Who can topple La Salle?

College basketball madness is approaching fever pitch and the entire country is again divided on who among the eight University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) squads will emerge as king of Season 87.

Of course, De La Salle University is the overwhelming favorite.

After winning the title in impressive fashion last year, the Green Archers are expected to take the tournament by storm due to their experience and firepower that can match even a professional ball club.

La Salle passed its first test when it booked a thrilling 78-75 win over National University in the opener last Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

But the final score hardly mattered. What is important is how the victory was achieved and what it means to the rest of the field in the country’s most prestigious collegiate basketball tourney.

After looking shaky against the pesky Bulldogs defense all game long, Kevin Quiambao — the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player — took matters into his hands in the final stretch.

He spearheaded an 11-2 rally in the fourth period to turn a 64-71 deficit into a 75-73 lead in the final 1:35 mark. Then, with the game tied at 75, he bravely shook off his defender and knocked down a nail-biting three-pointer with time running out to seal the victory.

Quiambao then faced the crowd and raised his arms in jubilation before uncorking a couple of screams like a grizzled warrior who had just conquered the heart of an entire nation.

A few days later, the Green Archers were at it again. Only this time, they didn’t need a last-second miracle from Quiambao as they safely cruised to a 30-point massacre of Adamson University, 82-52, to gain an early lead with a 2-0 win-loss mark.

With the Green Archers performing like a well-oiled machine, the entire league knows that knocking the crown off its head will not be easy. More than skills, courage and discipline, it will also take a little bit of luck to beat these mighty Green Archers.

Still, do not count out the University of the Philippines (UP) and University of Santo Tomas (UST).

Despite bowing to La Salle in the finals last year, the Fighting Maroons remain a solid force to be reckoned with following the return of key players like JD Cagulangan, Francis Lopez, Harold Alarcon, Terrence Fortea and Gerry Abadiano, and the addition of big men Quentin Millora-Brown, Gani Stevens, and Dikachi Ududo.

In their first game, the Fighting Maroons displayed their prowess when they crushed the young Ateneo de Manila University squad, 77-61, behind the all-around effort of Cagulangan and the attacking prowess of Lopez.

In fact, Lopez soared for a pair of tomahawk dunks in the crucial stretch not just to seal the victory but to demoralize the Blue Eagles, who are led by young guns Jared Bahay, Waki Espina and Kris Porter.

Not to be outdone, the Growling Tigers should be included in the title conversation.

On paper, UST may be a new team with seasoned mentor Pido Jarencio making a return.

But no, these Tigers are already a veteran squad as their players are overflowing with college basketball experience like chief playmaker Forthsky Padrigao, spitfire Kyle Paranada, ace gunner Nick Cabañero, and one-and-done swingman Chase Lane.

It didn’t take long for the Tigers to show their fans.

After posting a convincing triumph over University of the East (UE), UST clobbered Ateneo, 74-64, to put a fitting end to the long and agonizing drought against the school that had been breaking its heart for the past nine years.

With UP retaining its strength and UST emerging as a serious contender, while other squads like Ateneo, UE, NU, Adamson, and Far Eastern University capable of pulling off a surprise, does La Salle have to play with caution?

Yes, definitely.

In its nearly six decades of existence, the UAAP has seen heavyweights shocked by minnows and underdogs.

Remember 2006 when Dylan Ababou’s UST stunned Doug Kramer’s Ateneo in the championship match? What about the following year when La Salle came back from a one-year suspension to shock a favored UE side bannered by a bunch of stars in James Martinez, Marcy Arellano, Mark Borboran and Paul Lee?

The beauty of college basketball, especially the UAAP, is that players are playing for their school’s pride and glory. They are willing to do everything when the game is on the line.

Yes, La Salle is strong. It has the experience and firepower to dominate the UAAP.

Still, it has to remember that games are won on the hardcourt — not on paper.