Maroons, Blue Eagles eye better victories as UAAP action resumes

Games Wednesday
(Philsports Arena)

11 a.m. – UE vs FEU
1 p.m. – AdU vs UP
4:30 p.m. – DLSU vs UST
6:30 p.m. – ADMU vs NU

MANILA, Philippines – After hanging on to scrappy wins in the opening day, heavy favorites University of the Philippines and Ateneo seek smoother performances as they plunge back to action against separate counterparts for an early leeway in the UAAP Season 85 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Fighting Maroons (1-0), in a bid to stay on track of a back-to-back title bid, test the mettle of host Adamson (0-1) at 1 p.m. while the Blue Eagles (1-0) star in the main event at 6:30 p.m. against National University (1-0).

At 11 a.m., University of the East (0-1) and Far Eastern University (0-1) shoot for first win while Santo Tomas (1-0) guns for another upset against La Salle (0-1) at 4:30 p.m.

UP last weekend had to dig deep against La Salle to pull off a 72-69 win from a 10-point deficit with Ateneo needing a similar resolve to buck a slow start against FEU, 79-70.

While first-game jitters as the defending champion played a part in that sloppy UP win, coach Goldwin Monteverde called on his wards to not commit the same mistake against a very capable Adamson squad.

“Maybe because that’ our first game but it should not be a reason to play like that. It’s good that we never gave up but we still have a lot of things to improve on,” said Monteverde as UP duels with Adamson, which just absorbed a 69-60 upset from University of Santo Tomas.

“Wala pang champion sa Season 85 so we need to work harder for that goal. ‘Yun ang tinatrabaho namin. Mahaba pa ‘yung liga para masabi but we’re working hard for that goal,” added MVP favorite Carl Tamayo after hauling down 18 points and 19 rebounds against La Salle.

Ateneo, the former three-time champion, preaches the same mindset ahead of an expected gritty duel against Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup champion NU.

“I feel like this year, it’s not gonna be a simple formula to win. We’re gonna have to do a bit of calculus every game and figure things out,” said coach Tab Baldwin.

NU, which swept the 17-team preseason featuring top UAAP and NCAA squads, started its campaign with a 77-70 win over UE.