Games today:

(Mall of Asia Arena)

12 p.m. — Ateneo vs Adamson

2:30 p.m. — UE vs FEU

6 p.m. — NU vs UP

Solo leader University of the Philippines (UP) stakes its unbeaten record in a clash with dangerous National University (NU) as action in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 men’s basketball tournament resumes Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Fighting Maroons are looking to build on their momentum as they aim for a third straight win in the 6 p.m. nightcap of a busy triple-header playdate.

Flexing its depth and firepower, the Season 88 runner-up went perfect in the opening week of hostilities.

UP defeated University of Santo Tomas (UST), 92-85, to open its redemption bid in a rematch of last year’s Final Four. The Fighting Maroons then blew out Ateneo De Manila University, 94-75, in the first serving of the Battle of Katipunan before the league went on a weeklong break.

UP has been unstoppable behind the double-double average of Nigerian center Francis Nnoruka and ample support from Noy Remogat, Veejay Pre, James Payosing and Gani Stevens.

Yet Fighting Maroons head coach Goldwin Monteverde keeps reminding his team that the season has only just begun and a lot more work to be done.

“As we go along in the season, whatever we could improve on, whatever lapses or something that we can improve on, we’ll talk about that. Then, we’ll be moving forward to our next game,” Monteverde said.

“Having in mind that we know that this is just the second game, of course, we need to stay sharp in our work.”

And the Bulldogs are no easy assignment.

After a close 87-89 loss to defending champion De La Salle University, NU bounced back by venting its ire on listless University of the East (UE), 76-56, last week.

Mo Diassana faces a tough test taking on Nnoruka while Reinhard Jumamoy, Kenshin Padrones and PJ Palacielo will need to work harder to match up against UP’s deep arsenal.

“I have a very young team. I was forced to fast-track the team’s maturity, which is a big challenge for us. We have to be better in our decision-making. We need to be mature right away,” NU coach Jeff Napa said.

“Hopefully, coming to our next game against a contender team, they will respond better.”

Meanwhile, Adamson University eyes a second straight win against a rebound-seeking Ateneo side at 12 p.m.

The Falcons are fresh off a come-from-behind 56-53 escape over Far Eastern University (FEU) on 13 September.

On the other hand, the Blue Eagles sport a 1-1 record in a four-way tie with NU, UST and La Salle.

Winless teams FEU and UE, which lost two in a row this season and 22 straight for the past three years, battle at 2:30 p.m.