Down to the wire

The UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball tournament double-round elimination stage ends at the MOA Arena today with the results impacting on the playoff picture. In the bill are Adamson facing UE, UST taking on FEU, La Salle engaging NU and UP tangling with Ateneo.

Unbeaten Ateneo is safely at No. 1 with UP locked in at No. 2 and La Salle at No. 3. The last ticket to the Final Four is still up for grabs. If the Blue Eagles win over UP, they’ll be seeded outright to the finals with the Fighting Maroons enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage in the semis over the winner of a playoff between No. 3 and No. 4. If UP registers an upset, No. 1 will play No. 4 and No. 2 will battle No. 3 in the semifinals with the top two seeds enjoying a twice-to-beat edge. The finals will be a best-of-three affair.

UAAP basketball commissioner Tonichi Pujante said it will be the usual stepladder format if Ateneo sweeps. If Ateneo doesn’t sweep, Pujante said it will be the classic Final Four platform. Assuming a Wednesday-Friday-Sunday schedule, Pujante said he expects the finals to finish on May 8 at the earliest or May 18 at the latest. The PBA draft is scheduled on May 15 and it appears the UAAP will allow graduating players to apply and be selected even if the tournament isn’t over.

A triple tie for No. 4 will happen if Adamson (5-8) wins and FEU (6-7) and NU (6-7) lose. If FEU and NU win, they’ll be tied at 7-7 with Adamson missing the boat even if the Falcons prevail over UE. If FEU wins and NU loses, the Tamaraws clinch No. 4 regardless of the Adamson outcome. Pujante explained that in a triple tie for No. 4, the quotient system will be used to determine which team is given a bye then the other two squads figure in a KO showdown. The winner of the KO contest then faces the team with the bye for the No. 4 slot. In a two-way tie for No. 4, it will be a simple playoff for the right to meet No. 3.

At the rate Ateneo has been clobbering opponents, it doesn’t seem like any team has even a slim chance of dethroning the Eagles. Ateneo has raced to a 13-0 record with an average winning margin of 18.8 points. The Eagles blew out UST by 50 and Adamson first by 31 then by 34. Ateneo is averaging 83.2 points, scoring at least 90 in five contests. On defense, the Eagles are giving up 64.5 points a game, holding teams to less than 60 in five outings. Overall, Ateneo is No. 1 in offense, defense, field goal percentage, assists, three-point field goal percentage, field goal percentage allowed, rebounds allowed and assists allowed.

Two Eagles are averaging in double figure points, Ange Kouame (12.2) and Dave Ildefonso (11.1) as coach Tab Baldwin’s balanced offense is reflected in six others hitting at least five a game – SJ Belangel (9.8), Raffy Verano (8.4), Tyler Tio (8.0), Gian Mamuyac (7.9), Chris Koon (5.5) and Bryan Andrade (5.2). Six players are shooting at least 35 percent from beyond the arc, making the Eagles a threat from deep.