists and 0.7 steals,  and though his scoring is down to just a flat 14 in round two, everything else has gone up: 7.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.2 steals. 
• Sitting Austin Manyara as a precaution for Saturday's UST game, the Falcons got eight points, 12 rebounds and two blocks from sophomore Rodney Brondial in just 18 minutes. Had he not gotten into trouble, he probably could have tallied a double-double.

ADU Negatives :

• The Falcons had just five assists in the first half and took 17 triples, making just four, underscoring the selfish nature of their initial game (those numbers improved to 12 assists and 4 of 7 three-point shooting in the second half)

UE Positives :

• The Red Warriors kept things close in the first half, leading by a point, 28-27. Paul Zamar scored eight on 2 of 3 shooting, while Adrian Santos added five. Also, seven other Warriors contributed at least two points, confounding the Adamson defense.

UE Negatives :

• UE could not get anyone going after the break. Needing at least one player to go off for big points to match Adamson, the Falcons' 2-3 zone shut down the Red Warriors. They managed just 12 points in the third, and really, only 10 points in the fourth, before Paul Zamar closed the game by scoring seven against Adamson's third-stringers. 

A happy birthday - the Blue Eagles celebrated captain Kirk Long's birthday by improving to 12-0 (pic source)

ADMU 73 - UP 58
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Monster numbers from Greg Slaughter helped propel the Blue Eagles to this win as the big man scored a massive double-double, 18 points and 18 rebounds, with nine points coming in the third quarter, to quash the UP Fighting Maroons.

ADMU Positives :

• The bigs came up big for Ateneo, as Greg Slaughter, Nico Salva and Justin Chua combined for 45 points, 34 rebounds and five blocks, outrebounding the entire UP team. 
• Bacon Austria brought a lot of hustle to the Blue Eagles, as he pulled down eight rebounds, dished out three assists and made a steal, to go along with his four points in 18 minutes of play. 
• The Eagles nullified Alinko Mbah's presence on the floor through a combination of foul trouble and heads up defense. The big man played just 14 minutes and pulled down a single rebound and blocked one shot. 
• In the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter, Ateneo held UP to just a field goal and two free throws in another late-game display of defense.

ADMU Negatives :

• Ateneo posted 22 turnovers against a team that isn't known for their pressure defense, and missed 10 free throws, both uncharacteristic errors that may have come about due to a lax attitude (Thursday afternoon game, post-DLSU win) and some unusual player rotation (due to Frank Golla being held out with a light sprain)

UP Positives :

• Despite defense from Kirk Long and Tonino Gonzaga, among others, Mike Silungan was able to get uncorked, scoring 16 points on 6 of 15 shooting, including two triples, while adding eight rebounds and three assists. He had scored just a total of 10 points in their last two games, and was 0 for 16 from beyond the arc, prior to this match. 
• Mark Juruena had his best game of the season, scoring 12 points, the first time he broke double-digits this season. He hit a nice selection of long jumpers, including a triple, which came in handy as the big guarding him could not rotate that far out to the perimeter to cover him.
• Up until the fourth quarter, UP had quite a good showing, repeatedly going back at Ateneo whenever the Eagles would make a big run. They made some timely offensive bursts to dull big leads, especially since Ateneo was threatening to blow this game open as early as the second quarter.
• UP only turned the ball over seven times, preventing the Eagles from getting easy turnover points. Good transition defense also prevented Ateneo from establishing a fastbreak game.

UP Negatives :

• For the third straight game, a team has held the Fighting Maroons below 20 percent shooting from beyond the arc. UP is a mere 9 for 56 since playing NU, just 16 percent from the field. 
• Aside from Mike Silungan, UP's shooters were horribly quiet, with Jett Manuel, Mike Gamboa and Jelo Montecastro combining for just nine points on 3 of 17 shooting.

UAAP Picking Record: 35-11

UAAP S74: UP vs ADMU

History Lesson:
The UP Fighting Maroons felt good about themselves for a quarter, taking a 21-19 lead into the second period. It didn't last though as Ateneo exploded from the perimeter, getting three triples and three-shot trip to the foul line to swing the lead back to the defending champs, 42-31 at the break. The Maroons tried several rally attempts, with their last one slicing the lead to just eight, 62-54, but after baskets by Kirk Long and Nico Salva padded it back up to 67-54, UP imploded, getting a technical slapped on their head coach for arguing a call, followed by a shot to Salva's groin by Carlo Gomez. The final tally stood at 77-57, and the Maroons did not have a single player in double digit scoring, while all five of Ateneo's starters accomplished that feat. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• The 2-9 UP Fighting Maroons are out of the running, but they'll be looking to play the spoiler role on their fellow Katipunan university 
• At 11-0, the Ateneo Blue Eagles are three games away from an elimination round sweep. That journey starts now as they look to avoid a letdown after a huge win against their arch-rivals. 

