In line with the ongoing University 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 (November 11-14):

Ateneo-DLSU: 18-22, 35-35, 54-50, 71-62

The Blue and White had high expectations for their matchup against their archrivals as they looked to further assert their dominance. However, the game was neck-and-neck from the get-go, as the Blue Eagles and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers entered halftime level at 35-all.

Ending the third quarter, the Blue Eagles found themselves with some slight breathing room as they held a four-point advantage over their Taft-based rivals with ten minutes left of action on the clock, 54-50. Eventually, the Taft-based offense seemingly hit a plateau as a buzzer-beating triple from Andrei Caracut spared the Green Archers from finishing the final quarter of play on a subpar nine-point output. The Blue Eagles on the other hand, were dominant on the offensive end as they put up 17 points in the fourth quarter to cruise past DLSU, 71-62.

Ateneo-UST: 34-13, 58-31, 83-42, 102-62

Going against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, the Blue Eagles were unplayable on offense as they shot an outstanding 20/37 (54%) shooting clip from the field to bulldoze the España-based squad with a 27-point advantage in the first half, 58-31. Angelo Kouame and Will Navarro were huge for the Blue and White in this game, as they contributed 11 and both on perfect 4/4 and 3/3 shooting clips, respectively.

Exiting halftime, the Blue Eagles continued their onslaught of the Growling Tigers, as they put up 25 points in the third quarter of play. Eventually, a 19-point fourth quarter helped carry the Blue Eagles to their first triple-digit scoring output of the season, 102-62—joining DLSU (110 pts) as the only team to do so.

Upcoming games:

November 25, Sunday, 3:30 PM vs. Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City

IF NECESSARY: November 28, Wednesday, 4:00 PM vs. Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City

1. The Kouame effect

After a mediocre start to his rookie campaign, scoring only one point in his debut against Adamson University (AdU) and averaging a mere 12.0 points per game (PPG) on 30/56 (53.6%) field goal (FG) shooting, 12.4 rebounds per game (RPG), and 3.9 blocks per game (BPG) in the first round, Kouame has finally come out of his shell.

The big man is looking more comfortable on the hardwood while showcasing all the dynamic facets of his skillset in the latter half of the elimination round. Highlighted by a masterful 33-point, 27-rebound game on a very efficient 15/18 (83%) FG shooting, the Ivorian has posted norms of 16.8 PPG on 50/80 (62.5%) FG shooting, 14.8 RPG, and 2.5 BPG in the second round to finish second in the MVP race behind University of the Philippines Fighting Maroon Bright Akhuetie.

Kouame has been more aggressive, more assertive, and more confident in his play during Ateneo’s past seven games to contribute to the Blue Eagles finishing with the highest average win margin in the UAAP in the second round (+19.28).

A big factor in this is Kouame’s ability to haul down offensive boards and his versatility operating in the post. The 6’10” center leads the league by a wide margin in offensive rebounds with 7.1 per outing. For context, the next best offensive rebounder is UP’s Bright Akhuetie with only 5.2 a game. Kouame has also shown his ability to break down defenders in the low block using a variety of post moves to beat his man in screen and roll situations or even scoring off the dribble.

Because of his offensive prowess, teams often need to double or triple-team the lanky slotman. This provides ample spacing for shooters to hit wide-open shots and smother the opposition with long bombs. It also opens up the lane for easy cuts to the basket, resulting in a more efficient offense.

With a two-headed inside-out attack, the Blue Eagles’ offense will be very difficult to contain. The Tamaraws did it once in the first round, containing Kouame and managing to silence the threatening Blue and White offence. However, they got blown out by 20 points in the second round despite the absence of Thirdy Ravena and Matt Nieto after the Ivorian center exploded for 33 points and 27 rebounds.

Kouame will be the key to everything Ateneo does in this game. He will be the catalyst that gives the Blue Eagles an extra bullet to push themselves back into the finals for the third consecutive year.

2. The need for a plan B in late-game grind it out situations

The Blue Eagles are a juggernaut on offense—pouring in the second highest scoring average of the division, with 78.8 points per game (PPG) to go along with a field goal percentage of 39.8%. In terms of offensive rating (ORTG), the Blue Eagles come in first with an average of 102.48 points per 100 possessions.

