Hot Eagles eye repeat vs Falcons

MANILA, Philippines – Unbeaten pacesetter Ateneo tries to get going while middle-of-the-pack teams rumble for much-needed wins in the 82nd UAAP men’s basketball tournament at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum today.

The reigning champion Blue Eagles (8-0) meet the struggling Adamson Falcons (3-5) in the 4 p.m. main game in a triple-bill that also features streaking UE (3-5) versus Santo Tomas (4-4) at 12:30 p.m., and red-hot FEU (4-4) opposite cellar-dweller NU (1-7) in the 10:30 a.m. curtain-raiser.

After a first-round sweep, Ateneo continued to soar as it put on a defensive clinic against the usually potent Santo Tomas squad, scoring a 66-52 win to start the second round.

The Blue Eagles’ suffocating defense included a clamp down on MVP frontrunner Soule Chabi Yo who was limited to his first single-digit output this season with just six points.

Against the Soaring Falcons, coach Tab Baldwin expects the same approach from his wards especially on their defense-oriented identity to further stretch their gap from the rest of the field.