The talented Far Eastern University Tamaraws Basketball Team is no stranger to Championship Battles. As a matter of fact, FEU had nine (9) Final Appearances already and has brought home six (6) Championship Trophies out of its finals exposure. That’s a whopping 67% championship accuracy for the Tamaraws against the 50% championship record (10-5) of the Blue Eagles! The back-to-back 3rd place finish of the Tamaraws since Season 71 has made the team more mature and highly competitive this season. At the start of the tournament, FEU Tamaraw Coach Glen Capacio has openly challenged the reign of Ateneo by declaring they are out to win the championship. Just like their opponent, their goal is halfway done as they prepare to meet each other head-on for the decisive Game 1.
The last time these two squads met in the UAAP Finals was during Season 66 where FEU took the title away from Ateneo. Ironically, on that very season, FEU started and successfully completed their three-feat goal through a Final Sweep of La Salle in Season 68. What Ateneo intends to do today has been done by FEU five (5) seasons ago and just as destiny would have it, the Tamaraws are standing in the way of the Blue Eagles to deprive them of this illustrious achievement. Boasting sterling records in almost all categories in basketball including efficiency, the FEU Tamaraws had made successful use of the Triangle Offense starring guards Terence Romeo, Jens Knuttel and MVP candidate Ryan Garcia.
In their two (2) earlier meetings this season at the elimination rounds, FEU dominated Ateneo in games that were decided right at the closing seconds of the fourth quarter. Both were nail biters of a game with FEU winning by an average margin of 2.5 points only. No matter what the scores are, a win is still a win, and this means, Ateneo has yet to win versus FEU this season. While FEU leads the tournament in almost all categories, Ateneo leads the league in Assist with 16.7 per game and the Blue Eagles are number one in defense allowing their opponents to just an average of 62 points. The contrasting styles of these teams make this years’ UAAP Championship Series even more exciting. FEU, the leading offensive team in the league going up against Ateneo, the number one defense oriented squad. It’s going to be offense versus defense, Green versus Blue, Sampaloc versus Katipuana and Glen versus Norman
Of course I’m rooting for Ateneo to win the Finals and complete a rare back-to-back-to-Black title this season. There’s an old adage in sports that says “Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.” More than that, the team who plays and executes better defensive patterns and adjustments in a championship series are most likely to have the better offensive opportunity to score a basket. Yes, the Ateneo Blue Eagles are less dominant this season without former King Eagle Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Noy Baclao and Jai Reyes compared to the formidable frontlines of the Tamaraws, but hey, truth is, all the teams in the UAAP have improved (in terms of strength) this year and their silent and collective goal is to shoot the Eagles down. With key players gone and all teams in contention for the Championship, the Blue Eagle is spreading its mighty wings again, determined to add the illustrious three-feat feather into its wings.
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