The UAAP Season 78 men’s basketball tournament has reached halftime and we have witnessed a very interesting team standing coming to the second round of the tournament. We dared our staff to predict as early as now who they think will make it to the penultimate Final Four.
Aldo Manzano, Sports Editor:
1. UST
2. FEU
3. DLSU
4. NU
UST has a veteran core that has been playing together for years and the last key remnants of their 2013 UAAP runner-up team seem motivated enough, as proven by their numbers this season, to finally take the crown back to Espana.
No one can match FEU’s depth and they are a complete package as a team, but the Tamaraws seem to lack intensity at times, especially in the early goings of games.
DLSU is slowly coming together and has won three of its last four games with the help of key contributions from role players, but the team’s lack of size and rim protection may haunt them even more as the season enters its latter stages.
NU has championship experience and though they have yet to find their groove this season, they are still in the thick of the Final Four race after the first round and their battle-tested veterans are bound to figure things out sooner rather than later.
ADMU has relied too much on Kiefer Ravena this season and the team lacks players who have proven that they can create their own shot to relieve some of the pressure off of their senior guard—something that will lead to their downfall, especially against the upper-echelon teams down the stretch.
Vyn Radovan, Senior Photographer:
FEU. UST. DLSU. I’m not sure who will be at number four.
Martin San Diego, Chief Photographer:
1. FEU
2. UST
3. DLSU, NU, ADMU (triple tie)
Leading the way into the second round are two hungry runner-up teams from the two previous seasons. Both still have almost the same team in tact from the failed championsip attempts; UST minus Pido, Teng, FEU minus no one, while the rest of their key players were retained entering Season 78.
NU, La Salle, and Ateneo are still struggling to find form. Whichever team that finds it last will find itself out of the Final Four race first.
Kevin Prudon, Senior Photographer:
1. UST
2. FEU
3. DLSU
4. ADMU/NU (tie)
If you believe in teams that peak up at the right time, DLSU and NU are going up. FEU and UST are at their peak right now and knowing FEU, they have a chance to plunge before the end of the second round although they have secured the top spot of the Final Four. Ateneo is becoming a one-man team if Pessumal and their point guard will not step up.
Merck Maguddayao, Senior Writer:
1. FEU
2. UST
3. NU
4. Ateneo
This is FEU’s best lineup since the Arwind Santos era and even if Mac Belo has achieved star status because of his stellar performance last year, the Tamaraws have the deepest roster in the league right now. They are like China with those long forwards led by the Escoto brothers and we haven’t seen the best from Prince Orizu.
Challenging them will be the resurgent UST Growling Tigers led by MVP candidate Ed Daquioag, who has finally shown his real game in his final season. This is a hungry team comprised of the 2011 freshman batch of Daquioag, Kevin Ferrer, and Karim Abdul and they badly needed UST’s first ring since 2006.
Despite its lackluster record, NU cannot be a pushover team. They have lost only by an average of four points and the likes of Kyle Neypes, Raph Tansingco, and Mohammad Salim are currently stepping up in the absence of Season 77 cornerstones Troy Rosario and Glenn Khobuntin. As the cliche goes, never underestimate the heart of a champion.
I see Ateneo barge in the last spot because this is the final season of Kiefer Ravena, and the Blue Eagles won’t allow the league’s most popular player to fade away empty handed. Besides, Ateneo is an exciting team with their young guns who play a run-and-gun brand of basketball, which is a big departure from Norman Black’s highly structured system.
