Surprise twist in Final Four

MANILA, Philippines - When NU faced FEU in the replay of their controversial second round game last Sunday, it was a heaven-or-hell situation for the UAAP host school. A loss would’ve tumbled the Bulldogs out of contention for good but a win would propel NU to No. 3 in the standings, safely into the Final Four.

 As it turned out, NU nipped the Tamaraws, 84-81, in overtime and sent FEU into a knockout playoff with La Salle for the last ticket to the semifinals. Under ordinary circumstances, nine wins would be enough to guarantee a slot in the Final Four. But these are extraordinary times. NU, FEU and La Salle wound up the double-round eliminations with identical 9-5 records. The quotient system found NU at +16, La Salle at -4 and FEU at -12.

So it came to pass that last Wednesday, the Archers bowled over FEU, 69-66, in a dramatic come-from-behind upset at the MOA Arena. It didn’t seem probable that La Salle would find a way to break into the Final Four with a lineup carrying four rookies (Jeron Teng, Thomas Torres, Gabby Reyes, Mac-Mac Tallo), two graduating five-year termers (Joshua Webb, Jovet Mendoza), a point guard with a diabetic condition (L.A. Revilla) and a defensive specialist (Jed Manguera) coming off a two-year break. In the off-season, La Salle revamped its coaching lineup and brought in Gee Abanilla backed up by Juno Sauler, Jun Limpot, Mac Cuan and Tyrone Bautista – all former Archers. Chemistry was a question mark from the start. To get to where it is now was an incredible feat.

La Salle made it to the Final Four as the lowest seed and with a twice-to-beat disadvantage, battles No. 1 Ateneo whose record is 12-2. No. 2 UST (10-4) takes on NU in the other semis match-up. The Eagles are gunning for a five-peat, a rarity in the UAAP, and from every indication, it looks like coach Norman Black will get the job done before leaving the varsity ranks to return to the PBA as Talk ‘N’ Text head tactician. Ateneo’s only losses were to UST by one and UE by two. The setbacks exposed the Eagles’ vulnerability when overconfident and Black will make sure they’re all business in the Final Four where flukes aren’t likely to happen. Ateneo brought down La Salle twice, 71-61 and 77-67, in the eliminations so the Eagles aren’t expected to find rough sailing in the semis.

The surprise twist in the Final Four is La Salle’s emergence as a semifinalist at FEU’s expense. The Tamaraws started the season like a barn on fire, disposing of UST, 73-72, La Salle, 48-46, Adamson, 65-62, and UE, 92-66. But three straight losses to end the eliminations ended FEU’s bid for another Final Four ticket. Missing the playoff bus is unusual for the Tams who went to the Finals the last two seasons. They would’ve made it if only the UAAP Board didn’t intervene and overturn commissioner Ato Badolato’s ruling that upheld FEU’s buzzer-beating victory over NU in the second round. The Board decision was widely lambasted in media because it smacked of partiality and undermined Badolato’s authority as an independent commissioner. Before the playoff against La Salle, FEU team owner Anton Montinola shook his head in dismay, saying, “We shouldn’t even be here.” He was right. But in the UAAP where even game-related issues may be elevated to the Board for adjudication, things may be decided for the wrong reasons.

Still, there’s no question the four surviving contenders deserve to be where they are. There’s no question about Ateneo and UST earning the twice-to-beat advantage. All season long, they were a cut above the rest. UST’s only losses were to FEU, 73-72 and 87-60, La Salle, 53-51 and Ateneo, 68-66. NU, on the other hand, bowed to Ateneo, 89-65 and 70-56, La Salle, 87-86 and UST, 77-71 and 58-57.

Leading the charge for coach Pido Jarencio’s Growling Tigers are the much-improved tandem of Karim Abdul and Jeric Teng, averaging a combined 30.5 points. Abdul leads the league in rebounding while Teng is No. 2 behind FEU’s Terrence Romeo in average three-pointers converted a game. Then there’s Jeric Fortuna who keeps the UST engine humming with a league-high 5.5 assists an outing. NU has its work cut out with the challenge of upending UST not once but twice to barge into the Last Dance. The Bulldogs haven’t beaten the Tigers in two chances this season but both defeats were close. Bobby Ray Parks, the league’s top scorer with a 21.4 clip, is highly motivated to bring NU to the Finals and with help from 6-7 center Emmanuel Mbe, he could be the man of the hour in the playoffs. Parks is clearly destined for greatness and before evaluating whether he’ll be back in the UAAP next year or try his luck in the US NCAA Division I, he wants to leave an imprint as a championship player. 

UST is No. 1 in the league in steals and turnover points, meaning the Tigers like to gamble on defense and exploit miscues. That mindset makes UST a dangerous squad because the Tigers are always on the prowl. NU, on the other hand, is No. 1 in assists and fastbreak points, indicating that despite Parks’ incredible individual skills, Altamirano knows the only way to win consistently is to play as a team.

The Ateneo-La Salle faceoff caught oddsmakers by surprise. The Archers won only five games and finished sixth last season. They’ve overachieved this season in dedicating the campaign to benefactor and alumnus Danding Cojuangco. What’s going for La Salle is the team is playing with no pressure. Anything beyond qualifying for the Final Four is a bonus. Abanilla, however, said the Archers aren’t content with just making it to the semifinals. Now that they’re in the ring, the Archers are in a fighting mode.

Over the last three games, La Salle has introduced a spiritual element in its march to the Final Four.  Fr. Peter, the singing priest of Christ the King Church, has celebrated Holy Mass in the Archers dugout before their last three games and they’ve been unbeaten since. No team worked harder to get into the Final Four than La Salle and the Archers did it by playing unforgiving defense and rebounding ferociously. The stats prove how far they’ve gone. La Salle is No. 1 in defense, yielding only 64.6 points and 34.2 percent shooting a game, and No. 1 in rebounding with a 48.2 clip. Rookie-of-the-Year shoo-in Jeron Teng is averaging 16.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 32.5 minutes to emerge as the new King Archer. But obviously, La Salle wouldn’t be where it is without the key contributions of Almond Vosotros, Norbert Torres, L.A. Revilla, Yutien Andrada, Mendoza, Arnold Van Opstal, Thomas Torres, Manguera, Webb, Oda Tampus and Tallo.

If La Salle shines in defense, Ateneo is untouchable in offense. The Eagles lead the league with a 74.4 norm, 44.3 field goal percentage, 37 points in the paint and 74.6 percent free throw percentage. Black has transformed the Eagles into a highly efficient machine that thrives in creating opportunities to score with the least chances of misfiring – they’re No. 1 in high-percentage points in the paint. Ateneo is no slouch on defense either, topping the stats sheets in least rebounds and least bench points allowed. Anchoring the Eagles surge are Kiefer Ravena (averaging 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists), 6-11 Greg Slaughter (14.2 points, 9.6 rebounds) and Nico Salva (13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds). Black’s other reliables include the league’s No. 1 three-point bomber Juami Tiongson, Ryan Buenafe (who torched La Salle with 24 points in the second round), Justin Chua, Oping Sumalinog, Tonino Gonzaga, Nico Elorde and Frank Golla. Graduating at the end of the schoolyear are Slaughter, Salva, Gonzaga, Sumalinog and Chua so going all the way for a five-peat is even more special for Black in his swan song.

Four teams are left standing in the UAAP as the battle for the championship in the “unbreakable” season moves up to the next level in the playoffs.