Litmus test for Eagles, Tigers in Katipunan clash
Tab Baldwin is right when he says that the second half of Ateneo games in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament cannot be defined as a letdown—the Blue Eagles are scoring more on average, after all, in the final two quarters than they are in the first half.
“There wasn’t a letdown, just a lack of execution of the game plan,” he said at Mall of Asia late Wednesday, after an 83-69 loss to defending champion University of the Philippines.
The Eagles aren’t fading in the second half. They’re just getting outplayed. In four of five games so far this season, they’re on the minus side in scoring in the second half, something that isn’t quite worrying considering the team owns a 4-1 (win-loss) record.
Ateneo has relied on its fast starts to churn out wins. UP took that away in the showdown between neighboring schools and ran away with the victory, the Maroons’ third straight after back-to-back losses to kick off their title defense.
“I don’t think it’s a letdown on our part. It was just UP elevating their game while we were still lacking composure, without discipline,” Baldwin said.
He’ll be searching for both as there will be no inches given when Ateneo hosts University of Santo Tomas at its Blue Eagle Gym in Katipunan, Quezon City.
The two teams square off after the 2 p.m. showdown between Adamson and University of the East and their clash is every bit like a litmus test for two teams chasing vastly different paths to victory.
For UST, it’s about pace, paint, and a little perimeter.
The Growling Tigers have been the gold standard on offense, leading the league in scoring at 90 points per game, fueled by a relentless interior attack and getting to the stripe the most in the UAAP. They are averaging 41.5 points in the paint and squeeze out nearly 20 second-chance points per outing, according to stats provided by Pong Ducanes and the UAAP Stats Group.
They rank second in fast break scoring and pace, averaging nearly 74 possessions per game. They own a top-ranked offensive rating (107.9), that’s enough to cushion surrendering a league-worst 42 paint points and are last in transition defense, giving up 15.5 fast break points.
Ateneo, meanwhile, is deliberate and efficient.
The Blue Eagles play at a deliberately slower tempo (69.0 possessions) and make each trip count. They lead the league in turnover control (just 11.4 per game), perimeter shooting volume (35.2 PPG), and three-point accuracy (31.5%).
Ateneo allows just 71.6 points (vs UST’s 81.5) and ranks first in opponent 3-point percentage (23.2%).
While it may seem like a study of scoring contrasts, with UST leading in paint points and Ateneo ahead in three-point shooting, it is important to note that the Tigers are also second in that department with a 31.48% clip on fewer attempts.
Ateneo is expected to try to limit the pace of the game while hoping it can sustain the effort from start to finish against the Tigers, who rely on overwhelming opponents with firepower.
