Struggling teams seek to reignite UAAP campaigns with wins

Games Saturday
(Mall of Asia Arena)
11:30 a.m. – FEU vs UST (women)
1:30 p.m. – Ateneo vs NU (women)
4:30 p.m. – FEU vs UST (men)
6:30 p.m. – Ateneo vs NU (men)

MANILA, Philippines -- As UP, La Salle, UE and Adamson jockey for positions ahead of the pack, four teams behind them scramble for wins to keep their heads above water in the first round of UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.

University Santo Tomas, despite its searing start, has been on a skid, while perennial contenders Far Eastern University, Ateneo and National University have piling losses to show in a sudden UAAP order shakeup nearing the second round.

And they will have the chance to somehow inject a new hope on those struggles even before they head to the next phase starting with the fabled rivalry between UST (3-3) and FEU (1-5) at 4:30 p.m.

NU (1-5), sans Mo Diassana following his ACL injury that spelled doom in their campaign after back-to-back Final Four finishes, then takes the court at 6:30 p.m. against fellow struggling contender Ateneo (1-5), which at one point had six straight finals appearances.

The Bulldogs have been on a free fall with four straight losses, Tigers and the Blue Eagles are both on a two-game slide with the Tamaraws being the lone squad to come out with a victory after a winless start in five games.

And expect coach Sean Chambers to pounce on that opportunity – now more than ever.

“Moving forward, after that game against La Salle, we are going to be a problem for the rest of the teams in this league. We're gonna continue to grow because now, after the second half of the season, they're no longer rookies,” declared the legendary PBA import, who transitioned to coaching just this year. 

The Tamaraws, indeed, flashed that potential as early as last week when they stood their ground against reigning champion La Salle, 68-62, before finally getting over the hump with a 66-65 overtime win against Ateneo.

For Chambers and the Tamaraws, there’s no going back regardless if it’s the vastly-improved Tigers in the way.

“We’ve been here and done it now. So, we're going to get out of that comfort zone and it's going to be a problem. We're really going to continue to get better,” he added.

In the women's division, reigning titlist NU (6-0) goes for a first-round sweep at 1:30 p.m. against Ateneo (4-2) after the bid of Santo Tomas (5-1) to firm up grip of No. 2 spot versus FEU (1-5) at 11:30 a.m.