In the words of Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin, 'One Big Fight' will take on 'UP Fight' in the first Battle of Katipunan in UAAP Season 86.
Halfway through Round 1, the Katipunan sides have been dealt with contrasting fates.
Regardless of Sunday's result, the top-seeded Maroons have registered their best-ever start in UAAP men's basketball upon going six games unbeaten to date.
The defending champions, however, are yet to win back-to-back games this season with a 3-3 (win-loss) card ahead of the UP match.
But with UP escaping a few late scares and Ateneo dispatching longtime rival La Salle, anything goes in this battle.
Maroon magic
With an average six-game winning margin of 14.7 points, it has been a ruthless start to the Maroons' redemption run from a runner-up finish to the Blue Eagles in Season 85.
Reigning MVP Malick Diouf and returning senior captain CJ Cansino have led UP's dream run from the front.
This, on top of parading nine touted rookies including Francis Lopez, Chicco Briones,Sean Alter, Janjan Felicilda, Mark Belmonte, Luis Pablo, Seven Gagate, Reyland Torres, and LA Andres.
On the subject of facing its Katipunan rival with a relatively new squad, UP coach Goldwin Monteverde shared how the battle hasn't even crossed his mind until after their penultimate first-round win over La Salle.
"Honestly, I haven’t thought much about Ateneo. But as all things naman, every time na we play against them, we are really gonna prepare for them," Monteverde said.
"'Yung rematch, lahat naman (ng teams) magkakaroon ng game at dalawang round 'to eh. Lahat magkalaban paulit-ulit dito. Importante siguro sa part namin na we try to be healthy before Sunday, have that rest, and then we are gonna prepare for them," he added.
"Sa amin, wala namang hinto talaga. Minsan pag tinanong ka kung 'ready ka ba,' sinasabi ko lang na there’s always something we could still improve on. So, kami as a team, we would really take 'yung good and bad games as learnings and lessons for us.
"Hahanapin pa rin namin every game, every practice kung anong dapat naming i-improve. Non-stop talaga," Monteverde asserted.
Trouble in paradise?
Champions on paper is how Tab Baldwin described his 'new' Blue Eagles side and even pointed out how 'they aren't champions of anything' ahead of Season 86.
To an extent, Baldwin's pre-season verdict has panned out the way he thought it would — a learning curve more than anything.
After six opening games, Ateneo has had cyclical results in which they go on to win one and lose the next.
And with their recent 20-point rout of UST, the Blue Eagles are eager than ever to score back-to-back wins for the first time this season in the boldest way possible by slashing UP's perfect start to ruins.
Even as senior figures Kai Ballungay and Chris Koon continue to provide glimmers of hope for the young Ateneo side, Baldwin reiterated how the forthcoming Ateneo-UP game is a 'not a title rematch' and a 'far cry' from what it has been in recent years.
"That’s definitely not a rematch. The names of the teams might be the same, but we’re a far cry from the same team that went out to play them.
"But we have a lot to prove. Every game is an opportunity for us to prove things and it’s a great scenario to go up against the team that’s been (unbeaten this season)," said Baldwin.
Moreover, the seasoned veteran coach knows all too well that Monteverde will be one confident man with how his team has played and fought six games in.
"Gold (Monteverde) can sweat a little bit this week, which we want him to. But come game time on Sunday, he’s gonna be very confident in his team and their performance and strength. He’s gonna worry during the week and I think our performance (versus UST) gave him a few different things to think about," he said.
Come 4 p.m. on Sunday, in the exact venue where UP won its first and only title over Ateneo to date at the Mall of Asia Arena, Baldwin expects nothing less of a battle which fans from both schools will surely be raving about.
"We’ll be excited on Sunday. It’s 'one big fight' versus 'UP fight.' We’re getting a little bit used to that over the years and I’m sure fans will be very enthusiastic about it. We’ll show up but we’ll be losing sleep first over that."
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