Breaking the stranglehold

Over the last 20 finals of the UAAP men’s senior basketball championships dating back to 1994, either La Salle or Ateneo has figured in the title playoffs. The duopoly has now been shattered.

This season, FEU and NU are battling in the finals which start at the Mall of Asia Arena tomorrow. “It took 20 years for Sampaloc to become the center of the UAAP universe,” beamed Tamaraws team owner and UAAP Board representative Anton Montinola. For basketball purists and scholars of the game, their reaction was it’s about time.

FEU hasn’t won a UAAP men’s senior championship since 2005 or nine years ago. NU’s drought is much longer. The Bulldogs haven’t clinched since 1954-55 and they’ve only won one title compared to the Tams’ 19. NU coach Eric Altamirano has painstakingly brought prominence to the varsity program and his efforts aren’t unnoticed. NU has now barged into the Final Four the last three years. In all, the Bulldogs have advanced to only four Final Fours (the first in 2001) since the format was introduced in 1993.

For FEU, the Tams have gone to the Final Four in six of the last seven years, missing out in 2012. They’ve advanced to 16 Final Fours so far compared to La Salle’s 18 and Ateneo’s 15. FEU’s last finals appearance was in 2011 when the Tams bowed to the Blue Eagles. NU’s previous finals outing was in 1977 when the Bulldogs lost to Adamson.

So it’s been quite a while since the UAAP has welcomed either FEU or NU to the finals. Or putting it in another way, it’s been a while since the UAAP has not welcomed either Ateneo or La Salle to the finals. How glaring is the fact that NU made it to the finals the year after star Bobby Ray Parks stepped down and FEU did it the year after stars R. R. Garcia and Terrence Romeo relinquished their collegiate eligibility.

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Last Wednesday, the Archers and Eagles came tantalizingly close to making it back to the finals.  Ateneo was up by three with 2:22 to go and had possession, down by two, with 9.3 ticks left. A power fluctuation interrupted the Eagles’ inbound for a chance to win it in regulation or force extension. Ateneo had a timeout remaining so it wasn’t as if the interruption favored the Eagles to sue for a break.

What was announced to be a 20-minute recess to stabilize the power condition wound up to be about 10 minutes less. Ateneo tried to take advantage of the break by taking warm-up shots but NU objected, forcing the Eagles to retire to their bench. In the PBA or even in the NBA, teams are allowed to take warm-up shots during an unexpected break. But it was a different situation last Wednesday because with one possession left, only Ateneo stood to benefit from taking warm-up shots.

Ateneo had a lot of time to go for the basket but Kiefer Ravena’s drive was foiled to preserve NU’s victory. Parks cheered wildly from the sidelines as his former teammates delivered a first finals appearance since the Sy family took ownership of the school in 2008. It was a fitting reward for SM Prime Holdings president/CEO Hans Sy who has given his all-support to the team from Day One. Not only has the NU men’s team broken barriers in the finals but also the women’s team which is on the verge of capturing its first-ever crown.

Ateneo has not beaten NU in six outings since last season, indicating a curious “kontra pelo” matchup. The same nightmarish matchup confronted La Salle against FEU. Before last Wednesday’s showdown, FEU had beaten La Salle in three of four encounters this season. The difference in both series was Ateneo was the higher seed and La Salle wasn’t.

The Eagles finished the eliminations as the No. 1 seed with a twice-to-beat advantage over No. 4 NU. In Final Four history, No. 1 has beaten No. 4 in 17 of 19 duels. That’s a lofty 90 percent rate. The only two occasions where No. 4 beat No. 1 involved the Bulldogs. Last season, NU was No. 1 and lost to No. 4 UST. And this season, No. 4 NU toppled No. 1 Ateneo.

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In La Salle’s case, the Archers couldn’t have picked a worse game to play their worst this season. They shot 9-of-23 from the line and just couldn’t shake off the Tams’ stifling defense. Jeron Teng and Almond Vosotros were a combined 8-of-26 from the field and neither attempted a single free throw. Still, La Salle made it close and even led by four down the stretch. Then, Mac Belo hit a buzzer-beating triple to lift FEU to a pulsating 67-64 win. Belo scored 10 of the Tams’ last 12 points, punctuated by two treys. “Coach Chot (Reyes) has his eye on Belo for Gilas down the road,” noted Montinola.

It looked like the game was headed into overtime with the count tied and FEU in possession, time down to 24.4 ticks. As the clock wound down, Mike Tolomia tried to break down Julian Sargent’s defense and when he couldn’t, passed off to Belo in the corner. Belo’s defender Jason Perkins had helped out on Tolomia so he was a little late to recover. The play was reminiscent of Teng’s dish to Vosotros to beat UST in Game 3 of the finals last season, bringing La Salle to the throne.

As much as Altamirano deserved credit for NU’s march into the finals, FEU coach Nash Racela earned it, too. Altamirano’s staff counts on Joey Guanio, Mon Jose, Jeff Napa and Vic Ycasiano while Racela is backstopped by Johnny Abarrientos, Mike Oliver, Gilbert Lao, Ronald Magtulis, Josh Reyes and Jojo Lastimosa. Both teams are surrounded by excellent coaching minds.

Neither Ateneo nor La Salle will play in the finals this season but it won’t mean less interest, less ticket sales and less fanfare with NU and FEU slugging it out. On the contrary, expect a series that will be resounding, exciting and historic. The University Belt is back in a big way in the UAAP so strap it on for a wild ride to the championship.