UP Stat to Watch : UP's offense in the second round has been a disaster, breaking the 60 point barrier just once, in their first game of the round versus UST when they scored 70. Since then, they've normed just 49 points a game, due in part to the fact that they norm the least two-point attempts and makes, and as a result, the fewest field goal makes. They're also dead last at getting to the line, as the only team that averages single-digit free throw attempts.
UP Player to Watch : Alinko Mbah has become a non-factor in the past few games, averaging just two points and 6.25 rebounds in the second round, with just three blocks total. As the guy tasked to defend Greg Slaughter, he has to make sure he doesn't give up any useless fouls, or else the entire UP interior will open up for Ateneo.

ADMU Stat to Watch : Ateneo has dominated on offense in the second round, leading the league in free throws made, assists, fastbreak points, turnover points, and points in the paint. Given how anemic the UP offense has been, if the Eagles turn this into a shootout, it's unlikely UP will be able to compete.
ADMU Player to Watch : Tonino Gonzaga has been the super-sub for Ateneo this season, averaging seven points, three rebounds, one assist and one triple in the second round. But he's a two-way player, just as capable of shutting down guys on the defensive end as he is burying you from downtown. That makes him the perfect player to clamp down on whichever shooter UP head coach Ricky Dandan brings off his bench.

Prediction: ADMU Blue Eagles

UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings: Week 7 of 2011

The unified UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings throws everything into a blender, hits the button, and ducks as it first mashes up, and then sorts out all 18 teams of both leagues. Among other factors, the panel of one takes into consideration: the quality of opponents played in the past week, how the team fared against those opponents, whether or not a team is on a roll, be it an uphill or downhill, and other factors like injuries or internal disarray.

The middle of the rankings have changed dramatically, as in the UAAP, one team lands the number four spot and looks to solidify their hold on it as the post-season looms, while over in the NCAA, former cellar-dwellers begin to find new life in the second round, with an eye to toppling Lyceum from the fourth seed. Also in there, a shift in the top spot again!

One Day Later: ADU vs UP, FEU vs NU

Higher ceiling - the Falcons soared over a tenacious UP team (pic source)

ADU 64 - UP 51
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : With Alex Nuyles and Lester Alvarez having off-nights (combined 6 of 20 from the field), Janus Lozada stepped up to the plate to score 16 points on 50 percent field goal shooting, and a 5 for 6 free throw clip, while also pulling down nine rebounds. His combination of size, leaping ability and quick release gave UP fits as they couldn't match-up against him, especially considering how they already had Mike Silungan on Nuyles.

ADU Positives :

• The story of this game was UP getting close or taking the lead, and then Adamson responding in kind with huge runs. No doubt, head coach Leo Austria was happy to see the Falcons tested and respond in kind multiple times to boot. 
• Austin Manyara stepped up to the plate, outplaying his counterpart on the other end Alinko Mbah, scoring his first career double-double, with 13 points and 12 rebounds. If he can become a more reliable scorer and threat down low, the Falcons become a much more dangerous team. 
• Led by Manyara's 12 boards, Adamson dominated the glass, getting a 53-32 rebounding edge, 17-9 on offensive rebounds. That translated into 11 second chance points, compared to just four by UP.
• Tight defense once again was the difference for Adamson, holding the Maroons to their lowest percentage from downtown in the second round, 15 percent.

ADU Negatives :

• The Falcons soared out to an 11-2 lead...and then scored just two more points the entire first quarter. That's the sort of lapse on offense that another team would punish Adamson for, so they're lucky it was just UP they were playing against. 

UP Positives :

• Well, the Maroons were able to get Jett Manuel back online again, as the sophomore shooter knocked in 11 points, all in the second half, eight coming in the fourth quarter. He struggled early on due to the length of Janus Lozada, but settled down late. 

UP Negatives :

• Mike Silungan is now 5 of 39 from beyond the arc in the second round. He also happens to be 0 for 16 in the last two games. 
• Linked to that, the Maroons continued to settle for outside shots, refusing to attack the rim. As a result, UP tallied just six free throw attempts, their third straight game in the second round with single digit free throw attempts. They lead the league in that category, with four.
• After starting the season norming 17.6 fastbreak points in their first five games, the Maroons have averaged just 9.33 in that category since.

FEU 84 - NU 82
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : In a game chock-full of flawed performance, we'll go off the board here and hand this award to Ping Exciminiano. Though he played just 14 minutes, Exciminiano managed to score 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting to go with three rebounds and a steal. Exciminiano also gave Bobby Ray Parks a difficult time, shadowing the taller, more athletic forward. While one can rightfully argue that he misused his fouls, thus getting him sat down with a minute to go in the third quarter, it was Flores' fault for leaving him out there so long in the first place.

