FORTHSKY Padrigao saw Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin watching from the sidelines on Sunday and immediately knew that University of Santo Tomas will have its hands full come next game.
"Nagkatinginan na kami," he said, bracing for the tough assignment that he'll have once the Growling Tigers and the Blue Eagles cross paths on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Padrigao knows how tough Baldwin-coached squads are. After all, he was on the blue side before and even finished as the MVP runner-up two seasons ago before transferring to Espana.
That's why he's already anticipating Baldwin to devise a plan to negate his impact for the Growling Tigers as they shoot for their second straight win in the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball tournament.
"First time ko makakalaban si coach Tab. I don't know kung paano ko siya makakalaban, pero exciting and challenging as well," Padrigao said after producing five points, seven assists, and six rebounds in UST's 70-55 triumph over University of the East.
It's a dream start for the Growling Tigers, ticking almost every box in their preseason checklist as they proved to be as good as advertised. Now, they are gunning for their first 2-0 start since Season 82 in the 6:30 p.m. game.
Baldwin, for his part, isn't hiding the fact that Padrigao's presence makes UST better ten-fold compared to past seasons, on top of the phalanx of their new recruits.
"Forthsky at the point presents problems," he said. "They've got some transfers coming in this year that are good basketball players."
But the decorated mentor isn't losing sleep on facing his former ward. Rather, his attention is on Ateneo as he looks to fasttrack the growth of his young team.
"It's going to test us," Baldwin said after the Blue Eagles fell to UP, 77-61, on Saturday, a game where they shot a horrendous 19-of-40 clip from the free throw line.
"The goal, obviously, is to be better quick enough to put wins on the board, because by the end of the season, you know, I think this team has a chance to be pretty good. But we've got to be in contention at the end of the season or else we're looking further into the future."
READ: UAAP TAKEAWAYS: KQ is only getting better, Bahay is on his way
La Salle, KQ test upset-conscious Adamson
Defending champion La Salle, on the other hand, will also aim for back-to-back wins after Kevin Quiambao's heroics last Sunday after slipping past National University.
The Green Archers collide with a hungry Adamson side at 4:30 p.m., both aiming to stay atop the leaderboards.
Coach Nash Racela's boys turned heads in their opener after walloping the young FEU Tamaraws in the second half to take a 59-47 win.
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