After a quick offseason, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Basketball Tournament is back. This weekly series will analyze the state of the Ateneo Blue Eagles as they look to avenge last season’s finals loss.

THE ATENEO Blue Eagles split their two matchups in the third week of the UAAP Season 85, placing them in unfamiliar territory at fifth place in the standings. 

Initially, the Blue and White took care of business in their Wednesday match against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers with a 79-52 drubbing ahead of their highly-anticipated finals rematch. However, the momentum did not carry over into Sunday’s game against the defending champions, the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons. In a hotly contested rivalry battle, Ateneo fell short in overtime, 76-71, due in large part to their untimely miscues and missed shots in crunch time.

In their loss against UP, Ateneo learned the hard way that wins will be more difficult to come by this time around, having surpassed their loss total from Seasons 84 and 82 combined. Now, Coach Tab Baldwin’s squad looks to improve their standing as they take on the Adamson University Soaring Falcons and the red-hot University of the East Red Warriors this week.

1. Dethroned through crunchtime blues

Anton: LAST SEASON’S Blue Eagles saw themselves cruising past the competition, winning by an average margin of 18 points in the first 13 games. It was looking like the then-defending champions were well on their way to sweeping the elimination round for a second straight season—until they went toe-to-toe against the Fighting Maroons.

Both teams came into the bout as the top two seeds, with UP looking to put a dent in Ateneo’s perfect record and eliminate the Boys in Blue’s chances of claiming an automatic Finals berth. UP delivered in nail-biting fashion, as they squeezed out an 84-83 victory to hand the once unstoppable Blue Eagles their first loss since Season 81.

This loss kicked off a series of struggles for Ateneo, who then dropped four of their last five meetings against their cross-avenue rivals following their final game in the eliminations of Season 84. Following this defeat, the Loyola Heights-based school succumbed in the championship series and missed out on a potential four-peat to cement their place as the kings of college basketball. Ultimately, UP had plans of their own—not only ruining the Blue Eagles’ chance to sweep the season but capturing the title entirely, ending Ateneo’s reign on the UAAP Men’s Basketball throne.

There is a plethora of reasons as to why Ateneo hits a snag when it comes against the Fighting Maroons, and one of them is the Blue Eagles’ inability to get the job done during crunch time. In their last four losses to UP, three of those games went into overtime, and all were decided by seven points or less. It is usually in the extra minutes where Ateneo encounters trouble outscoring the opponent, lacking the overall composure that it takes to finish games under pressure. This can all be attributed to the lack of experience that the team has when it comes to tight ball games. 

As mentioned, most of Ateneo’s victories were in the form of blowouts, which should not be considered a bad thing, but it does, however, limit the opportunities to do well in tight situations. Unfortunately, that clutch skill set has been missing in their conquests against their much more experienced neighbors from Katipunan. 

Now, the Fighting Maroons are defending champions for a reason—they are well-disciplined, patient in their approach, and are able to execute when it matters most. If Ateneo wants any shot at reclaiming their reputation as the league’s best, they will have to embrace the high-stakes matches and not fold under the pressure that has haunted them the last few months.

2. Figuring out the rotation

Mookie: GIVEN THE past few seasons, the Blue and White was spoiled with reliable players who delivered in their roles on Coach Tab Baldwin’s teams. Savy veterans like Adrian Wong, Will Navarro, Raffy Verano, and Gian Mamuyac knew what to bring each game—an integral factor in Ateneo’s past championships. However, for Season 85, the unproven bench unit of Ateneo, combined with inconsistent play from the starters, has left Coach Baldwin to experiment and tweak his rotation.

Ateneo has yet to establish a reliable lineup beyond its usual starting five of Padrigao, Andrade, Ildefonso, Ballungay, and Kouame. This past week, during the match against UP, the Head Coach Tab Baldwin tested his team with unorthodox lineups and substitutions. The most recent iteration was in the form of a twin towers lineup with Kouame and Geo Chiu manning the frontcourt to start the ballgame.

During the rivalry game, Chris Koon who usually plays as a guard, found himself playing  the role of a forward down low, guarding the likes of Fighting Maroons Zav Lucero and Henry Galinato. The reason for his adjusted position was because main center Ange Kouame picked up two early fouls and Geo Chiu from the bench was out with cramps. Coach Baldwin had to mix the team up with different rotations during the Sunday loss, but he believes it will strengthen the discipline of the team. 

“With our guys, we have very good players at the UAAP level but they’re not that. We still need to depend on one another, rely on one another, and execute and have the discipline to find the open man,” shared Coach Baldwin. There is no doubt, the experienced coach sees the potential of his troops which is why he preaches the collective goal of making each other stronger.

The Blue Eagles now have the remaining games of round one and the rest of the eliminations to build their chemistry with one another in order to secure more wins. Coach Baldwin knows his players are capable of executing and winning with his flexible shuffling of players, but his belief can only take Ateneo so far. It is up to the team to carry out their coach’s vision on the court as they continue the road to redemption this Season 85.

This week’s games:

Wednesday, October 19, 1:00 PM vs Adamson University Soaring Falcons at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Sunday, October 23, 1:00 PM, vs University of the East Red Warriors at the Ynares Sports Center.