Defending the den

Games today:

(UST Quadricentennial

Pavilion Arena)

2 p.m. — La Salle vs FEU

4:30 p.m. --— UST vs NU

University of Santo Tomas (UST) makes a homestand against National University (NU) in a battle of unbeaten squads in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tournament today at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena.

Tip-off time is at 4:30 p.m. as both teams put their pristine 2-0 win-loss records on the line to join idle Ateneo De Manila University (3-0) on top of the standings.

Meanwhile, De La Salle University takes on listless Far Eastern University (FEU) in the curtain-raiser at 2 p.m.

Back in the Tigers’ den in España, UST aims to sustain its giant-slaying ways for its best start since 2015 — the last time the team reached the finals.

UST’s surprising hot start came at the expense of repeat-seeking University of the Philippines, 87-67, and last year’s runners-up Green Archers, 93-84.

The Tigers’ win over the Fighting Maroons ended a nine-game losing skid to the Diliman-based squad while their escape over La Salle last Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum snapped a 16-game head-to-head defeat. 

UST is enjoying success all thanks to explosive first-year foreign student-athlete Collins Akowe. The Nigerian rookie center averaged 24.5 points and 18 rebounds in his first two outings.

His production complemented the shared leadership roles of playmaker Forthsky Padrigao and glue guy Nic Cabañero.

But UST is keeping its guards up against the Bulldogs, who are also building their case as serious contenders this season.

“These guys are good. I don’t think we’ll have a hard time grounding them because I talk to them off the court and always ask what they can improve on. We just have to keep grounded, we just have to stick to what we’re doing,” Tigers assistant coach Peter Martin said.

NU won its first two games in dominating fashion with routs over University of the East, 72-57, and the Tamaraws, 84-68.

“Number one for us is consistency. Day in and day out, our approach has to be all about effort — how much we put in and how we sustain that effort every single day,” Bulldogs coach Jeff Napa said.

“We’ll go back to work in practice, keep pushing to stay sharp and positive, because the teams coming up on our schedule are no joke. We need to be ready, and most importantly, we need to stay healthy. That’s the top priority if we want to achieve our goals.”

Senegalese center Omar John, who averages 12 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, is expected to face a tough job against former NU-Nazareth School big man Akowe in a highly-anticipated matchup.

On the other hand, La Salle tries to get back on track after splitting its first two outings.

Meanwhile, FEU is still winless after two games.

In the women’s division, reigning champion NU (1-0) faces UST (1-0) in a rematch of last year’s finals at 7 p.m.

At 12 noon, La Salle and FEU aim to bounce back from lopsided season-opening defeats.

In the junior high school boys’ division, UST (3-0) and NU-Nazareth School (2-0) put their perfect records on the line at 7:30 a.m., followed by FEU-Diliman (1-1) against De La Salle-Zobel (0-2) at 9:30 a.m.