Season's best battles seasoned champ

MANILA, Philippines - Destiny against dynasty.

Far Eastern University hopes to prove it is destined to win its first crown in five years as the season’s best as it goes up against defending champion Ateneo seeking to embellish a dynastic reign with a three-peat.

Their anticipated titular showdown begins at 4:20 p.m. today at the Araneta Coliseum with the league-leading Tams gunning for their first crown since 2005 and the Blue Eagles set on achieving a third straight title in the UAAP men’s basaketball tournament at the Big Dome.

The Tams had beaten the Blue Eagles in their two elims meetings, 72-69, and 74-72, but FEU coach Glen Capacio is in no way convinced that his wards already have Ateneo’s numbers in this matchup.

“Even though we beat them twice in the elims, we’re now 0 and 0. This is the finals, that stage where we separate the boys from the men, so to speak,” said Capacio, whose wards are into their first finals appearance in his four years at the helm.

“Ateneo’s advantage will be their championship experience, that will be a key factor. But we’re the hungrier team. And since we didn’t have the problems of the previous years, I think we will make a good showing in the finals,” added Capacio.

Last year, his crew was bogged down by the controversial removal of then ace guard Mark Barroca and injury to Jens Knuttel in the playoffs, bungling twice-to-beat edge in the Final Four to eventually crash out of the title picture.

Ateneo coach Norman Black, for his part, said his charges match up well with FEU, although for Game 1 the Eagles will be one “wide body” less as backup center Edwin Jason Escueta serves his suspension for committing his second unsporstmanlike foul in their semis win over Adamson.

“It should be a good matchup. I don’t see any team having the distinct advantage, even if they’ve beaten us twice,” he said.

Black said his players are at their peak right now and mixed with championship experience, this makes him upbeat about their chances for crown No. 3.

“We felt we had a good team at the start of the league but if we just keep improving, then we might have the chance to win again. Now the key to that is playing the best basketball at the right time, which, for us, is right now,” he said. “(And) I don’t think I’ll have any problem with the focus and concentration of the players because we have the experience; we’ve been here before, we know what it feels like and now it’s just a matter of whose team is better, who’s gonna come down to it.”

Black tagged MVP RR Garcia, the league’s scoring champ with 16.4 markers an outing, including a high of 25 against Ateneo, as the key to thwarting FEU’s bid.

“I don’t expect we can stop RR, I don’t think that’s going to happen. He takes a lot of attempts and they really look for him on offense but we have to play good overall defense to win,” he said, adding the need to contain FEU big men led by Aldrech Ramos (11.3 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2 bpg) and Reil Cervantes (10.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.6 apg) as well.

Capacio, meanwhile, cited Erik Salamat (11 ppg, 4.2 apg, 1.9 spg) and Ryan Buenafe (7.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.3 apg) as Ateneo’s main men.

“For me, Salamat and Buenafe are the barometer of Ateneo. If we stop them, we’re almost 75 percent successful in stopping Ateneo,” said Capacio.

Meanwhile, FEU’s entries in the women’s hostilities, the Lady Tams, also take the court against defending champion Adamson, in Game 1 of their own title series at 11 a.m., also at the Big Dome.