Games today:
(Mall of Asia Arena)
11 a.m. — UP vs FEU
1 p.m. — UE vs Ateneo
4 p.m. — UST vs NU
6 pm. — La Salle vs Adamson
Unscathed University of the Philippines wants to avoid falling victim to complacency when it takes on winless Far Eastern University in another quadruple-header playdate of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 men’s basketball tournament today at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Although the star-studded Fighting Maroons are favored to get their way facing a rival struggling to find winning form, head coach Goldwin Monteverde constantly reminds his wards not to take any team lightly.
He also points out the importance of continuous improvement to stay on the right track of the squad’s goal of reclaiming the throne it lost last year.
“We just have to keep improving,” Monteverde said.
“Definitely, we have to address a lot of things. I guess that’s just what it is. As we go along (the season) there are always things to improve on. We’re constantly in search of things that will make us better as a team.”
The Fighting Maroons are coming off a dominating 78-60 beat down of erstwhile unbeaten National University last Saturday.
Sporting a spotless 3-0 win-loss record, the Fighting Maroons firmly hold the solo top spot as the only unbeaten team in the standings.
UP will be up against a Tamaraws side desperately looking to halt a three-game skid in the 11 a.m. curtain-raiser.
UP’s depth has been working wonders for the team as Francis Lopez took the spotlight away from the usual suspects reigning Most Valuable Player Malick Diouf and returning CJ Cansino in taming the Bulldogs.
“The job is not finished for us. We have a lot to work on. This is just the start of the season, we’re really happy about our first three wins but we’re moving on to our next game and hopefully, we’ll get that, too,” Lopez said following his explosive outing against NU where he logged 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.
While UP is enjoying a hot win streak, FEU, on the other hand, is reeling from a string of setbacks as it has yet to hand first year coach Denok Miranda a taste of victory.
The Tamaraws absorbed a 58-65 loss to University of the East last Saturday in a game that saw FEU squander a 14-point fourth quarter lead.
FEU is at the cellar joined by University of Santo Tomas, which will face NU at 4 p.m.
Tamaraws faithful will have their eyes on Ljay Gozales, Senegalese Mo Faty and Jorick Bautista with hopes of saving FEU from the deepening pit.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are in a four-way tie at second place with a 2-1 slate along with De La Salle University, UE and Adamson University.
In other games, defending champion Ateneo de Manila University faces the Red Warriors at 1 p.m. while the Green Archers and Falcons go head-to-head at the 6 p.m. main card.
