UAAP wars and DLSU dilemma (2)

As I write this column, the top three in the ongoing UAAP Basketball season seems locked for the playoffs. UP, Ateneo and NU are poised to make it with the other teams except perhaps for UST jostling for the final four position.

The biggest surprise of the tournament is the NU Bulldogs under Coach Jeff Napa. Though the potential of this team already revealed itself, its current performance simply validated what analysts knew — that the Bulldogs are in for the big dance.

I will not be surprised if they make it all the way to the finals. What makes this team tick is a cohesive system deployed by Coach Jeff Napa and the Bulldogs coaching staff. Their play is unpredictable, leaving the teams they go up against scrambling to adjust on the fly. That was most evident when they beat UP and later on Ateneo.

Absent superstars in the lineup, the scrappy Bulldogs have evidently mastered the system employed by the coaching staff and have done so with accurate precision. This team under its current coach will be dangerous in years to come.

For the UP Fighting Maroons, no less than a championship is expected. Anything outside of that would be a disappointment. With a high-octane offense and a choking defense, the Fighting Maroons render their opponents gasping for air in the crucial stretches of the game.

In terms of conditioning, I see this team as the best closer in end-game situations. The biggest plus as well is that they have the best player of the collegiate league, Carl Tamayo, who, together with the core members of the then junior champions NU Bulldogs, has transformed UP as the favored team to win it all.

Not to be discounted are the Ateneo Blue Eagles who still enjoy the luxury of having a program with the longest continuity in Coach Tab Baldwin. Albeit the lineup may be different from previous powerhouses, Ateneo is still expected to be in the thick of things.

The other teams: La Salle, UE, Adamson and FEU, are still gunning for that last final four slot and if lady luck will somehow smile on them, then that possibility is still there for the taking.

La Salle won a close one against Adamson on a CJ Austria bailout three. Both teams were without their top scorers and the game was competitive throughout. This will be a good foundation for the Archers when they face top seed UP today.

La Salle's woes persisted in that game opposite Adamson, particularly their three-point shooting which was a dismal 24 percent. They were also outrebounded and gave Adamson many second-chance points. If they are to make the final four, it is imperative to win almost all their games especially since FEU, Adamson, and UE are hot on their heels.

So many improvements have to be made. First is to improve shooting, second is to minimize second chance points, and third is to find a way to get open looks since La Salle is dead last in blocked shots allowed.

As I mentioned in my earlier column, the numbers are there. It's just a matter of how the coaching staff can exploit it and translate these numbers into a winning formula. The onus is on them.