Ateneo and UST resume their title bids in UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball at the start of the second round Saturday. Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin said they still have a lot to work on despite their clear record.
“We try to stay focused forward, not backward,” he said. “Right now, we have a lot of basketball ahead of us in a short period of time so we don’t have the luxury to take a breath and you know, talk about any accomplishments. In our eyes, there aren’t any accomplishments yet.” Baldwin expects to toughen up their defensive against an offense-minded Tigers loaded with sharp shooters in Rhenz Abando, Mark Nonoy and Renzo Subido.
In their first meeting last Sept. 11, Ateneo pulled off a 71-70 escape behind the efforts of Thirdy Ravena and Ange Kouame in the crunch.UST, for its part, seeks a different outcome from a previous meeting against Ateneo to improve its 4-3 record at third. The Tigers needed to regain their old fiery form after ending the first round with a 92-77 loss to the De La Salle Archers.The Warriors tote a 2-5 mark following a morale-boosting 78-72 triumph over the National University Bulldogs while the Falcons are on a three-way tie in the middle standings at 3-4 after yielding to the Far