FEU Positives :

• Multiple-overtime cliche #1: "You're just happy to have survived it." Maybe, but you're going to feel a lot better about it if you win, which is what happened for the Tamaraws, keeping them in step with Adamson as they threaten to steal the number two spot. 
• When NU went to a zone, FEU decided to break it with some three-pointers, a fairly typical response, except that they were getting the treys from their big men, as Aldrech Ramos and Russel Escoto combined to go 4/4 from outside the arc. They actually did much better than Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia, who were 2 of 11 from long-distance.
• The odds were horrible stacked against FEU, what with three guys out and then RR Garcia suffering some sort of hand injury that messed up his shooting, followed of course by Exciminiano's early exit. And yet, the Tams still won, and they have a full week to recuperate to boot. 
• FEU just valued their possessions more, committing just 15 turnovers, while assisting on more than half of their scores (33 field goals on 18 dimes). That stood out, compared to the panicked feel from the NU players.

FEU Negatives :

• Terrence Romeo's statline says he finished with no turnovers. Fine, but he committed a boneheaded foul on Bobby Ray Parks in the second overtime, sending him to the line where he luckily produced just a split, saving Romeo from public humiliation or something. He even had great numbers in this game, 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, all of which would have been thrown out the window had they lost because of him.
• The Tamaraws clearly needed more big men up front, as they lost the rebounding battle pretty closely, 46-44, but more importantly, not a single person had double-digit boards, not even Gilas mainstay Aldrech Ramos.

NU Positives :

• The Bulldogs hung with FEU in the first two quarters, despite losing Emmanuel Mbe to foul trouble, and then proceeded to take the lead in the third quarter thanks to some shutdown defense. If NU played more like that throughout the season, they would have been in much better shape than they are now. 
• Despite not winning the game, Bobby Ray Parks still had a great performance that even had some clutch moments. He attained a new season high, 32 points, through 7 of 18 field goal shooting, but more importantly, 15 of 18 free throw shooting. And after game after game of him settling for outside jumper over and over in past crunchtime situations, Parks walked the fine line of driving, shooting and passing off.

NU Negatives :

• NU currently leads the league in turnovers, and it showed versus FEU as their 21 errors became 23 points for the Tams. We saw FEU disrupt the NU offense with a 2-1-2 fullcourt press in the third quarter, and it amazes me that head coach Eric Altamirano kept forcing his shooty guards into trying to bring the ball up, instead of putting Parks back in immediately, or going with two point guards by sending in either Cedrick Labing-isa or even Robin Rono. 
• After a three-game stretch of 14.7 points and 14 rebounds, Emmanuel Mbe had to sit out much of the first half due to foul trouble, only to be promptly forgotten about when he came back in the third, finishing with just 11 points and 10 rebounds, with just seven shot attempts. The Bulldogs should have used him more, especially with the lack of quality big man defenders on FEU. Drawing a couple of fouls on Aldrech Ramos would have been big as well.
• Veterans Glenn Khobuntin and Joseph Terso had little to contribute despite their senior status. In a total of 22 combined minutes, the duo scored 0 points, though Khobuntin didn't even have single attempt, while Terso was 0/4 from the field, 0/3 from beyond the arc including the potential game-winner. They helped a little in other ways, with Khobuntin snagging five rebounds, and Terso dealing out two assists and a steal, That's still a huge drop from their productive performances from last season. 
• Tallying just 11 assists all in all shows that NU is just too one on one centric, especially when it comes to Parks who dominates the ball too much at times. They're actually the team that averages the fewest, just 12 a game, and so this shouldn't have been a surprise.

UAAP Picking Record: 31-11

UAAP S74: ADU vs UP

History Lesson:
A poor shooting first quarter by both sides saw the score at 8-6 Adamson, after ten minutes, but the Falcons more than made up for it in the second period, knocking down 5 of 8 triples, and getting five charities after fouls on three point attempts. It was all downhill from there for the Maroons, with their fastbreak and perimeter game stymied, as the Falcons won 72-46. Alex Nuyles led with 21 points, while Lester Alvarez had 16, as the two combined to rain down seven triples on the Maroons. On the flipside, Mike Silungan topped the UP scoring charts with 12, but missed all seven of his outside attempts. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• The 7-3 Adamson Falcons will want to get back on track after their tight loss to FEU last Saturday. Had they won that game, the Falcons would have had the inside track on the second of two twice to beat advantages, but with FEU climbing up to 6-4, the Falcons will have to earn it the hard way by stringing together some more wins and staying ahead of the Tams.
• At 2-8, there's no chance the Maroons will return to the Final Four anymore, but they can head into next season with some momentum and play spoiler at the same time by dealing with the Falcons. 

ADU Stat to Watch : The FEU Tamaraws showed how vulnerable the Adamson Falcons are if their shots aren't going in. As an exclusively jump shooting team with little post-up presence, an off-night for the Falcons had them going 17.65 percent from downtown, their worst of the season, and 31.75 percent overall from the field, their second worst since their season opener versus Ateneo. That means Adamson will have to work to get better looks and to mix things up with more slashes to the basket as they can't settle all the time for low-percentage shots.
ADU Player to Watch : While not exactly the key piece in the Adamson line-up, this team gets on a roll when Lester Alvarez finds his stride. Versus FEU, Alvarez was just 3 for 9 from the field, with all but one attempt, a miss, coming from inside the arc. He also finished with just a single assist. If he can bounce back in a big way, the Falcons ought to find this game a breeze.

