Blue Eagles brace for tough race to catch semis bus

Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin

(UAAP Media Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — Despite getting a win to breathe life to the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ Final Four hopes, head coach Tab Baldwin acknowledged that things will only get more difficult as the elimination round reaches its crescendo.

Ateneo won its first four games in the UAAP Season 88, tying last season’s total win tally. But they lost five straight games, before snapping that streak with a tight 78-74 win over the also-ran University of the East Red Warriors on Wednesday.

Baldwin, after their win, said that no team should be “sitting there, feeling really confident” with the Final Four race being too close to call.

“The pack is tight and talented. And when you look at, you know, Adamson and ourselves sitting there, both of us having lost to FEU and, you know, FEU is another team that you just can't go to sleep on,” he told reporters after the win that gave them a 5-5 win-loss record, tied with the Soaring Falcons.

“I don't feel confident, but we're in with a fight, you know,” he added.

As things stand, National University is on top of the standings with an 8-2 win-loss record. Defending champions University of the Philippines is currently second with a 6-3 slate, followed by La Salle’s 6-4 card.

University of Santo Tomas (5-4), Adamson and Ateneo are all virtually tied, while FEU, the seventh in the standings, are also in there with them with a 4-6 record.

Baldwin, though, said that what’s important is they have a fighting chance to possibly return to the Final Four.

“You've got to punch your ticket to get there by being in the fight. And so now, you know, it was a good win today, because if we didn't get that win, it would have been really, really tough. It's still going to be really, really tough. But now we have, you know, a puncher's chance,” the coach stressed.

“And that's all you can really ask for. The league this year is crazy, you know, and a lot of fun… And every game day now, I think standings are going to swing around back and forth. So that's why I think nobody can really be comfortable right now and you've got to show up every game and play it like it's a playoff game now,” he added.

The Blue Eagles’ path to the Final Four will be harder, as they will take on La Salle, UST, UP and Adamson in their last four elimination games.

“You know, it's interesting. The five games that we lost, generally speaking, our defense was pretty good in those games. And today it wasn't. And if we're going to be successful in this next stretch of games, we're going to have to be a very good defensive team. We're going to have to make a stand against some really outstanding basketball teams,” Baldwin said.

“So, you know, we've got to really lock down our defensive mentality. And that can't be in question at all, even for one possession. Because I don't expect these games to be more than five-point differences. And you don't want to be on the bottom side of that. And that's a defensive question.”

The crucial Ateneo-La Salle clash will be held on Sunday, 4:30 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.