NU UAAP top dog after years in cellar

MANILA, Philippines - After languishing in the cellar for the longest time, the National University Bulldogs will enter unfamiliar ground as No. 1 seed and owner of a twice-to-beat advantage when the Final Four of the UAAP Season 76 men’s basketball tournament blasts off this weekend.

The Bulldogs finished the elims with a league-best 10-4 card in a logjam with De La Salle and Far Eastern but emerged on top after the tiebreak to find themselves in a very unfamiliar position.

“We’re very humbled by this opportunity but then again, hindi pa tapos ang mission namin, ang goal namin (our ultimate mission is not accomplished yet). We’ve got a shot in going to the finals so we wanna stay humble and hungry to make sure we stayed focused,” said NU coach Eric Altamirano.

NU has made a tremendous turnaround from a total underdog to a serious title contender the last three years. The Bulldogs reached the semis as No. 4 in 2012 but lost to eventual runner-up University of Santo Tomas. This year, with two-time MVP Bobby Ray Parks and Emmanuel Mbe blending well with teammates, the Bulldogs easily netted a Final Four berth and got the semis bonus to boot, on the strength of a 6-1 record in the second round.

“We picked it up in the second round. Except for the tough loss against La Salle, we could have swept the second round. We’re satisfied with how we have transformed and evolved from the first round to the second round.

“But then again, this is our first time to be in this position. Everybody will be feeling their way but ang importante (the important thing is) we stay focused and stay tough dahil iba ang level ng Final Four (the Final Four is a whole new ballgame),” said Altamirano.

The Bulldogs are still waiting for their opponents in the Final Four. Defending champion Ateneo and UST – both toting 7-6 slates – will dispute the last semis berth when they clash on Wednesday o n the last day of the elims.

“Kahit sino naman dyan ang pumasok magaling (Whoever advances will be a tough opponent) so again we just have to take advantage of this opportunity, make full use of the twice-to-beat to get into the finals,” said Altamirano, looking to break NU’s 50-year title in the UAAP.

NU secured its first twice-to-beat bonus in the Final Four era with a 70-65 win over Ateneo last Sept. 11, leaning on Parks’ heroics. Parks, who had 24 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a crucial assist setting up Dennis Villamor’s triple that gave NU a five-point buffer in that game, was the UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week.