La Salle and Ateneo, finally, are again putting all the marbles on the line as they clash in their first encounter in the 65th UAAP basketball tournament which, this early, many expect to boil down to a dream title-rematch between the long-time archrivals.
The Archers and the Eagles clash at 4 p.m. with the game likely to turn out to be another classic though deprived of a potential subplot on the absence of Ateneo ace forward Rich Alvarez.
Santo Tomas and University of the East, two teams with their own history of epic clashes in the past, provide the aperitif in their 2 p.m. tiff.
La Salle is seeking a first-round sweep while Ateneo, UST and UE are all looking to carry over a 5-2 win-loss card into the second round.
Alvarez, the league’s MVP last year, was suspended by the UAAP board for an unsportsmanlike foul he committed against Adamson’s Jojo Hate in their game on Aug. 4 at the Makati Coliseum.
Ateneo, through board representative Jun Jun Capistrano, appealed Alvarez’s suspension. The Board, presided by National University’s Sonny Paguia, was still deliberating at presstime, but reports gathered by The STAR indicated that the decision, recommended by the league’s technical committee chaired by Prof. Kiko Diaz of University of the Philippines, would remain.
"We’re prepared to play Rich tomorrow (today) because we feel that Rich did not do anything to deserve such penalty," said Ateneo coach Joel Banal. "It’s like murder, you must prove a person guilty beyond reasonable doubt before you can convict him."
But even minus Alvarez, Banal said the Eagles are unfazed.
"We all know that Rich is irreplaceable but his absence pushes us to play harder and more intensely," said Banal.
La Salle mentor Franz Pumaren, for his part, said the one-game suspension slapped on Alvarez did not change anything. He said: "Nothing changed, you just removed one player but the intensity and the spirit is still there."
Enrico Villanueva, who led Ateneo to the PBL title last May, has a tough task at hand as he’s to contend by his lonesome the likes of La Salle’s Carlo Sharma, Manny Ramos and Adonis Sta. Maria.