However, much of the Blue Eagles’ offense relies on how they run and execute their half-court sets. The Blue Eagles only look to score off isolation plays as an absolute last resort—when actions such as their hand-offs, pindowns, and post splits have already been halted.

As evidenced in their two losses this season against the Soaring Falcons and the Tamaraws, the Blue Eagles direly need a consistent shot creator in late-game situations. The team was forced to cough up tough shots off a number of isolation plays when the opponents decided to play aggressive off-ball defense.

For this final four matchup, forcing the Blue Eagles to play on the isolation late in the game could prove to be a tactic for the Tamaraws, as they will be hoping to keep the Blue Eagles from getting too comfortable late in the game. To deal with this possibility, the Blue Eagles certainly need a backup plan as their lack of a consistent shot creator could prove fatal in the final stages of the game when the pressure is on.

3. Keys to win against familiar Final Four faces

Arvin Tolentino’s game-winning triple against the Green Archers made sure that an Ateneo-FEU showdown in the semi-finals would continue for its fourth-straight year. Dating back to the Kiefer Ravena and Mac Belo era in Season 78, the Blue and White have won two of the last three meetings in thrilling fashion.

Mac Belo and Mike Tolomia led the way for the Tamaraws in those days, giving the older Ravena and running-mate Von Pessumal a somber exit by overwhelming the Blue and White, 76-74, en route to their last UAAP championship. In Season 79, Ateneo needed their twice-to-beat advantage to overcome their tormentors in a tight overtime victory in Game 2, 69-68, via a putback by Isaac Go with all his clutch genes.

Fresh in the minds of UAAP fans, the Season 80 semi-final matchup was one of the most memorable in UAAP history. After almost sweeping the elimination round with a 13-1 record, the Blue Eagles again needed an extra game to put the Tamaraws away. Of course Game 2 was a close match, and of course Isaac Go was back to the rescue the Blue Eagles with a clutch triple to send the game into overtime. In the dying minutes of the game, the FEU slayer sealed the win with a dagger layup while kneeling on the floor to win it for Ateneo, 88-84.

This year’s iteration of the FEU Tamaraws is very similar to last year’s lineup, with the only key loss being defensive skipper Ron Dennison and the only key addition being the energetic rookie LJ Gonzales. Much like last season, the Morayta-based squad thrives on hustle and grit.

The Tamaraws play best when they slow down the game, allowing their physicality and toughness to dictate the match. The Green and Gold plays at the slowest pace in the league with only 75.81 possessions per game. Unsurprisingly, they also allow the fewest fastbreak points in the league with only 7.7 a game and score the least points on the break with 7.4 per outing.

A surprising boon for FEU this season is their potent outside sniping. Led by former Blue Eagle Arvin Tolentino’s 2.3 triples per game on a 40% clip, the Olsen Racela-mentored squad has shot the second most threes per game, 8.27 on average, while their 32.5% shooting clip from beyond the arc makes them the most accurate team from downtown. Lacking a dominant inside force has pushed FEU to rely on their outside gunners who have continued to deliver the wins this season.

The presence of the hulking Prince Orizu in the middle has also allowed FEU to become the best inside defensive team in the UAAP, allowing only 27.1 inside points per game on 44.9% shooting.

Although the Blue Eagles also play at a slow pace (76.88), Ateneo can opt to put pressure on the FEU defense by continuously attacking and running the fastbreak to produce easy looks or, at the very least, create exploitable mismatches. The Tamaraws are dangerous when they set their half-court defense, so taking away the grind-it-out pace the Morayta-based side excels in would force them out of their comfort zone.

Another focus for the Blue Eagles should be containing Tolentino. After being suspended in both meetings between FEU and Ateneo, the UAAP Season 77 Rookie of the Year could be the difference in the semi-finals. He is the Tamaraws’ best offensive weapon, with his ability to consistently knock down the three ball, attack closeouts to finish in traffic, and score in the post against defensive mismatches.

FEU is dangerous and confident. Surviving back-to-back knockout games has strengthened the mentality of the boys from Morayta, and they will look to set up a do-or-die match for a spot in the S81 finals. This Ateneo-FEU matchup will be thrilling and exciting. So buckle up and enjoy the show.