In line with the ongoing University of Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 Men’s Basketball tournament, this weekly series will analyze the state of the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their quest to successfully defend the crown.
Recap of the week (September 22 to September 26)
Photo by Joshua Tan
After a mediocre 1-1 start to the season, the Blue Eagles finally brought out their championship form in back-to-back blowout wins with an average margin of victory of 26.5 points.
The National University (NU) Bulldogs were the first victims of this rejuvenated Blue Eagle onslaught. With Ateneo’s defense limiting the Bulldogs to the lowest scoring output in the UAAP since UP in 2015, the Sampaloc-based squad stood no chance as they were clobbered, 72-46.
The Blue Eagles continued their stifling defense and precise offensive execution against the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, controlling the game from start to finish while putting up season-high numbers in points, assists, three-point makes, and effective field goal percentage (eFG%) en route to an 89-62 trouncing of the Alvin Pasaol-led squad.
Upcoming game:
September 29, Saturday, 4:00 PM vs. University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers
1. Putting on the clamps
Photo by Aga Olympia
After a lackluster defensive effort in their first two games against Adamson and UP, the potent Blue Eagle defense finally found its footing, resulting in Ateneo’s two blowout victories this past week.
[Second Quarter]
Thirdy with the steal and the SLAM!
Ateneo 26 NU 18#UAAPBasketball pic.twitter.com/Q4OAaJFUZf
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) September 22, 2018
Against NU, the Blue and White executed their full court pressure defense to near perfection for most of the game, disrupting NU’s offensive rhythm and flow and forcing season lows in terms of points scored, three point field goals made, field goal percentage, and assists. The Blue Eagles also held the Bulldogs to a 1/16 shooting clip from deep.
Likewise, against the Red Warriors, the Blue Eagles’ aggressive defense played the passing lanes actively, forcing UE to commit a season-high 20 turnovers, all while shooting a similarly horrid 1/16 from downtown.
The stellar defensive showing these past two games allows the Blue Eagles to be the top-ranked team in the UAAP in terms of average points allowed (65.3), points allowed per 100 possessions (82.38), average perimeter points allowed (18.0), average free throw attempts allowed (8.5), average second chance points allowed (10.0), and blocks (5.8).
The team also finished second in average assists allowed (13.3) average opponent turnovers (18.5), and steals (7.3).
A lot of these statistics are a result of brilliant defensive instincts by Raffy Verano, who currently sits as the joint leader in steals with an average of 2.0 per game, and the excellent timing and length of Ange Kouame, who is currently second in terms of average blocks per game with an output of 3.5 per contest.
It is worth noting, however, that NU and UE are the two worst offensive teams in the league, currently sitting at the bottom of the league in terms of average points per game (65.7 and 67.0), three-point field goal percentage (17.0% and 18.1% respectively), and perimeter points (19.7 and 22.3).
Only time will tell if the Blue Eagles can continue their impressive showings on the defensive end against better offensive teams.
2. Trusting the bench
Photo by Joshua Tan
Prior to the season’s start, numerous analysts and media outlets put the Blue Eagles as favorites to defend the crown due to the team’s versatile players and favorable squad depth.
In their blowout wins against NU and UE, numerous bench players from the Blue and White showed exactly that as they consistently outscored opposing benches (37-20) and (47-34), allowing the Blue Eagles to sit at third in terms of average bench points with 34.3 per game.
Raffy Verano, who has been interchanging with William Navarro at the starting power forward position, came off the bench for 13 and a half minutes of action to lead the team in scoring against UE with an efficient output of 12 points on 6/8 shooting from the field (75%).
[Second Quarter] Verano sneaks in for the offensive rebound and the short jumper!
Ateneo 35 UE 23#UAAPBasketball pic.twitter.com/OJ4aahOzaW
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) September 26, 2018
Jolo Mendoza, meanwhile, also served as a spark plug off the bench against the Red Warriors to finish as the team’s joint third-leading scorer with an output of 9 points, all from rainbow country, on 3/6 shooting from three (50%).
In their game against the Bulldogs, Mike Nieto and Adrian Wong finished as the joint third leading scorers with an output of seven points each on 3/5 and 3/7 shooting from the field respectively. Isaac Go, meanwhile, put up 7 points in an efficient 3/4 shooting display from the field (75%).