UP Stat to Watch : UP's offense has dropped precipitously in the second round, to the point where they're now last in the league in scoring (59.6 points), field goals made (23.2 per game), field goal percentage (34.47 percent) and all things free throws (8.8/14.8 on average, for 59.46 percent). The Maroons are even more reliant on jump shots than the Falcons, sort of explaining why they haven't been putting up any points.
UP Player to Watch : Former Blue Eaglet Paolo Romero has emerged as a steady contributor for UP, averaging 11.67 points and 5.3 rebounds in the second round. His jump shot may draw his defender, a Jan Colina or an Eric Camson, away from the basket, improving the spacing for a slasher like Jelo Montecastro


Prediction: Adamson Soaring Falcons

UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings: Week 6 of 2011

The unified UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings throws everything into a blender, hits the button, and ducks as it first mashes up, and then sorts out all 18 teams of both leagues. Among other factors, the panel of one takes into consideration: the quality of opponents played in the past week, how the team fared against those opponents, whether or not a team is on a roll, be it an uphill or downhill, and other factors like injuries or internal disarray.

The NCAA's first round is finally over! Huzzah! As a result, this week's power rankings deal with the fallout of the titanic SSCR-SBC match, and the latest happenings in UAAP, which include FEU regaining ground, and DLSU losing it.

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

UAAP S74: NU vs UP

History Lesson:
The first encounter between these two teams was a game of runs, with NU getting off early to a 14-1 lead behind Bobby Ray Parks and Glenn Khobuntin. UP then stabilized and flipped the script in the second quarter, as Jett Manuel and Jelo Montecastro turned a 24-15 first quarter deficit into a 43-40 halftime score, thanks to some big shots and transition scores. 19 second quarter points from Parks decided the affair though, as UP could not muster enough offense to answer back, losing 75-66. The reserve M&M (Montecastro and Manuel) combined for 33 points and six assists, but Parks' 30 and 10 off the bench from Emmanuel Mbe was too much to handle for UP. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• At 3-6, NU has an outside shot at forcing a tie for the fourth place if a team like DLSU or UST collapses really fierce. That's really a stretch though, and would require the Bulldogs to win all of their remaining assignments, while hoping one of the remaining 4-4 teams loses all of their games.
• UP is out of the running for a Final Four spot at 2-7, but they have plenty to be happy about especially in the light of last year's winless season. That essentially gives them no pressure in these last few games, which the coaching staff can also use for evaluation purposes, giving out minutes to some of the less-used players.

NU Stat to Watch : In NU's three wins this season, the common thread was the Bulldogs' perimeter defense, sort of. Versus UP and Adamson in the first round and UE in the second, NU allowed them to make an average of 22.67 triples, but surrendered just 3.33 makes, or 14.69 percent from downtown.
NU Player to Watch : Emmanuel Mbe's had double-digit rebounding for the past four games, accounting for nearly a third of NU's rebounds in that period. Against UP though in the first round, Mbe was held to just three rebounds in a 15 minute period, while his counterpart on the other side, Alinko Mbah, dominated the paint with 13 rebounds and two blocks. Mbe will likely want to bounce back against him, not just defensively, but on offense as well after his 3 for 13 game against the Falcons.

UP Stat to Watch : The Maroons like to do things the hard way instead of the easy way, and by that I mean they're the team that attempts the most three-pointers at 22.22 a game, and conversely, makes the fewest free throws at just 9.11 a game. That reliance on low-percentage shots takes its toll on the UP offense, as they're second to the last in points scored, norming just 61.44 a game.
UP Player to Watch : Mike Silungan continues to be a flawed player, putting out good averages, 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks, but his shooting percentages are horrible, 33.85 percent from the field, 17.65 percent from beyond the arc, and just 34.62 percent from the free throw line! And despite the blocks, he can't really guard anyone, meaning the Maroons will need to put someone like Miggy Maniego on Parks to slow him down. 


Prediction: NU Bulldogs

One Day Later: FEU vs UP, ADU vs NU

"It slipped out of our hands" "And the Tams were there to take it" (pic source)

FEU 59 - UP 53
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : RR Garcia showed that he hasn't forgotten how to take over games, unloading 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, to overcome a 16-point UP lead. After three quarters of having the ball taken away from his hands by UP's box and one defense, FEU head coach Bert Flores turned control of the team over to him in the final period, and Garcia delivered an ace performance, getting by everything the Maroons threw at him.

FEU Positives :

• When the chips were down, FEU decided to stop puttering around and getting the other guys involved. opting instead for more RR Garcia, and more Aldrech Ramos. The decision paid off, with Ramos breaking an FEU scoring drought in the second period, and Garcia taking over late. 
• After melting down in three straight fourth quarters, the Tams held tight this time and reversed that trend, going 9 of 18 in the final period, while holding UP to just 2 of 13 shooting.

