With the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament in full force, this weekly takeaways track the progress of the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team (AMBT) on their way back to the UAAP summit.

CLOUDING WHAT were once championship hopes, a string of midseason struggles has halted the Blue Eagles’ early surge. While their redemption bid remains alive, Ateneo’s recent stretch of losses has revealed an inability to sustain their title-contending form. 

Following a splendid 4-0 start to the season, Ateneo suffered three consecutive defeats to the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, and National University (NU) Bulldogs. Making matters worse, the Blue and White then opened their second round with a heartbreaking loss against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws.

Amidst their continuing slump, the Blue Eagles’ playoff hopes have yet to dwindle as they are currently fifth in the standings with a 4-4 record, only one loss behind the fourth-seeded De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers. In fact, even a coveted twice-to-beat advantage is not out of the picture since Ateneo is only two wins behind the top two teams, NU and UST. 

With the stakes shaping up to be higher than ever in the second round, the Blue Eagles are keen on making the necessary improvements to soar above the competition once the elimination round concludes..

As the AMBT now look to punch their ticket to the Final Four, here are three key narratives to look out for heading into the remaining second half of the season.

Down, but not out 

Ravi: Beyond the losses, the Blue Eagles’ dream start to the season has been tainted by injuries to two of their key starters: Divine Adili and Jared Bahay. 

Adili has been nursing a prolapsed disc injury since the first game, which, according to Head Coach Tab Baldwin, has progressively worsened. Despite managing to play through the pain in limited minutes throughout the season, the 6’10” center was ruled out in their last two games. 

Meanwhile, Bahay also missed action against NU, following a shoulder injury he sustained in their game versus UST. The true-blue guard returned against FEU, but played just under 13 minutes as he is only 80% into his recovery. 

Both players’ unavailability was immediately felt against NU as their offense appeared stagnant, with only Jaden Lazo converting a field goal in the first period. Lacking the playmaking ability of Bahay and the post prowess of Adili, the Blue Eagles struggled to find their usual baskets early on. 

While Bahay suited up against FEU, his limited minutes on the floor, coupled with Adili’s absence, amplified Ateneo’s clutch-time woes. In the last two minutes, Ateneo surrendered a 12-1 run to FEU, missing a fully healthy floor-general and post-threat who can create space for their other shooters.

Moreover, the Blue Eagles also faltered on the glass as FEU’s Mo Konateh grabbed 17 boards. Ateneo’s weakened interior resistance haunted them until the dying moments of the game as Jorick Bautista’s go-ahead triple in the fourth quarter came courtesy of a Konateh offensive rebound. 

Although Baldwin remains optimistic that Adili will recover within Season 88, more testing will need to be conducted before he returns to action. The lack of a clear timetable for his recovery is a growing concern, especially with only six games left, where each win or loss bears heavy weight on the final standings. 

In a league boasted by rebounding juggernauts and double-double machines, the Blue and White will miss Adili’s paint presence. Forwards Kymani Ladi and Joshua Lazaro logged minutes at center during Adili’s absence, but Ateneo often looked undersized in those minutes, highlighting the importance of the rookie manning the paint.

Whether or not Adili plays on Sunday, being undermanned cannot be an excuse for another breakdown in the clutch. After all, a lot has been said about Ateneo’s depth—and this is the perfect time for them to live up to the expectations. The only question is who else will rise to the occasion and push the AMBT past the second round’s challenges. 

Struggles down low

Diego: A key factor in the Blue Eagles’ early success is their shooting from beyond the arc. Even so, relying on long-distance shooting alone only serves as a short-term solution, given how consistency in the shot is hard to uphold. Hence, a team’s ability to attack and defend inside the paint can serve as a strong metric of success. However, when it comes to having dominion down low, the Blue Eagle Band of Brothers has a lot to work on.

In all eight of the Blue Eagles’ games so far, they have only once garnered more points in the paint than their opponents. That game in question was Ateneo’s aerial dogfight against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons. As for the rest of their games, the paint has proven to be a weak spot for the Blue and White—one that other teams continue to prey upon.

