For 13 games, it looked like the UAAP Men's Basketball Tournament was bound for stepladder playoffs for the second straight season. Ateneo won all their first 13 assignments, and their total winning margin was 242 points. No other team reached a winning margin of triple-digits.
The MVP frontrunner is a Blue Eagle as well, standing 6-foot-11 inches and named Ange Kouame, originally from Ivory Coast but now whole-heartedly Filipino, who has posted per game counts of 12.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.5 assists.
All the three-time defending champions had to do was win another game. Win another game at the expense of UP -- a team whose last win over them was way back in 2016 -- and they were going straight to the finals yet again. There, they'd need just two more wins, back-to-back wins to add to the 14 already in their pocket, and a second straight season sweep will be signed, sealed, and delivered.
Come opening tip of their 14th assignment, however, Ateneo got blasted in the gut, then punched in the mouth, and received a knee to the face.
The Blue Eagles, the top-ranked defense in terms of points allowed coming into the contest, surrendered 27 first quarter points to the Fighting Maroons -- and those were no fluky, streaky shots being made. State U rode the big, broad shoulders of Carl Tamayo and the long limbs of Malick Diouf to send a statement, and after their opening salvo, were up by 14.
Of course, that wasn't going to be the end of it. Ateneo, this well-oiled machine whose screws are tightened each and every day by Tab Baldwin, was still getting back up and going to move forward. Their counterpunch came in the second and third periods, as UP's lead of as much as 18 went up in flames.
With 4:18 left in the final frame, the Blue Eagles were ahead, 81-77. Of course, it was yet another win. Of course, they found a way. They just happened to make the proceedings more interesting.
But no. UP said no. Following Diouf's free throw makes then Ricci Riveros' two misses and one turnover, the steady hand of JD Cagulangan set up James Spencer for a booming triple. Dave Ildefonso had the answer for Ateneo, but in the ensuing possession, it was Rivero's turn to redeem himself, finally deciding to do what he does best: cutting right into the heart of the defense and taking a shot. The ball didn't go in, but he was fouled and sent to the stripe. A couple of cool, calm, and collected charities later and it was the Fighting Maroons who were ahead by one.
With less than 20 ticks to go, the Blue Eagles tried their best, as they are wont to do, to execute the play drawn up by their brilliant tactician, but SJ Belangel couldn't convert his triple try. Diouf gobbled up the miss and was promptly sent to the line for two, where he muffed on both. No worries, as he also didn't let their opponents put up a miracle heave by rebounding his own miss.
Final score: UP 83, Ateneo 82.
"One good thing I saw earlier was our team stayed as a team no matter how close the game was," stated first-year Fighting Maroons coach Goldwin Monteverde in his post-win interview, straight-faced as always, but also with a hint of a smile forming at the side of his lips as he was talking. "We had many ups and downs along the way in this game, and what we've preached all season long about being a team even in times of struggle, that's what we saw earlier."
After the final buzzer, though, Baldwin didn't look like somebody who had just been reminded of how defeat tastes like for the first time in four years. In his own post-game conference, his face was actually brighter than usual and his greeting, cheerier than before (after games, at least).
"It was a great game of basketball. You gotta give a lot of credit to Goldwin and the UP players, especially the way they came out of the block at the beginning of the game," he shared. "I made some tactical mistakes early and that hurt us, that contributed to digging a hole for us and UP was really ready and they played really well early. Then it was just a case of trying to dig out of that hole, but UP just made bigger shots."
Baldwin, as all great coaches do, made sure to take the brunt of the blame for their close loss. Always a coach who welcomes a challenge, this close loss may very well light a fire under him actually.
"I made decisions and they didn't pan out very well in the game. This is a good, humbling experience for all of us," expressed the former national team coach. "After the game, I told (the team), in large part, that the loss is on me. The truth is you don't win them all, and now, it's just a case of regrouping and bouncing back and getting ready for a tough FEU team."
Indeed, that's just it: to set up a rubber match (for this season, at least) with UP, Ateneo has to hope the Fighting Maroons don't squander their twice-to-beat advantage once more, and then take care of business against the Tamaraws.
"Well, they're very good. It seems like whenever we play in the semifinals, we run up against FEU," shared Baldwin, touching on the recent history of the two teams who have met in the Final Four from Seasons 78-81. "The history there is one of a lot of difficulty and we don't expect anything less. They're gonna be ready so we have to regroup and we have to make sure this loss (to UP) is useful for us."
And oh, do we feel for the Tamaraws, who are getting an Ateneo team determined to bounce back, eager to make things right, and angry, even if they wouldn't say it out loud, that they were made to experience something they're no longer used to.
The good news for FEU is they're playing their best basketball at the right time. RJ Abarrientos has gotten back into his groove. Xyrus Torres is as steady as they come. Most importantly, L-Jay Gonzales is back to being L-Jay Gonzales, meaning he's leaving his imprint all over the floor. They just need Emman Ojuola to stay away from fouls, and he could be the difference-maker against Kouame. Just like Diouf's long limbs caused problems for the MVP frontrunner, so could the Nigerian's imposing physical build.
Still, FEU may have been the last team to down Ateneo before UP, but repeating the feat remains a tall task. The other bracket then, presents the better opportunity for a lower-seeded squad stealing a win, or perhaps even more, from the higher-seeded team.
UP is coming off their biggest win in recent history, proving to themselves that not only could they compete with Ateneo, they actually have a puncher's chance at dethroning them. However, they're also colliding with another team whose confidence is at the highest it's been in four years.
La Salle, back in the Final Four for the first time since 2018, lost both games to the Fighting Maroons, but only by an average difference of 2.5. It took time, but Evan Nelle now looks like the NCAA point guard who steered San Beda to a clean sweep of the eliminations, then finished runner-up to teammate Calvin Oftana for Season 95 MVP. Mike Phillips' offensive game is still developing, but his effort and energy could cause problems of their own for either Diouf or Tamayo.
Injuries cast a dark cloud over the Green Archers' heads, however, as both Justine Baltazar and Schonny Winston sat out their last assignment in the eliminations due to ankle and back problems, respectively. Their status is day-to-day, and if either would be far from 100 percent, then the green and white would have an even tougher time finding ways to score.
And if it turns into another close contest? UP has the experience, the confidence, and the dilligence needed to come through anew. After all, they're fresh off a one-point victory versus an Ateneo team that was riding a 39-game winning streak.
"Whatever happened to us during the game, even after Ateneo came back and got the lead, we didn't quit, we stayed as a team," shared Monteverde, ever the calming voice and the capable mind on the bench. "I'm very proud of this team because we don't have that many wins that have big margins. We've had lots of games that were just like this: close games. All those built the trust we all have for each other that."
If UP handles La Salle, and Ateneo does what's expected against FEU, then all roads lead to another "Battle of Katipunan" -- only this time, for all the marbles. For the second time in the last three seasons, it may be Ateneo vs. UP in the finals -- only this time, the Fighting Maroons can actually say they already got one over the Blue Eagles.