FEU Negatives :

• Can Aldrech Ramos be a dependable go-to guy? Sure he scored six straight and made an assist in the second quarter to staunch the FEU bleeding, but he then made no attempts in the third, and made just 1 of 6 in the last quarter, finishing with 4 of 14 shooting. Sure he pulled down 14 rebounds and made four assists, but this team desperately needs scoring, and it's sad to think that this five-year vet was shut down by rookie Paolo Romero
• Speaking of weird numbers of attempts, RR Garcia had just one attempt in the second period, a triple that Chris Exciminiano turned into their last score before a severe scoring drought, yet he was on the court for nine minutes. Overall, in that period, FEU was 5 of 17 from the field, with Ramos 3 for 7. 
• This is the third time all season FEU has shot single-digit free throw attempts. They were 6 of 8 today and have gone 6 of 9 (Round 1 vs ADMU) and 5 of 7 (Round 1 vs NU) before.

UP Positives :

• The Maroons' defense in the second and third quarters was exceptional, holding FEU to just 20 points on 9 of 30 shooting. That was actually UP's best defensive two-quarter stretch all season.
• Rookie Paolo Romero had a big outing, leading the Maroons with 17 points on 8 of 12 shooting, while hauling down six rebounds.

UP Negatives :

• Once again, UP's three-point shooting was atrocious, finishing 6 of 29 from beyond the arc. Amazingly, both Mike Silungan and Mike Gamboa took 11 three-point attempts each and both made just two treys each as well.  Meanwhile, Jett Manuel, the only other meaningful three-point shooter, was 2 for 5. 
• UP hit season-lows in terms of free throws, in both attempts and makes, going 3 for 5 from the line. The only other time they got charities in single digits was versus UE in the opening game, when they tallied 7 conversions on 9 attempts.
• Other lows: UP's five point fourth quarter output matched their season-low output in a quarter (they also had five versus UST in the second period), while their six fastbreak points and four turnover points were records for the season.

Spread the wealth - The Falcons played 5 vs 1 and won (pic source)

ADU 68 - NU 53
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : With his jump shot inconsistent at best (1 of 10 from within the arc), Alex Nuyles still had a profound impact on the game, scoring 13 points, making all three of his triple tries, getting three rebounds and dishing out five assists.

ADU Positives :

• Even without Jan Colina, and in spite of a poor showing by Lester Alvarez, the Falcons still got out to a 20-10 start and went into cruise control after, scoring just enough to always stay ahead of the Bulldogs, holding them to 36.1 percent shooting, while forcing them into missing all eight of their triple attempts.
• Varied scoring was the key, with four players in double digits, and one with nine points. The Falcons looked for the open man and it showed as they tallied 18 assists, three times what NU produced.

ADU Negatives :

• The Falcons took their foot off the gas pedal in the third quarter, allowing the Bulldogs to claw back with a 10-run that cut the deficit to seven before Alex Nuyles and Jerick Canada teamed up to reestablish the double-digit lead. 
• How jump-shot reliant can the Falcons be? Adamson tallied just six free throws in this game, a season-low and the first time they got just single digits in that category. Also, the mid-range game was off today for Nuyles and Eric Camson, as the two forwards finished 4 of 20 in the game.

NU Positives :

• Bobby Ray Parks had a pretty efficient game, scoring 31 points in 32 minutes, while going 12 for 19 from the field and 7 of 8 from the line.

NU Negatives :

•  Players on NU's team not named Bobby Ray Parks went 10 for 42 from the field, 2 of 4 from the stripe. Chief among them? Emmanuel Mbe, whom I don't think tried hitting a shot farther than eight feet. And yet, he finished just 3 of 13 from the field. All in all, no other non-Parks player scored more than six points in this game.
• If you're going to be a one-man team, the least you can do is support the guy on defense, so asnot to waste all the points he scores. Instead, the Bulldogs kept allowing the Falcons to trade baskets with them. Eventually, when AdU started hitting triples, the two sides were still trading, but with Adamson coming out on top.
• Ultimately, this falls on the coaching staff as well, as they didn't try to get other players involved late. How come Jeoffrey Javillonar, Jul-Ashri Ignacio and Denice Villamore get just two looks from beyond the arc? Why didn't Cedrick Labing-isa get any burn when it became clear that Gelo Alolino couldn't catch fire? After all of Mbe's misses, why didn't NU run a play to get him to the line?

