FOR the first time ever, both the UAAP and the NCAA will see their respective championships disputed through a stepladder semifinals.
That's all thanks to the season-long brilliance of both Ateneo and San Beda as they've swept their elimination schedules and gain outright Finals berths in their own tourneys.
But with the Blue Eagles bracing for an 18-day layoff, while the Red Lions already in the middle of their 27-day break, would rust factor in and hamper these teams' quests to defend their throne?
Well, that's really quite a tricky question to answer, especially if we'll look at the history books.
On Ateneo's part, its only the third team to complete the immaculate romp in the UAAP men's division since the Final Four format was introduced in 1993.
The first team to achieve the sweep was University of Santo Tomas, although the Aric del Rosario-mentored Growling Tigers squad were automatically hailed as the champions after their 14-0 run, thanks to the rule in effect during that era.
University of the East also achieved the perfect run in 2007, but things didn't really quite pan out the way it envisioned. The Red Warriors, led by Mark Borboran, Paul Lee, and Marcy Arellano, blew their bye and got swept by La Salle in the best-of-three Finals.
In the NCAA, San Beda has also achieved glory the last time it swept the eliminations in 2010, with Sudan Daniel completing the 16-0 run to help the Frankie Lim-mentored crew reclaim the throne.
Lyceum also achieved an 18-0 elimination run in 2017, yet the Topex Robinson-coached Pirates also got swept by the Red Lions in that Finals.
Quite a mixed bag for the men.
Yet the trend is much clearer if we'll look at the UAAP women's division. In the six previous instances that a team swept the eliminations, that team was able to claim the tiara.
The first time a team went unscathed was when Allana Lim and Soc Borja towed Far Eastern University to a clean 14-0 eliminations run in 2012, before beating La Salle twice over in the championship series.
The past five? Well, that's all part of the National University Lady Bulldogs' dynastic run, escaping the jaws of defeat over the past half-decade to erect this dynastic five-peat dominance.
And a sixth might be on the way, with coach Pat Aquino and his girls annexing their onslaught to 94 straight victories now as they lie in wait for the last team standing in their own stepladder semifinals.
So does a sweep, which comes with an automatic Finals berth, necessarily guarantee a title in the bag?
Not necessarily.
After all, championships are won on the court when the final buzzer horns for one last time.
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