Ateneo battles NU in Filoil cagefest

MANILA, Philippines — The Ateneo Blue Eagles will take on streaking National University in the Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup Thursday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

The 4-0 Blue Eagles look to nab a win to keep pace with group-leading La Salle, which sports a 5-0 win-loss slate. The Bulldogs (3-3), however, will not be an easy team to defeat as not only are they stacked and loaded but they are also riding a three-game win streak.

Ateneo might miss the services of forward-center Isaac Go, who is out with a mild injury. According to team officials, they are somewhat rusty after an out-of-town team-building session. The match, nevertheless, is one to watch as some former Blue Eaglets, not to mention their current coach, used to call Ateneo “home.” They include Enzo Joson, Shaun and Dave Ildefonso and head coach Jamike Jarin. 

The two UAAP rivals battle in the 7 p.m. nightcap. 

The 2-5 Gilas Cadets look to continue to close out strong in their penultimate match of the tournament. In their last outing, they piped the University of the East Red Warriors, 63-61, with the game-winning basket coming from Juan Gomez De Liaño. They youthful nationals will be up against a reeling Emilio Aguinaldo College side, which is winless in five starts. The two Group A squads clash in the 4:30 p.m. match.

In more Group A action, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons look to solidify their bid for a quarterfinals berth when they battle UE in the 2:15 p.m. offering. Like NU, UP opening their Filoil Flying V Preseason account with three straight losses before rebounding with a four-game win streak. They’ll be up against a 2-3 UE squad that has looked good since Joe Silva was appointed head coach a month ago.

The lone Group B match pits struggling Jose Rizal University against a surprisingly dangerous Arellano University Chiefs team. JRU is at 0-7 and lost in dispirited fashion to Adamson in their last game, 74-67. In that match, Jed Mendoza and MJ Dela Virgen picked up their scoring. However, their other vital cogs – Darius Estrella, Jarvy Ramos and Rhy Dela Rosa greatly struggled. 

The 2-3 Chiefs have gotten big games from Guilmer Dela Torre and Levi Dela Cruz, who have stepped up in the absence of the injured Kent Salado. Forward Michael Cañete has impressed while the come backing Kraniel Villoria who missed a good chunk of their earlier matches due to an injury has helped Jerry Codinera’s squad compete.

JRU and AU face off in the 12:30 p.m. offering following the lone juniors match between San Beda and La Salle Greenhills at 10 a.m.

Tickets to the tournament can be purchased at the venue. The Gilas-EAC and Ateneo-NU matches will be televised over ESPN5.