UAAP Picking Record:  26-8

UAAP S74: FEU vs UP

History Lesson: 
The UP Fighting Maroons shocked the FEU Tamaraws, taking a three-point lead at halftime and growing it in the second half. The Maroons were even able to shrug off several Tamaraw rallies, thanks in part to  mental errors on FEU's part: a delay of game call on Jens Knuttel, a technical foul on Bert Flores for stepping on to the court, and of course, Mark Bringas' second unsportsmanlike foul, all of which helped pad UP's lead, as they got the 76-63 upset over last season's runners-up. Sophomore Jett Manuel's 20 points beat out the 17-point output of Season 72 MVP RR Garcia, as Manuel led three other Maroons in double figures. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

•  The Tamaraws (4-4) are one-third of a three-team tie for third place, but they got there thanks to a three-game slide that started with their loss to this team, before an elimination round sweep by the Ateneo Blue Eagles. FEU needs to get back on track with a win here, otherwise, they may find themselves overtaken by DLSU and UST, the other two 4-4 teams.
• Ironically, the Fighting Maroons (2-6) have been on a three-game slide since this game as well, as they dropped a sweep to the UST Growling Tigers, and absorbed a blowout by the Adamson Falcons. They at least seemed more competitive in their second outing against UST last Sunday, and really, after a 0-14 season, 2 wins are already a big improvement. 

FEU Stat to Watch : FEU has found their numbers being depleted further, having to play without JR Cawaling in their three-game skid and then losing Christian Sentcheu last Saturday to a stress fracture. As a result, players are often tired exhausted late in the game, leading to defensive lapses. FEU used to allow on average, 12.8 points in the third quarter and 16.2 points in the fourth in their first five games, but those numbers crept up in their skid to 19 and 22.67 respectively, a clearly sign of their flagging intensity.
FEU Player to Watch : With Sentcheu out indefinitely, likely even out for the rest of the season, Russel Escoto will likely see an uptick in minutes, though for sure, it's not a move head coach Bert Flores is thrilled about. While Escoto lent some offensive punch, 15 points total, in the two games versus FEU, he's a horrible rebounder, averaging just two a game despite his 6'5" height.

UP Stat to Watch : The Fighting Maroons finally broke out of a mini-shooting slump that saw them make just five triples in a three-game span, before their loss to UST last Sunday. In that outing, the Maroons converted 9 of 32 triples, and finished with a season-high 43 perimeter points. If they can continue that sort of shooting, it will at least give them something to fall back on should teams deny them their fastbreak points.
UP Player to Watch : UP's three-game skid coincides with drops in production from both Jett Manuel and Jelo Montecastro. The duo normed 24.6 points in their first five games, but their production has been cut in half since then to just 12 a game. Both were instrumental in that win over FEU, so it's possible that they'll rediscover their groove in this game.

Prediction: FEU Tamaraws

UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings: Week 5 of 2011

The unified UAAP/NCAA Power Rankings throws everything into a blender, hits the button, and ducks as it first mashes up, and then sorts out all 18 teams of both leagues. Among other factors, the panel of one takes into consideration: the quality of opponents played in the past week, how the team fared against those opponents, whether or not a team is on a roll, be it an uphill or downhill, and other factors like injuries or internal disarray.

While the top three still remains the same, the end of the first round of the UAAP and the near-finish of the same for the NCAA have shaken up the middle and downwards. There are also entire clusters of teams all with the same record stacked against each other, so this week ought to be interesting to follow.

One Day Later: UP vs UST, ADU vs DLSU

It's back to the drawing board for State U, as they lose their third in a row (pic source)

UST 77 - UP 70
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Karim Abdul turned in his second straight 21 point game, taking out Alinko Mbah early to really rule the paint in the first part of the game. He also added 11 rebounds and three assists in his 30 minute stint. Abdul's only problem so far is his shooting percentage, making just 40.79 percent of his shots despite being the biggest guy on the line-up for the Tigers.

UP Positives :

• UP avoided another blowout, getting back late in the fourth quarter, but ultimately, their comeback fell short. That said, it was a lot better effort than their previous two games which were over long before the fourth quarter. 
• After turning in some poor performances in their previous games, Mike Silungan and Mike Gamboa finally snapped out of their funks. Silungan had 19 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and five blocks (though he was 3 of 12 from downtown, finishing 8 for 18 overall). Gamboa on the other hand, had made just 3 of 24 triples, after their season-opener, but in this game, shot all his attempts from the outside, making 6 of 11 treys to finish with 18 points. 
• The Maroons turned in a season-high 23 assists, fighting the zone put up by UST with ball movement.

UP Negatives :

• While Gamboa and Silungan are finding their groove again, Jett Manuel and Jelo Montecastro have lost theirs. Manuel had just six points on 3 of 12 shooting and is only 6 of 31 in their past three. Montecastro on the other hand, had a season-low three points, making just a paltry field goal in seven tries.

UST Positives :

• The Tigers's defense forced UP into taking 32 triples, of which they made just nine, for 28.1 percent shooting. 
• On the other end of the court, UST's aggressive attitude earned them 24 freethrows, of which they made 19. UP got to the line just 11 times, making five.

UST Negatives :

• UST was unable to stop UP from getting out and running this time, scoring 19 transition points on 13 attempts. That's closer to their average of 11.75 fastbreak attempts allowed and 14.75 fastbreak points given up.