[Fourth Quarter]
Aaron Black to Isaac Go for three!!! Lead is now 27!
Ateneo 65 NU 38#UAAPBasketball pic.twitter.com/412qCcb6Rs
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) September 22, 2018
The team’s unpredictability on offense has continually been a headache for opposing coaches knowing that any player on Ateneo’s roster could explode and take over at any given point in a game, making scouting and defensive scheming extremely difficult.
The team’s second unit will continue to play a huge role in the Blue Eagles’s title defense, especially in the Final Four, giving the team additional offensive firepower and keeping the team fresh at the tail end of a long and grueling season.
3. Living behind the arc
Photo by Aga Olympia
Fully embracing the NBA’s three-point revolution and the scientific approach of triples being more valuable than two-pointers, the Blue Eagles have lived and died behind rainbow country.
In just four games, the Blue and White have already launched 131 triples or 32.75 a game at a 29.8% clip. That’s almost half of all the field goals the team has attempted (277). For context, Adamson has the second most threes attempted with 87. The Blue Eagles are also the undisputed leader in perimeter points scored with 36.8, and it has been both the bane and the boon for the Katipunan-based squad.
Against weak perimeter defenses like NU and UE, the Blue Eagles dominated, shooting the lights out with 10 and 12 triples respectively. In both games, Ateneo and the opposing team were basically trading threes for twos.
However, the pitfall of over-reliance with the triple was blatantly evident in the loss against Adamson. Shooting 0/17 in the second half of that game, the Blue Eagles looked lost on offense, chucking away brick after brick without any counter-attack to the blistering closeouts by the lengthy Adamson defenders. The result as we all know was a shocking upset.
This presents a conundrum for the coaching staff. The team’s greatest strength in the perimeter has seemingly become an Achilles’ heel overnight, exposed against an elite defense that’s been scouting the defending champions for the past several months.
But for now, we can and only wait and see. With an elite perimeter defensive team in UST, first in 3PT% allowed (17%) and second in perimeter points allowed (18.7), coming up next on the schedule, this will be a game for the Blue Eagles to confirm this weakness or to completely dismiss it as a bad game.
4. Taking care of the ball
Photo by Aga Olympia
With a lot of emphasis on moving the ball, one negative effect of this is the abundance of turnovers. The Blue Eagles commit the third most turnovers in the league (16.3), and what’s more alarming is the fact that the team commits more turnovers than assists (15.8) per game.
It was one of the team’s pitfalls in the game against Adamson, especially in the middle of the second quarter. We can remember that Ateneo was actually up by ten, 39-29, with around 2-3 minutes left in the period. However, two turnovers led to an easy layup and an and-one play, sparking an 11-0 run that allowed the Soaring Falcons to go up by one, 39-40, at halftime and ultimately swinging the momentum in Adamson’s favor.
[Second Quarter]
Espeleta with the steal and the layup!
Ateneo 39 Adamson 31#UAAPBasketball pic.twitter.com/HUvdLeVWjl
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) September 9, 2018
But that was just a snippet of the turnover problem in the game. The Blue Eagles turned the ball over 14 times in that first half alone, giving up 15 points off those mishandles.
A more recent instance was against UE. Although it was a blowout win, the Red Warriors actually gave the Blue Eagles a slight scare in the middle of the third quarter. With around 4 minutes left in the third frame, four straight turnovers from the Blue and White rewarded UE with three easy layups and a quick 8-0 run, reducing a 22-point lead to fourteen in less than a minute, and getting the UE crowd to erupt in loud cheers.
[Third Quarter] Back to back to back steals for UE! They go on an 8-0 to trim the deficit to 14! Timeout Ateneo! 3:16 left in the third.
Ateneo 58 UE 44#UAAPBasketball pic.twitter.com/Ry285Z1QVq
— Gerrick C. Limsiy (@Rick_TheGUIDON) September 26, 2018
No harm was done in the game against UE, but the Blue Eagles cannot expect every game to be a blowout. Facing Final Four-caliber teams will be a much different scenario. With every possession potentially deciding the outcome of the game, every turnover will matter.
With every team lurking and waiting to upset the defending champions, addressing this concern will be of utmost importance as the season progresses.