The warning signs were evident early on when Ateneo had its first few games against FEU and the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors. On both occasions, the Katipunan-based squad was outscored inside the paint by 20 or more points. Hence, it should come as no surprise that these games went down to the wire. In fact, the Blue Eagles may have lost these matchups had it not been for the heroics of Bahay and Ladi, which allowed Ateneo to pull away later in the game.

Despite a 4-0 start, the Blue Eagles’ magic ran out as they suffered their first loss to the Fighting Maroons. In a game where the team’s three-point shooting percentage dipped to a measly 17.4%, it would have been a great opportunity to switch gears and take the battle down low. However, Ateneo was unable to do so, making only 38.5% of their two-point field goals compared to the Fighting Maroons, who converted on nearly half of their shots inside at 49.1%.

What seemed like a chance to reset in the second round instead turned into another struggle, as the Blue Eagles failed to contain the charging Tamaraws. While many look to the back-to-back baskets of Bautista as the catalyst for Ateneo’s defeat, the Blue and White’s struggles in containing the paint prove to be just as crucial. 

Taking a look at the statistics sheet, it reflects that Ateneo scored 26 points in the paint compared to FEU’s 38. While this can be attributed to the Blue Eagles having no answer against the Tamaraws’ big man, Konateh, it does not reflect the full picture. Throughout the match, the Loyola Heights-based tandem struggled as they were constantly beaten off the dribble and bullied inside the paint by the opposition. All of this allowed the match to remain close, even when Ateneo’s firepower should have reflected otherwise. 

From what the Ateneo has shown, the shaded area carries more value than one might think. As the season nears its climax and margins tighten, the Blue Eagles’ ability to control the paint will determine whether they solidify their Final Four contention or find themselves on the outside looking in.

Next man up

Edge: After AMBT’s jaw-dropping 4-0 start to the season, the Blue Eagles experienced turbulence as they absorbed their fourth straight loss in their second round opener, 4-4. Due to Adili’s indefinite return from injury and Bahay’s limited minutes with his shoulder problem, Ateneo will continue to rally into the second round with a heavier load on their back. Moreover, teams are starting to develop pestering defensive schemes to contain Ateneo’s best scorer, Ladi, which has slowed down the Blue Eagles’ rhythm on the offensive end. 

Regardless, Ateneo’s Final Four hopes remain alive, but they have to quickly find an answer to everyone’s question: Who is the next man up?

In the game against UE, Ladi delivered a game-shifting three that sealed the game for Ateneo, but AMBT would not have won the game without Waki Espina’s 17 points, including his clutch shots in the fourth. 

UAAP witnessed Ateneo’s depth when they bullied the defensive powerhouse AdU, 77-58, courtesy of Lazo’s soft touch that fueled his 15-point eruption, including three treys while shooting 75% from the field.

Facing their archrivals DLSU, Shawn Tuano and one-and-done Dominic Escobar fearlessly scored 15 apiece as they fed off the electric sea of blue in the stands. 

After Tuano’s breakout game against DLSU, he went on an offensive spree in their last three first-round games against UP, UST, and NU, recording 17, 12, and 15, respectively, which include momentum-shifting points. Notably, Lazo took command as he nabbed 17 points against the Bulldogs despite the pressure of filling Bahay’s shoes, who missed the game due to injury.

While Ladi was limited to four points in their second round opener against FEU, Escobar and Espina rose to the occasion, correspondingly scoring 15 and 12 in a losing effort.

In any league, championship teams are built and defined by depth, not by their stars. As Ladi and Bahay stand as the faces of AMBT, behind them are relentless eagles in prey-filled skies, ready to step up at any given night. Be it Escobar, Tuano, Espina, Lazo or any player in the squad, they are all capable of taking the wheel and driving the Blue Eagles back to their winning ways.

This week’s games:

Sunday, October 26, 1:30 PM, vs. NU Bulldogs at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion

Wednesday, November 5, 2:00 PM, vs. UE Red Warriors at the SM Mall of Asia Arena