High jumper - Nuyles' hops saved the game for Adamson on both ends of the court (pic source)

ADU 68 - DLSU 66
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Mad hops? Alex Nuyles. Nuyles may have missed all five of his triple attempts, but the springy forward still finished shooting 50 percent for 14 points, a tally that included his game-winning jumper. He also added nine rebounds, five assists and a block and a steal. Plus, he managed to disrupt Almond Vosotros' desperation oop attempt to Luigi Dela Paz on the last play of the game, sealing the victory for Adamson.

ADU Positives :

• Do you really need to ask? 24 to 2 second quarter ought be enough. The Falcons held the Archers to just 1 of 14 shooting in the ten minute span, and gave up only two free throws, both of which were missed. It was La Salle's second two-point quarter output, after scoring just two as well in the third period against NU in the first round.
• Adamson was able limit La Salle to just 10 turnover points, after they entered the game norming 18. On the other side, they scored 15 turnover points of their own, beating the Archers at their own game.
• Reserve center Rodney Brondial had a huge game, filling in for the foul-stricken Austin Manyara. Brondial got six points, but more importantly, 12 rebounds, helping prevent the La Salle bigs from dominating.

ADU Negatives :

• On the flipside, the Falcons themselves were subject to a huge scoring drought in the fourth quarter, held to just 6 of 16 shooting, without a single free throw.
• Adamson made all four of their triples in the second quarter, unable to keep up the pressure from outside in the other periods.

DLSU Positives :

• I've been a huge fan of Almond Vosotros since last season, so I'm glad he was able to get an opportunity here to shine, and boy did he deliver. Vosotros scored 18 points in 18 minutes, hitting two huge triples to keep La Salle in the game, and then assisting on the Dela Paz triple that tied things up at 66-all. 
• La Salle's fourth quarter 27-12 rally had them shooting 10 of 18 from the field, three of five from downtown. Of their 27 points, the Archers got eight from fastbreaks, and six off turnovers, categories DLSU is used to dominating

DLSU Negatives :

• Zone offense. Or rather, the Archers have no zone offense, a fact everyone knows by now.
• LA Revilla has been limited in the past three games, going from 27 minutes in their first five outings to 22.67 minutes. His production has also dropped off a cliff to just two points, 3.33 rebounds, and four assists in that same period (though he managed eight dimes versus UST). Could this be related to his medical condition? 
• It may be just me but Dan Sara's insertion on to the playing court seems to trigger huge runs by the opponent. 
• As much as people seem to like the revamped starting line-up of AVO, Yutien Andrada, Maui Villanueva, Joseph Marata and LA Revilla, that quintet scored just 19 points.

UAAP Picking Record: 24-8

UAAP S74: UP vs UST

History Lesson: 
Just about everyone and their momma thought UP had a better than fair chance of winning this game after seeing the Maroons crush the FEU Tamaraws...only to see UST rally around the loss of Jeric Teng and go on to blow out the Maroons, thanks to heady play by team captain Jeric Fortuna. A 20-12 third quarter proved to be the pivotal period as the Maroons couldn't muster any offense. Ultimately, not a single player from UP scored in double-digits, whereas the Tigers 16 from Fortuna, and 13 from Melo Afuang. With the win, the Tigers provided a blueprint for defeating UP: stop the fast breaks, and first them into long jumpers. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• The Fighting Maroons (2-5) are on a two-game skid that started with their first round loss to this team. While already vastly improved from last season, UP still wants to keep getting wins, or at the very least, stay competitive instead of suffering blowout after blowout. They seem to have been well-scouted at this point with their flaws out for the world to see, so the coaching staff will need to cook something up in order to adjust
• The Growling Tigers (3-4) aim to fight for a playoff spot, and to do that, they'd ideally need to keep beating the lower tier teams and spring an upset or two on the squads above them. Accomplishing part one begins with this game against UP. They're also likely to be looking for a bounce back after the near-win against DLSU, and the Maroons are just as good a team as any to take their frustrations out on. 

UP Stat to Watch : UP couldn't make a shot in their last two games, going from an average of 26 field goals made in the first five games of the season to just 17.5 in the final two games of the first round. That's connected to their fastbreak attempts, a figure that used to be 12.2 early on, but became 8.5 in the same period. If the Maroons aren't getting fastbreak opportunities, they'll have to find some other way to put the ball in the basket.
UP Player to Watch : Mike Gamboa has been a disappointment after a 19 point, five rebound, six assist first game versus UE. He hasn't hit double figures since, hasn't gotten more five or more rebounds or assists, and his shooting has just gone down the toilet, making just a single field goal in each of his last three games. It's no wonder UP experimented with starting Jelo Montecastro against Adamson in their last encounter.

