Eagles open title defense vs Tamaraws

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo, in pursuit of a second straight UAAP championship, opens its campaign against title contender Far Eastern U when Season 72 of the country’s most glamorous collegiate basketball league is held July 11 at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Eagles will be without top guards Chris Tiu and Yuri Escueta, who have graduated, but the Loyola-based cagers remain the favorite with last year’s MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Finals MVP Nonoy Baclao, Rookie of the Year Ryan Buenafe, Jai Reyes, Nico Salva and Bacon Austria still in the fold.

League president Anton Montinola of host FEU said the inaugurals would have been more exciting with La Salle and UE originally set to cap the explosive opening day twinbill. But the league decided to reset the match to a later date to allow La Salle to compete in the 2009 Universiade slated July 1-12 in Belgrade, Serbia.

The Archers gained the right to compete in the Universiade after beating the Eagles for the Smart-PLDT Collegiate Champions League late last year.

The UAAP said the La Salle-UE showdown has been moved to July 16 while replacing the 2 p.m. time slot with the opening rites, which FEU vows will be spectacular in scope.

“It would have been a blockbuster pair of games but we were forced to move it,” Montinola yesterday told The STAR. “The good thing about it though is people would be able to watch our beautiful opening ceremony on television.”

The 2 p.m. opening and the 4 p.m. Ateneo-FEU duel will be shown live on ABS-CBN UHL channel Studio 23.

FEU’s athletic director Mark Molina also said matches pitting University of the Phils. versus National U at 2 p.m. and Univ. of Santo Tomas against Adamson will be held on July 12.

Far Eastern was officially named Season 71 host in the annual league awards night at the Bahay ng Alumni at the UP Diliman campus last week.

Despite losing its backcourt tandem, Ateneo is fancied to repeat this year as it retained the core of the team that swept La Salle in their best-of-three title showdown last year.

Ateneo is eyeing to duplicate its back-to-back title romps in 1987-88 and 1988-89 for a fifth UAAP crown. The Eagles also won in 2002-03 season.

But it will be tough with the rest of the competing field beefing up their respective rosters, particularly FEU, to be led by RP developmental pool standout Mark Andy Barroca.