After the first seven games of the UAAP Season 76 hoop wars, we are seeing a tight race for three other spots in the circle of four.

We have a surprise leader in Far Eastern University, and witnessing a potential U-Belt Final Four showdown in the works. Perennial powers Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle are in unfamilar territory by finishing in the bottom four after seven games.

In this edition of The Midterm Grades, we take a look at the Katipunan neighbors, University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University.

UP: Where’s the fight in the Maroons?

Best in…

OFFENSE:

• Perimeter points (29.3 per game, second)
• Bench scoring (25.1, third)
• Turnovers (14.6, third)

DEFENSE:

• Perimeter points allowed (21.9 per game, first)
• FT attempts allowed (15.7, first)

Worst in…

OFFENSE:

• Rebounds (42.1, eighth)
• Assists (11.0 per game, eighth)
• Fastbreak points (7.3, eighth)

DEFENSE:

• Points allowed (76.7 per game, eighth)
• Field goals allowed (41.2 per game, eighth)
• Fastbreak points allowed (12.9 per game, eighth)
• Points in the paint allowed (39.1 per game, eighth)

The turning point

Sudden (and unexplained) departure of Mikee Reyes days after their 67-79 loss to Adamson on opening day weekend.

What happened?

Despite having new and talented faces on the squad, it’s the same story for these Fighting Maroons as they once again remain at the cellar of the UAAP men’s basketball table.

Adding former DLSU shooter Joseph Marata (who played high school ball at UPIS), together with promising rookies in former youth squad mainstays Kyles Lao and Andre Paras definitely boosted their stock in the off-season.

However, the squad has been turned into the Joseph Marata-Raul Soyud show, as the rest of the Maroons have been relegated to making cameo appearances.

Marata (14.3 points per game) has been the only consistent double-digit scorer, save for his worst game against FEU where he only scored three points.

On the other hand, when Soyud served his one-game suspension against UST, the Growling Tigers toyed with their lineup and yet still came out with the win. The extra rebounds would have been big in the 10-point loss they incurred that extended their losing skid to six.

Second round outlook

Barring any second round miracle, UP may yet again rack up another winless season.

With the close race of their competitors, expect the Maroons to put up a good fight in their early second round games before throwing in the towel to extend their Final Four drought to 16 years.

The Grade: C

With the talent available in the hands of Coach Ricky Dandan, they should have at least won one or two of their games by now.

ATENEO: A period in transition

Best in…

 

OFFENSE:

• Points allowed (68.1 per game, third)
• 3-point field goals made (29.0%, second)
• Assists (14.4 per game, second)
• Turnovers (14.1 per game, second)

DEFENSE:

• Total FG% allowed (36.4%, third)
• Fastbreak points allowed (6.0 per game, second)
• Points in the paint allowed (28.3 per game, third)

Worst in…

OFFENSE:

• Field goal percentage (35.6%, seventh)
• Rebounding (43.7 per game, seventh)
• Bench scoring (17.4 per game, seventh)
• Second chance points (5.3, eighth)

DEFENSE:

• Rebounds allowed (46.1 per game, sixth)
• Blocked shots allowed (4.1 per game, tied for sixth)

The turning point

Two straight wins (over UP and UST) to end the first round

What happened?

After pulling out from the pre-season wars due to the injuries that piled on the already thin lineup, the almost bare-bones Blue Eagles’ lineup under new head coach Bo Perasol suffered from a very slow start to the season.

Without a full-strength squad in a tough initial set of challengers in National University, Far Eastern University, and rivals De La Salle University, a three-game losing skid opened their Season 76 campaign, one that has not occured since the program’s “dark ages” of the 1990s.

As with the tail end of their summer campaigns, injuries haunted the weary bodies of the school’s hoops athletes.

Already missing the services of Kris Porter (not in lineup due to torn ACL in the off-season) and allowing Poy Erram and Frank Golla to play through separate injuries, the Blue Eagles’ frontline suffered another blow with the loss of Gboy Babilonia due to a recurring shoulder injury that required surgery, effectively cutting short his rookie campaign.

Worse, star guard Kiefer Raven suffered a serious ankle injury reportedly during a commercial shoot, played a sub-par game in their opening assignment against NU before being benched in their next two contests to recuperate before re-appearing in their match against Adamson.

Following that losing streak, which featured second-half hearbreakers against league-leading FEU and bitter rivals DLSU, they responded to the wake-up call by winning three of their last four to end their first round campaign on a high note, including quality wins over Adamson University and Season 75 finals foe University of Santo Tomas.

As Ravena is still working back to game shape following the injury, newcomer Chris Newsome has been consistently leading the charge for the boys in blue, together with former Finals MVP Ryan Buenafe, who is still dealing with weight issues that has hounded his collegiate career.

Despite an uncharacteristic start, ADMU is still on track to barge in to their 15th consecutive Final Four appearance since 1999.

Second round outlook

Should one or two of the current top four teams slip (we’re looking at UE, NU, and/or DLSU), the Hail Mary squad has a clear shot of making it into the playoffs and defending their title for the sixth consecutive time.

But should another major injury to any of their key players (Golla, Erram, Ravena, Buenafe) happen, then it’s time for Katipunan to say sayonara to the UAAP men’s hoops crown.

The Grade: B

Give these guys a break. New coach, new system, rash of injuries. They still have a solid lineup and could beat teams left and right…if they manage to stay healthy.

 

Coming up in part two, we’ll take a long hard look at Taft neighbors Adamson University and De La Salle University.

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