UST Stat to Watch : The Tigers were a surprising third in field goal percentage allowed, holding opponents to 37.23 percent, behind only FEU (37.21 percent) and ADMU (31.14 percent). They have a good chance to continue to refine their defensive stance against UP, a squad that is seventh in scoring, norming just 61.43 points a game.
UST Player to Watch : Karim Abdul gave the UST faithful flashbacks to Jervy Cruz in their last game against DLSU, as the rookie center suddenly put up 21 points on 7 of 11 field goal shooting and 7 of 10 on charities. It was truly an amazing performance as he had never made more than five field goals and three free throws prior. If Abdul can play like that every game, the Tigers will definitely make the playoffs, but first he has to prove that his performance then was not a fluke against a much better defensive presence: fellow foreign big man Alinko Mbah.

Prediction: UST Growling Tigers

One Day Later: UP vs ADU, UST vs DLSU

The woes continue for UP as they get manhandled for the second straight game (pic source)

ADU 72 - UP 46
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Player of the Game : After a three-game stint in which Nuyles made just 14 out of 40 attempts, the mercurial wing man bounced back with a 21-point performance, built on 50 percent shooting (3/4 from three-point, 6/10 overall). He also added five rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a dunk at the beginning of the fourth quarter to put the exclamation point on the Falcons' blowout win.

UP Stat to Watch : The Falcons held the Maroons to their second worst fastbreak game, giving up just 10 attempts and 11 points. That seems to be the key to totally blowing out the Maroons, as when they don't run, their offense grinds to the halt as they struggle to execute in the halfcourt.
UP Player to Watch : After a great all-around game against FEU, Mike Silungan has bottomed out, succeeding an eight point, 3/12 shooting performance with a 12 point, 5/18 game. In UP's last two losses, Silungan has been 1 for 17 from beyond the arc, with most of his shots being far off mark.

ADU Stat to Watch : The Falcons continue to scorch the rims from downtown. After a "lucky" 9 of 20 effort from trey versus DLSU, Adamson followed it up with an even luckier 11 of 19 shooting night, as they shot better from long-range than they did from 2-point territory. They currently take and make the most triples and at the best conversion rate as well, so it looks safe to say that the NU meltdown was more of an outlier than the norm.
ADU Player to Watch : Lester Alvarez has shrugged off a slow start to the season by 9 of 16 from beyond the arc in their past two games, including 4 of 6 versus UP. It's a far cry from when he began the season 3 of 15 from downtown and got just two points versus FEU.

Other Stats:

• A horrendous 8-6 first quarter saw both sides combine for a horrendous 6 of 29 performance from the field, with just two free throws being taken, one made.
• Adamson won despite giving up 20 more rebounds to UP, including 19 more offensive rebounds. Somehow though, it didn't translate to second-chance points for the Maroons as they got just 10, compared to six by the Falcons.

Archer power trumped Tiger power, but just barely (pic source)

DLSU 74 - UST 71
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Player of the Game : See what happens when you're not bombing away from three-point land? Norbert Torres continued to play under the rim and this time it got him 21 points, eight rebounds and five swats as he came up big with an 8 for 12 (one stray shot was from 3-point land) shooting night. However, defensively he committed some huge lapses late, allowing Karim Abdul to get some wide-open layups, but overall, his statline is much improved from his clunker of a game versus Ateneo.


UST Stat to Watch : UST actually did decent in both aspects, matching DLSU rebound for rebound, 40 to 39 total, 15 to 16 on the offensive glass. They also held the Archers to just 21.1 percent from downtown, 4 of 19 to be specific. Three of those four made triples though, came in the fourth quarter, when the Tigers were trying to wrest away the lead. Had La Salle missed just one more trey, the game would have gone into overtime.
UST Player to Watch : It took awhile, but when Karim Abdul got going in the second half, he was darn near impossible to stop, scoring 21 and pulling down 11 rebounds. He also demonstrated a deft passing touch for three assists and was a strong 7 for 10 from the stripe. The one nit? Not boxing out properly after Tampus' missed free throws, causing him to foul out and handing DLSU the win.


DLSU Stat to Watch : UST allowed Jarelan Tampus to run wild in the first half for 10 points, part of 18 first half points on 8 of 15 shooting from the DLSU guards (Tampus, Atkins, Vosotros, Revilla). The defense tightened up somewhat in the second half, as the output dropped 12 points on a 5 of 11 clip, courtesy of the zone defense.
DLSU Player to Watch : LA Revilla had another fruitless shooting night, finishing with just two points on 1 of 4 shooting. But the floor general dished out eight assists to no turnovers, proving that points aren't everything.


Other Stats:

• UST continues to give up fastbreak points an alarming rate, giving DLSU 18 attempts and 24 points. And despite having just one less offensive rebound, La Salle was able to double UST's second-chance points output, 12 to 6.
• DLSU held UST to just 8 of 29 shooting , or 27.59 percent in the first half, as the Tigers struggle to score. With the switch to the zone though, it was the Archers' turn to struggle though, making just 8 of 32 in the second half, though three of those field goals were for treys late.

UAAP Picking Record: 20-8